Spokane/Old Flour Mill
Spokane Co. | Washington | USA
Watersource: Spokane River.
Spokane/Old Flour Mill
On the north bank of the Spokane River near downtown section in area of the 1974 Spokane Worlds Fair.
The massive 2-3 foot thick-walled brick mill was not used for flour production until 1903. The entrepreneur had come up short of ready cash. The resultant lawsuit was quite furiously comtested, even becoming international in scope, much remembered in Spokane's legal history.
The approximately 50'x90' dimensioned mill originally ran with Spokane River water power, using rollers. Special adaptations of laminated wooden shafts with leather-bound rims transferred the power from the source to the roller mills. The mill produced flour into the 1970's, before closing and remaining idle for a few years.
A $40.00 certificate or share of the Spokane Flour Mill datede November 28, 1923 printed through a Dutch Company. The photo was provided courtesy of Roel Gaymans.
In 1974, excitment over Spokane hosting a Worlds Fair brought about a renovation of the mill, which happened to be in the very center of the proposed venue for the fair. It was transitioned into a shopping complex with small shops and eateries, of which it has remained to the present.
Copies of Dutch Milling Certificates provided by Roel Gaymans. Mr. Gaymans had about 13 of these certificates for sale. If interested contact him at r.gaymans@planet.nl . See his add on the discussion board.