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WARAJU DISTILLERY
Henry A. Subilia, a native of Jean, Italy, constructed in Waraju Distillery in 1861. The construction cost totaled $8,000, plus $2,000 for furnishings. The building required approximately 200,000 bricks and measured 72 feet by 46 feet. It obtained its name from the Dakota word waraju which means cottonwood.
The steam powered distillery processed 100 bushels of grain per day into whiskey, bitters, and punch extract. Farmers exchanged rye, barley, corn, and firewood for the finished products.
Although much of the distillery was damaged in the Dakota War of 1862, it served as a temporary mill from 1863 to 1864. When a new mill opened in New Ulm during the fall of 1864, the Waraju went out of business. In 1866, the distillerys ruins and the surroundings four acres of land were sold at a mortgage sale for $800.
Today, the chimney of the Waraju Distillery stands as a landmark to New Ulms early history.
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