Where the Minneapolis Molines were built.

Ultradog MN · Jun 18, 2020

I went to look at a job yesterday.
On the way back home I took a little detour and drove by the epicenter of the recent rioting in Minneapolis.
Photos are poor snapshots of the area but give you an idea of the devastation.
Where the Target store is now was the main site of the Minnie Mo factory.
They didn't burn the Target but looted it completely. All the photos are from within a block of the Target.
I'm sure you've all seen video of the conflagrations in the area. But I doubt any of the news agencies reported - or even knew - that this was where the those great old tractors built.
I know darned well some if you will obsessively/compulsively need to get political about this.
But just don't say it. Don't be a jerk.
Just think about what great machines they were and be glad they made them for as long as they did - in a bygone day by a bygone people.
Thanks

Farmall plowboy · Jun 18, 2020

How long were minnie's built?

DR. EVIL · Jun 18, 2020

1936 to 1974 per TractorData.

wore out · Jun 18, 2020

Yep, I knew that is where the factory was, and am all too familiar with that area (and the Target) from being a frequent visitor with my son over many years the Children's and Abbott NW hospitals just a few blocks to the west.

Also, "The Moline" SW of there, in Hopkins, which is built on the site of another MM property.

I can't remember the details of what MM did at the Hopkins site, at the moment, though?
The Moline

Crazy Horse · Jun 18, 2020

What is the Engles----- trailer or whatever it is in the photo? Maybe a work crew tool or worker shelter?

Russ from MN · Jun 18, 2020

I lived a ways north of there in 69-70, I think they were still manufacturing then, I know the big Sears store was close by, that's where I went!

SVcummins · Jun 18, 2020

Peaceful protesters

fastfarmall · Jun 18, 2020

I use to go by the Minneapolis Moline plant, before i crossed over the River, on the Ford Parkway, there use to be some new ones sitting outside, i worked in St Paul,when i was first out of high school, so is that where the new Target store your talking about is ?

paul · Jun 18, 2020

Was t that the very first Target store built?

Nice little history of MM here.

Paul
Minneapolis Moline

WI Dan · Jun 18, 2020

Interesting history, how things change, what happened in the spot long before. fun to think about
Neighbor had a MM - I don't know the model. I've never so much as laid a finger on an MM. They seem like a solid, trustworthy machine.

coonie minnie · Jun 18, 2020

When the protests broke out, I was wondering how close that was to MM. There had been quite a bit of unrest at MM over the years -see the Wikipedia article below- but I didn't realize it was on the same spot!

gtractorfan · Jun 18, 2020

I can't imagine having all these "toys". I have fond memories of the M 670 dad bought new.

cdmn · Jun 18, 2020

As I remember, it was where the combines and other implements were built, perhaps corn shellers, and "Unisystem". Pretty sure they built manure spreaders and plows, but over time, probably bought them from a third party. Over the years, many Minnesota farmers bought Minnesota Prison Industries farm equipment, mostly horse machinery and wagon gears. Eventually, political pressures caused them to be shut down. I still own a 1964 Jet Star 3. Just gave her a pair of new tires after 30 some years. Pushed a lot of snow, and lifted a lot of stuff.
MM History

Scott 730 · Jun 18, 2020

(quoted from post at 11:55:00 06/18/20) What is the Engles----- trailer or whatever it is in the photo? Maybe a work crew tool or worker shelter?

Engelsma Construction jobsite trailer. They work on Target stores.

sourgum · Jun 18, 2020

The black & white picture of the Lake Street plant from Paul's post below, picture dated 1938. Then the U-DLX models were made in 1938. So this tractor may have been under assembly by workers in the plant at the time the b & w picture was taken in 1938. Have read where abt 50-60 of these tractors still exist today and maybe 25 - 30 have been restored. It's great to see where possibly the ultimate collector tractor of today was made in MN. There should be a historical marker on site somewhere.

RedMF40 · Jun 18, 2020

For some reason this jogged loose a bit of memory from childhood days here in Maryland.

There was a sleepy old real estate office near a crossroads in Howard County, and the building it occupied was a converted dairy barn. This was one of the last holdouts of the county's agricultural history. Silo was still standing, as well as a very large barn that stood in disuse. I'd pick berries out back, because the real estate office wasn't open that much, and no one seemed to care if you traipsed back there in the overgrown fields with a few fruit trees still standing and lots of thorny berry vines.

Today the area is one big expanse of black asphalt ringed by a Target store, Safeway supermarket, banks, restaurants, that Michael's craft store and just the typical array of businesses you see in a suburban shopping center. Been many years since I picked berries where all that now stands. I'd be hard pressed to say exactly where that old real estate office was located exactly. I think it was right around where a gas station or Kentucky Fried Chicken now stands. Progress.

Tony in SD · Jun 18, 2020

This is part of our MM collection G 144 my Grandpa bought new and a ZA from a neighbors retirement auction

TwinCityTractor · Jun 19, 2020

The Twin City tractors were built there before the merger that formed Minneapolis Moline.

Jegs · Jun 19, 2020

Hi Paul, nope that isn't the first one, Target #1 is on Snelling Ave. My Dad worked for Target for quite awhile, they moved us around the country, he would help open stores for them.

In '76 my Mom was done with it and we moved back to MN for good and Dad found other work.

Ultradog MN · Jun 19, 2020

The target in the photo is the one on Snelling ave.

Where the Minneapolis Molines were built.

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