If you’re traveling across southern BC on Route 3, the Grist Mill & Gardens in Keremeos are definitely worth a stop. You will find a beautifully restored and working 1877 waterwheel powered flour mill, the only one in Western Canada, enjoy walking the beautiful grounds which include gardens and the old general store which became a residence for many early pioneer families. You can also, enjoy lunch in the Kitchen and browse their gift shop and even stay overnight at the 11 site creek side campground, which we did. The Gristmill & Gardens also offer regular workshops, performances and other special events. You can check out their website for what’s happen at: Grist Mill & Gardens
Grist Mill & Gardens
The storage building
The gardens and main entrance building
The original water driven grist mill was built by Barrington Price, in 1877. He was as a pioneer rancher and trader from an upper class English family and had the vision to the see the economic opportunities afforded by the gold rush happening in BC at the time. In his case, all those miners and other folk being drawn to the area would all need to eat and flour was one of the basic essentials.
The old general store
Walkway over the Keremeos Creek into the mill
The state-of-the-art mill was built in a very remote part of the province for its proximity to the Dewdney Trail, which linked what was then Fort Hope (now Hope) to what became Fort Steele. The trail was critical in the early development of BC and tying together all the mining camps and small towns spring up along the route. Price was able to convince settlers and the First Nations people to plant the wheat which would eventually supply the mill.
Aerial view of the Grist Mill
Building housing the mill was constructed of hand-squared pine longs utilizing dovetail joinery and the wooden machine components were all handmade on-site. Price brought in state-of-the-art flour grinders that were powered by the mill, like the cast iron ‘Improved Corn Grinding Mill’ shipped from Peterborough England (In England Corn grinding meant all grains at the time) and later a Barford & Perkins grinder and a James Jones New Process roller mill, which was state-of-the-art technology in the 1880s. These original pieces of machinery are still in place.
The original grinder – The‘Improved Corn Grinding Mill’
Kyler ‘firing’ up the mill
Kyler Page with the Barford & Perkins grinder
Railroads eventually spelled the demise of Kereomeos Grist Mill whose working life ended in 1895. The building then had multiple uses as a barn, chicken coop and an artist studio, and very fortunately before that happened, the mill components were carefully disassembled and stored in the lower floor, which was then boarded up. As a result most of the equipment was remarkably well preserved and able to be reassembled under the careful guidance of Kyler Page, who still offers fascinating guided tours of the mill and continues restoration projects on the mill.
Kyler Page explaining the grinding process
The Grist Mill and Gardens are definitely worth a visit. This is a rare and remarkably well preserved site and if you’re lucky enough to run into Kyler Page while you’re there, he is an incredible wealth of historical information and has some fascinating stories to tell!
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