The Neligh Mills, built from locally fired brick in 1873 by John D. Neligh, was the first business and industry in the newly platted town. Later owners and operators included William C. Galloway, Stephen F. Gilman, and J. W. Spirk. Milling began in 1874 with two runs of stone, roller mills were added in 1878, and all new roller mills were installed in 1898. Flour from the Neligh Mills was sold widely throughout the Middle West, including Neligh Patent Flour, So-Lite Flour, and Crescent brand feeds. In Nebraska communities during the 1870's and 1880's, a good mill was a major factor in growth because it turned locally grown grain into flour and reduced expensive long-distance shipping. Mills with ample water and locations on main rail lines could produce more than local needs and sometimes received government contracts with the Army and Indian Bureau or for overseas export. In 1969, the Legislature authorized the Nebraska State Historical Society to acquire and preserve the mill as a symbol of agricultural history, and in the same year it was entered on the National Register of Historic Places.