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 grind 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.
A BIT OF HISTORY
About Cuthbert Grant
Cuthbert grant was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblante, Saskatchewan located on the Assiniboine River near the Saskatchewan – Manitoba border. His father was Scottish and his mother was of Cree-French descent. His father died in 1799 and Cuthbert was then sent to school in Scotland to be educated.
Cuthbert returned to the fur trade country (about 1812) working for the North West Co. at the time of strife between NWC and the HBC. This 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. Events in the Red River Settlement were such that the Métis felt their way of life was being threatened. They appointed him “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 June 19, 1816 Battle of Seven Oaks.
After the merger ...
In 1824, after the merger of the NWC and the HBC, he 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. The current Grant’s Old Mill is a replica of this mill and is located close to the original mill site.
Later Cuthbert 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. He ended up falling from his horse (in 1854) and died shortly there after on July 15th of that year.
What's Coming
Grant’s Old Mill is sorely in need of a structural repair thanks to 50+ years of aging and environment wear and tear. It’s been recently assessed by a structural engineering company as well as a log building specialist from Parks Canada and the City is now creating a plan on how to properly restore the building.
It’s important due to it’s historical significance, marking not only Manitoba’s shift from a hunting and trapping economy to an agricultural one, but also highlights a vital time in the Métis Nation’s history. There are a lot of stories embedded in this building’s history, it’s a landmark we want to keep intact, and one that we can share with people … to bring more light to what life was like in those days.
There are few if any monuments to honour the part played by the Métis people in the early days of the Red River settlement. In Grant’s mill, we have perhaps the most appropriate form of memorial that could have been devised. It marks not only the initiative of a pioneer leader but might well be distinguished as the beginning of industrial enterprise in the colony.
We will be sharing more details with the public as soon as the restoration plan ramps up. So, stay tuned here (and on our social spaces) for more details.
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The Grant’s Old Mill Museum is gratefully accepting donations of money from the public and volunteer community. Allocations go to:
(1) A specific Grant’s Old Mill museum project / event;
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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.