The huge General Mills grain elevator along Buffalo, New York's, outer harbor. Like cities such as Minneapolis on the western side of America's Great Lakes, Buffalo, far to the east on Lake Erie, was a natural place to build such structures. From there in the 19th Century, the legendary Erie Canal began its pathway ever farther east to the big markets of the U.S. East Coast. General Mills still (as of 2018) produces its Gold Medal Flour at this location. Photo by Carol Highsmith, 2018.