YORKTON - The now famous flour mill in Yorkton was originally built more than a century ago.
John J. Smith built the mill in 1898.
“Records indicate the mill was built from Smith’s own brick plant,” notes material at the mill site today.
“The City of Yorkton’s assessment role, dated 1900, records a grist mill elevator owned by J.J. Smith assessed at $15,000 with taxes amounting to $31.15.
“By 1912, the Yorkton Flour Mill was held in high regard as the pioneer industry of the town. It was featured in the Dec, 18, 1912 issue of The Enterprise in an article titled ‘Yorkton’s Manufacturing Industries’. This article confirms the mill’s operations beginning in 1900 with Levi Beck taking ownership in 1902.”
While Smith owned the mill for only a few years, it remains remembered by descendants of John J. Smith.
Carman Smith, grandson of John Joseph Smith who built Yorkton’s historic brick flour mill was in Yorkton Saturday to tour the old mill in celebration of the flour mill’s 125th anniversary. Accompanying him were his son Bob, daughter Shannon and husband Warren.
Carman Smith told Yorkton This Week the family moved west after Yorkton.
“My dad arrived in B.C. in 1906,” he said.
The family remains in Canada’s western most province where they have been involved in the lumber business for decades.
Carman said while he had nothing directly to do with Yorkton’s mill, he was certainly aware of the family connection to it.
“Dad talked about it,” he said, adding he and family members finally visited for the first time in 1989.
“In 1989 it was still running,” he said, adding it was milling oat bran at the time.
The family visited again in 2004.
“The mill was sort of desolate,” said Carman Smith.
Now back again Smith said he is happy to see the development that has happened. As for the planned interpretative centre he said “that’s quite a project.”
