Nicollet, MN

Nicollet is a small town located in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The population of Nicollet was 8,539 as of the 2010 census. The median household income was $68,902 and the median family income was $82,857.

The history of Nicollet can be traced back to 1849 when John Nicollet and his wife settled on a farm north of what is now downtown Minneapolis. In 1856, John's son-in-law, Jens Jensen built a sawmill on the site that would become Nicollet Avenue. In 1889, Jens Jensen sold his mill to A.L. Nelson who renamed it the Nicollet Lumber Company. The company grew rapidly and by 1899 had erected a large mill at what is now 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., which became known as " Nicollet Mill."

In 1902, Nelson sold his mill to George Wirth who renamed it the Wirth Lumber Company. The company prospered and by 1916 had erected another large mill at what is now 10th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., which became known as " Wirth Mill."

In 1923, Wirth merged with two other lumber companies to form United States Lumber Company (USL). USL continued to grow rapidly and by 1929 had erected another large mill at what is now 10th Street and Lyndale Avenue N., which became known as "USL Mill."

In 1938, USL merged with two other lumber companies to form General Mills Corporation (GMC). GMC continued to grow rapidly and by 1949 had erected yet another large mill at what is now 12th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., which became known as "GMC Mill."

In 1957, GMC merged with three other lumber companies to form Gulf Oil Corporation (GOC). GOC continued to grow rapidly and by 1965 had erected yet another large mill at what is now 13th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., which became known as "GOC Mill."

By 1970, GOC had outgrown its facilities in Nicollet so it constructed a new complex just south of town at 1401 17th Ave South. This complex consisted of four mills: GOC Mill #1; GOC Mill #2; Gulf Mills #1; Gulf Mills #2. As GOC's operations expanded beyond Minnesota into Wisconsin and Iowa, additional mills were constructed in those states: Gulf Mills #3 in Wisconsin; Gulf Mills #4 in Iowa; Gulf Mills #5 in Wisconsin; Gulf Mills #6 in Iowa; Gulf Mills #7 in Wisconsin; Gulf Mills #8 in Iowa; GMC Midwest Plywood Plant near Milwaukee WI.; GMC Midwest Container Plant near Cedar Rapids IA.; GMC Midwest Sawmill near Decorah IA.; LG&E Wood Products Facility near Green Bay WI.; LG&E Wood Products Facility near Madison WI.; Consolidated Paperboard Facilities I & II near Minneapolis MN.; Consolidated Paperboard Facilities III & IV near Rochester MN.; Consolidated Paperboard Facilities V & VI near St Paul MN.. By 1990 there were thirteen mills operating under the name General Mills Corporation: eleven mills located in Minnesota (GMC Mill 1-11); two mills located outside Minnesota (LG&E Wood Products Facility I & II); one paperboard plant located outside Minnesota (Consolidated Paperboard Facilities I & II). In 1997 General Mills spun off its food division into three separate publicly traded companies: Kellogg Company ( cereal products), ConAgra Foods Incorporated ( meats), Sara Lee Corporation ( bakery products). As part of this spinoff process all thirteen General Mills mills were closed down except for one - GCCMMill 12 still operates today under different ownership but retains its original name - GCMMill 12 LLC