Truthfully, it lay idle for the majority of its life, and was recently restored to its original condition, the machinery reinstalled and put back into operation. Again operational using its original machinery in the original building, this is the LAST operational grist mill from the pioneer era remaining in BC.
When built in 1877 it used rudimentary machinery which was capable of producing only whole wheat flour. In 1881 new machinery was installed, allowing the production of white flour, a real innovation at that time.
The building of the railroad caused local trade routes to fall into disuse, and with them a demand for locally ground flour. The mill soon stopped production of flour entirely. It stood unused until the 1940s, when it was used as a chicken coop and all the machinery simply tossed into the lower floor.
Very recently, when its heritage value became clear, the mill was totally restored and brought back into flour production, if only as a novelty and a tourist draw. At the mill's gift shop one may actually buy flour ground by the power of this water wheel.
Due to its heritage value it was formally recognized as a British Columbia heritage Site on November 19, 1974.
![]()