Mill History

Grist mills turned by water have been around for many centuries, some as early as 19 B.C. Although the terms "gristmill" or "corn mill" can refer to any mill that grinds grain, the terms were used historically for a local mill where farmers brought their own grain and received back ground meal or flour, minus a percentage called the "miller's toll".

Millers had a pretty fair living by charging a portion of the grain as payout for their labours. Cuthbert Grant took 10% of the grain as payment for his services alone.

There are three major parts to a gristmill: the raceway (or sluice), the water wheel, and the grinding stone. The raceway channels the flowing water to the wheel. The water then forces the wheel to turn. The turning wheel powers the grinding stones by a series of shafts and pulleys, or gears and shafts. The grinding action of the stones then breaks the grain into smaller, useable pieces such as flour, cornmeal, and grits.

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A BIT OF HISTORY

Who was Cuthbert Grant?

Cuthbert Grant was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblante, Saskatchewan a North West Company trading post located on the Assiniboine River near the Saskatchewan – Manitoba border. His father was Scottish and his mother was of Cree-French descent (Métis). After his father’s death in 1799, Grant was sent to school in Scotland.

Cuthbert returned to the fur trade country in 1812 at the age of 19. He began working for the North West Co. at the time of much conflict between NWC and their rvivals the Hudson Bay Company (HBC). At the time there was also the beginning of a colony at the forks of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers (the Selkirk Settlers). Grant then earned the respect of the Métis and they looked to him for leadership.

Major events in the Red River Settlement such as the destruction of the NWC’s Fort Gibraltar made the Métis feel that their way of life was under threat. They appointed Grant to be “Captain General of all the Métis” (thus he is considered to be the first leader of the Métis Nation). He then went on to lead his people in the Battle of Seven Oaks on June 19th 1816.

After the merger ...

In 1824, after the merger of the NWC and the HBC, Grant was granted land along the Assiniboine River to establish a Métis community which he named Grantown. It was later renamed St. Francois Xavier.

In 1828, he was given a special license to trade in the area and was appointed “Warden of the Plains” with his main duties to police illicit fur trade.

In 1829, he decided to build a water mill on Sturgeon Creek to grind grain into flour. This was the first water-powered mill in all of Western Canada.

Later he was made a member of the Council of Assiniboia, also a Justice of the Peace, and a Magistrate. For many years he led the buffalo hunt involving up to 1,000 Red River Carts. On July 15th 1854 Grant died from his injuries after falling from his horse.

Grant’s Old Mill is located on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dene, and Dakota Peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.