Edward Corbett was born in Ontario, Canada on Nov. 25, 1841. His early education was obtained in the provincial schools of Ontario, and he worked on his father’s farm.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Corbett came to Red Wing, Minn., and enlisted in the Northern Forces. He was assigned to the cavalry and served during the duration of the war in the third Michigan cavalry. After the war and during the reconstruction days, his troop was sent to the South and was stationed at various parts of Texas and New Mexico.

Shortly after his discharge from the army, Corbett settled at Sandusky, Ohio. Here he studied mechanical engineering and construction work, and entered upon his life work of constructing flour mills. His work called him largely to the South, and he moved to Washington, D.C., in the early 80s. Later he built shops at Salem, Va., and later he transferred his residence to Salem. The shops there were for the manufacture of milling machinery for use in the mills he built, and during the 90s he was reputed to have built more mills in the South than any firm up to that time. During the year 1880, Corbett was united in marriage to Sarah Jane Piper. Five children were born. Sarah Corbett died in 1903. In 1893, Corbett moved back to Washington, D.C., and continued mill contracting in D.C. and Philadelphia.

In 1906 Corbett moved to the Lower Yellowstone Valley, settling at Fairview. He married Mary Corbett, the wife of his deceased brother and a widower, Sept. 5, 1906. Corbett was a member of the Masonic order, both the Blue Lodge and the Chapter, a charter member of the lodge in Fairview as well as a member of the famous Potomac Lodge at Washington.

When Corbett arrived in this valley he projected and built a flour mill, which he operated until 1913, when he sold his interest to the Jennison Co.

After a brief illness, Corbett, 82, died at his home in Fairview. He suffered a stroke of paralysis, which brought on pneumonia.

The Mill Co. was one of Fairview’s oldest industries and prior to World War I it gained considerable fame in the manufacture of State Line and World’s Best flour. The local company stopped flour production in the mid-30s and then concentrated in the purchase of wheat and feed grains reselling to farmers in the area.

In 1932, Jennison made minor changes to the Fairview Mill in contemplation of a busy season. The scale house and office at the flour factory was painted and brightened up in the interior. A new smokestack, 110 feet high, weighing about 1,000 pounds, was received and erected. Last season the exterior of the Mill Co. buildings was painted. The mill was managed by H.O. Frank, and Andrew Monson was chief miller.

The Jennison Co. sold the Fairview Mill to the Frank interests in Minneapolis and was operated by Harry Frank. The local manager was Alfred Melby and W.W. Bucklin was his chief assistant.

In September of 1946, a large share of the mill structure was wrecked during the historic tornado, which devastated this area. The elevator part was not injured but the company rebuilt the remainder of the structure, eliminating the three top stories of the flour mill plant. The new addition included the installation of a Jacobson Universal Hammermill with capacity of approximately 12 tons of feed grain per hour. It was powered by a 75 hp General Electric motor. There were also new overhead bins and chutes and an enclosed driveway for trucks being loaded with ground feed installed.

In 1949, Installation of a new feed grinding unit was completed along with finishing the building, which housed this mechanism.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Information compiled from Courage Enough and the Fairview Times.