 In 1856, Jacob Elliot, Captain Richard Strout, Levi M. Stewart, and Joseph Cushman purchased land and constructed a mill on the Minnehaha Creek in present-day Edina.The mill and the tiny settlement that sprang up around it were named "Waterville Mills".Pioneer farmers brought their wheat, rye, oats, barley and corn from as far away as Excelsior and St. Anthony.