Places, Earth
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park

State Parks, Historic Sites, and Museums need your help.
Throughout the country, state parks, historic sites, homes, buildings, museums, and similar institutions are struggling to continue operating. Because of general financial problems, many of these institutions are operating on a reduced schedule or in danger of closing. Some are being forced to sell off artifacts and property. Many will not weather these hard times without your help.

Places Earth urges everyone to support these vital and important public resources any way you can. Please donate your treasure, time, and talent. Write to your governor and other elected officials telling them to find a way to keep state parks open. It will be your loss.

Public Service Announcement

Test space for future ad if donations don't increase.

This web site contains no paid advertising. Donations help.

Back	Napa County Main Page

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park covers only three quarters of an acre, but covers a big piece of California history. The 36 foot diameter water wheel was the largest such wheel west of the Mississippi River. The design is referred to as an overshot wheel because the water drops down from the top rather than pushed from below. Overshot wheels are more efficient. Bale Grist Mill was built in 1846 by Dr. Edward Turner Bale who received the property in a land grant from the Mexican government. Dr. Bale lived near the site until he left for the gold fields, leaving his wife Maria to improve and operate the mill. Dr. Bale returned from the gold fields, ill, and died in 1849. Maria installed a conveyor system and built a bolting and threshing machine. The stones are French Bhur Stones, made in France and shipped to the mill from 1843 to 1846. The stones are of a very hard material and if used properly, should last an estimated 150 years. The original wheel was not sufficient during the dry summers and was replaced by a larger one, the metal hub of which was installed in 1851. The wheel generates 40 horsepower and requires 450 gallons of water a minute to operate the mill. Most of the materials were obtained locally, including douglas fir and coast redwood. Some timbers were left with the bark on, others were rough finished with hand tools. Timbers joints were held in place with wooden pegs, nails, and screws. The foundation is native stone. Grain was placed into the boot of an elevator to be mechanically transported upstairs where it was processed.

Bale Grist Mill was once the center of social activity in Napa Valley, serving a ten mile radius, milling corn and wheat. Mill stones do not touch. If the stones touch, this would be grinding the grain and this also grinds away the stone leaving stone powder in the food which would grind away the teeth of people eating the flour. Milling does not leave stone powder in the food and the stone last much longer. Mill stones were adjustable, but could come as close as the distance equal to a sheet of paper, but not touch. The mill could grind as small as 3/1000 of an inch, Corn meal was milled to 5/1000 of an inch, Palenta, a courser grain, was ground to 9-10/1000 by increasing the space between the stones. The eight tons of stone spin 80 times a minute. The original cost of the mill was $5,000.00, this included $2,700.00 for the mill stones. Obviously the mill stones were very important to making a successful mill. Locals believed the flour had a distinct and enjoyable taste. The slow turning of the grind stones and the dampness of the mill's site produced cornbread, yellowbread, shortening bread, and spoon bread of a unique character.

The phrase, "Keep your nose to the grind stone" originated when the miller needed to smell the flour to make sure the stones weren't turning too fast and burning the flour. Other phrases that came from milling are, "grist for the mill" meaning the grain, "milling around" when the farmer would wait for the grain and converse with other farmers. Other common phrases with forgotten origins in the mill include: "millstone around the neck," "put through the mill," "rule of thumb," "run of the mill," "hung on tenterhooks," 'manhandle," and "show me your mettle." The mill operated on the barter system, the miller would keep 1/6 of the flour he milled. Miller's lung was a common disease caused by breathing the flour dust and miller's thumb (flat thumb) from testing the flour between the thumb and forefinger.

Theodore Benedict Lyman bought the mill in 1871 and passed it on to his son, William Whittingham Lyman, who operated it until the early 1900s. The Bale Grist Mill was last used about 1903 to 1905 as a feed grain mill. Upon WW Lyman's death, his wife deeded the mill to the Native Sons of the Golden West, who restored the mill through the efforts of the Native Son Parlors of Napa County, under the leadership of past Grand President Bismarck Bruck, a grandson of Dr. Bale.

California State Parks opened the mill to the public in 1988. Park Rangers and volunteers now operate the mill in informative demonstrations for visitors. The flume is now gone, but an electric pump provides water for the demonstrations. At one time there were 30 mills in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Bale Grist Mill is the only working mill remaining in California.

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park is located 3 miles north of St. Helena, and a short distance south of Calistoga, on Highway 39.
Phone: 707-942-4575

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park is within Bothe-Napa Valley State Park which includes the site of the first church in the Napa Valley and the Pioneer Cemetery. Hiking trails connect these sites.

Approaching. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice and mill. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Mill.

Mill from highway.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice and wheel.

Sluice and wheel.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice and wheel.

Sluice and wheel.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice and wheel.

Sluice and wheel.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice and wheel.

Sluice and wheel.

Sluice and mill.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice.

Sluice.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Sluice.

Sluice.

Original sluice.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Wheel and geers.

Wheel and geers.

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Wheel.

Wheel.

Wheel.

Axil/hub.

Wheel.

Wheel.

Wheel

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Gear.

Timber structure.

Timber structure.

Gears.

Grain boxes on second floor.

Grain boxes.

Looking down on milling stones from loft.

Enclosure for mill stone.

Old equipmetn in loft.

Window

Underside of roof.

Underside of breezeway

. Photo Date: 5-30-04.

Water tank along the trail from the parking lot.

Napa County Main Page

This page last updated: Sunday, 16-Sep-2007 01:08:59 EDT

Note: This is not the official site for any of the places shown in Places Earth. Places Earth is not responsible for accuracy of the information. Hours of operations, prices, exhibits, and sometimes locations are subject to change without notice.

Support this Web Site This web site started because of my love for Architecture and interest in History. This web site is for your benefit and I make no profit on it. I don't allow paid advertising. This site is supported primarily from my regular paycheck as a Set Designer and there haven' been many this year. I sell art at www.klimages.com. A non-tax deductable donation to help cover the cost of operating this web site may be made to Kesign Design Consulting through PayPal ...
You can buy candles from my wife.	Or donations can be mailed to the address on the contact page.	Buy my art.

This site maintained by Kenneth A. Larson.
Copyright © 2004 - 2012, Kenneth A. Larson. All Rights Reserved.
Website content including photographic and graphic images may not be redistributed for use on another website.

This site is a non-commercial alternative to my commercial design portfolio site. This site's only purpose is for your enjoyment. There is no advertising and I make no profit. If you are in the need of a designer, please check my commercial site www.kesigndesign.com.

Places, Earth Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park

This page last updated: Sunday, 16-Sep-2007 01:08:59 EDT

Places, Earth
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park