Spalding’s Gristmill Canals
Posted by: Volcanoguy
N 46° 27.012 W 116° 48.984
11T E 514100 N 5144086
Spalding’s Gristmill Canals sign at Nez Perce NHP.
Waymark Code: WMAH9Z
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2011
Views: 3
NPS interpretive sign about the Spalding’s Gristmill Canals. The sign is located northwest of the Lapwai Mission Cemetery in the Nez Perce National Historic Park at Spalding.
Marker Name: Spalding’s Gristmill Canals
Marker Type: Roadside
Marker Text: “Father had a small grist mill near the house -- a great improvement over their [the Nez Perce] mortars and pestles.” --- Eliza Spalding Warren
To power the gristmill that stood at this site, Henry Spalding directed some Nez Perce to dig a network of canals, dikes, and flumes. The gristmill and the nearby sawmill were part of a larger plan. Realizing that the Nez Perce life of moving with the seasons did not make them good candidates for full-time religious conversion, Spalding determined to make them permanent farmers.
A year after arrival, the Spaldings had 100 families -- out of a population of 5,000 people -- cultivating the land around the mission. A few historic ditches are still evident on theis landscape -- humble indicators of a cultural transformation.
County: Nez Perce
City: Spalding
Group Responsible for Placement: National Park Service
Marker Number: None
Date Dedicated: Not listed
Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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