Saint Olaf Roller Mill and Power Dam

The town's first name came before the mill. A post office called Saint Olaf opened here in 1872, named for Olaf Haraldsson, the Norwegian king killed in the battle at Stiklestad on July 29, 1030, and soon venerated as Norway's patron saint. The settlement was laid out as St. Olaf in 1881, the year the Pettigrews began their dam. The post office became Keyes in 1887 and Baltic in 1889, the name the town kept when it incorporated in 1907. Baltic counted 1,246 people in the 2020 census, more than double its 811 of 2000.

What the plaque says

Saint Olaf Roller Mill and Power Dam In 1881 Frank and Justin Pettigrew began construction of the power dam and flour mill at this site where portions of the foundation remain. The mill and the railroad were the nucleus of the town which was first called St. Olaf, later called Keyes, and finally changed to Baltic. The mill produced 120 barrels of flour daily. The water wheel produced 110 horsepower and an alternate steam engine generated another 65 horsepower. The power generated by the mill also supplied electricity to Baltic and Dell Rapids until it ceased operation in 1916. Baltic celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1981 Erected by the 1981 Baltic Community Centennial Committee

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Falls Park — 14 mi
  The falls a town company came for in 1856, abandoned in 1862, and tried to make pay with a seven-story quartzite mill that ran for barely two years.

More markers nearby

• John Thompson, Pioneer / Early Settlers' Association — 4.2 mi
• Lindbergh Landing / Renner Field — 8.2 mi
• The Village of Renner — 8.2 mi
• 1908 Palisades Bridge — 12 mi