University of Wyoming
The Russell-Miller Milling Company was a flour milling company on the banks of the Sheyenne River in Valley City, North Dakota. Established in 1882 by John Russell and Arthur Miller, it was best known for its Occident brand of flour. The company expanded throughout North Dakota and Montana, and in 1908 moved its headquarters to Minneapolis, Minnesota. By 1957, it was the 4th largest flour milling business in the United States.
The collection includes newsletters; pamphlets, primarily about the company's Occident brand of flour; speeches; blueprints; photographs of the mill and personnel; and other miscellaneous materials.
The business correspondence is primarily memos between Minneapolis and the mills in Grand Forks and Valley City, North Dakota concerning wheat and flour shipping weights and billing. Also included are letters pertaining to the construction of a fire door arch and fire sprinkler system; replies to a layman's questions about wheat and flour; and a report about the quality of several wheat varieties. Contracts for the construction of a steam engine, boilers, and fire sprinkler system, and for a land grant and railroad track addition are also included. The financial records contain a sample of payroll records; a summary of assets and liabilities of the Diamond Milling Company; and supply requisitions and purchases for the Valley City and Grand Forks, North Dakota, mills.
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There are no known other archival collections created by the Russell-Miller Milling Co. at the date of processing.
The Russell-Miller Milling Company records were given to the American Heritage Center on May 28, 1957, by M.A. Lea, Controller and Treasurer of the Russell-Miller Milling Company. Small additions of photographs and a newsletter were made on August 7, 1957 and August 14, 1957. In Janaury 2024, Barbara Furstenberg donated further material to the collection.
The collection was processed by Elaine Heim in January 1994. The finding aid was encoded by D. Claudia Thompson in November 2020. The collection was updated by Brittany Heye in January 2026.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.