"A" Mill Explosion

Title: Map of the Mill Area
Type: Map
Date: 1878
Source: North Western Miller

Description: The explosion at the Washburn "A" damaged much more of the milling district in St. Anthony than might be expected. This map shows the surrounding area and the other buildings damaged in the event.

Activities:

1. How many buildings other than the Washburn "A" Mill were damaged when it exploded? Looking at the map, what other structures or features might have been damaged also?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Ten other buildings were damaged by the explosion. By looking at the map, you can also see that railroad lines,streets, and a covered canal migh thave been damaged.
2. How could a map like this allow you to better understand other sources about this event that you might find?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The labels on this map can help you identify buildings in photographs and the location of the area around the explosion with more accuracy.
3. As a researcher, this map can be helpful in many ways, but what things does it NOT tell you about the event?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: This map does not tell you the cause of the destruction or if anyone died or was injured or whether the damage was done by fire or explosion or something else.
4. This map gives us a diagram of the location of the explosion and a compass rose to show us directions. What other map features would have been helpful for us?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The map does not give us a larger view of where in Minneapolis the event happened. It also does not label the river (it's on the right side of the map) or give us a clear indication of how large the burned buildings were.