Another "Welcome to Menomonie" mural update from Menomonie native and artist Dale Manor:
Last weekend my daughter Jacque and I primed the Welcome to Menomonie mural wall. It took about 10 gallons of primer and around 10 hours to prime. The wall was pretty dry, so of course it took 2 coats! This wall is one large canvas, it's 14' - 8" tall and 72' long.
Along with a few pics of the primer job, this week we are featuring the 2nd letter "O" which highlights Menomonie's Dam building history. Thanks again to the Rassbach Museum for today's history lesson.
O --- DAM AND BRIDGE ON THE RED CEDAR RIVER
Dams on the Red Cedar River at Menomonie go as far back as the 1840s.
This early 1900s view shows several Tainter gates used to efficiently control the flow of water. Designed by Jeremiah Burnham Tainter and first installed in a previous dam in 1886, the gates were used on the Red Cedar River and tributaries within the Knapp, Stout & Co., Company’s territory to float lumber rafts downstream to mills and markets. The gate succeeded because the rush of water and the force of gravity help both to open and close the gates with a minimum of manpower. Today the “Tainter Gate” is used in water control dams and locks throughout the world, including Menomonie’s current dam. This dam and its power plant was replaced in 1958, raising the level of the lake.
To the right is the Wisconsin Milling Co. The Knapp, Stout & Co., Company began operating a grist mill on the southeast bank of the Red Cedar River in 1858 to supply flour and feed to its stores. In 1906 the operation was purchased by the Wisconsin Milling Co. Products included rye flour, buckwheat flour, Mill Rose flour, graham flour, whole wheat flour for bread and pancakes, bolted corn meal, and Creamola, a breakfast cereal. The mill also produced a complete line of cattle, chicken and hog feeds. The flour and feed brands were known widely in this country and in Europe. Labor problems in the late 1940s ended flour milling and the company concentrated on feed production for the balance of its existence until 1969.
Dale Manor owns Studio in the Sky in Minneapolis. Check out his artwork on the Studio in the Sky website and on Dale's Facebook page.
