The Coldwater Grist Mill was built in 1833 to serve the First Nation peoples on a reserve that was formed on 3069 hectares of land between Coldwater and the Narrows (Orillia). The mill was actually built by Stephen Chapman, Jacob Gill and others in 1833. Click on the website, click About Us, and scroll down to the Coldwater Grist Mill history.

The mill was paid for with monies normally paid to the Ojibwa natives, gave up 800 pounds out of their 1200 pounds, in 1833. By 1831, the 500 bushels of grain harvested convinced natives & Indian Agent alike, that a grist mill was needed. In 1836, the natives left the reserve and leased the mill to Miles Stennett.

The placque describes the picture. The mills (saw & grist) are sold to George Copeland in 1849. Copeland hires Jacob Gill's son John to run the mills. A brother,Joseph makes flour barrels and casks for shipping flour while another brother operates a distillery.

A sawmill was built first to cut timbers for the resultant grist mill. See the history at About Us on the website for details about the restoration. In 1868, George Caswell buys both mills, which are doing a profitable trade. In 1874 Samuel Eplett buys the flour mill, sawmill has ceased operation. H.L. Lovering & W.J. Shepperd combine to replace the undershot waterwheel with a turbine, add the clerestory, increase storagfe capacity & increase production to 100 barrels of flour/day.

The Turbo Shed. These turbiunes and accompaning shafts and gearing were used to power the mill during its water-powered days of operation. The mill converts to steel roller system in 1889; rollers removed in 1924, now mill only grinds livestock feed under partnership of Charles Eplett and Aulden Robins; and eclectricity replaces the turbines for power source in 1955.

Today, the mill has been restored, shelters a fine dining establishment called The Mill Street Bistro. Other special events and fund raisers throughout the year, along with memberships provide funding to keep the ongoing task of maintaining such a building a doable objective. The mill is operated as a nonprofit organization, the Coldwater Mill Heritage Foundation, with a nine member Board of Directors.