UTOPIA GTA INSTALL
UTOPIA GTA WINDOWS

Grain was shipped to the mill from the prairies via a grain shed on the Canadian National Railway Line just north of the mill. The dam was replaced with a new concrete one in 1969 to help control the flow of water in times of flooding conditions. Inside, many of the old shafts, pulleys and belts that operated the mill remain in anticipation of possible future use as a working mill. Although the siding is coming off in a few places it still looks like the building is being protected from excessive deterioration.

UTOPIA GTA WINDOWS

New windows have been installed and the front porch replaced.

The Nottawasaga Conservation Authority obtained the property soon after this and have been slowly restoring the mill as funds have become available. The mill operated like this until it closed in 1965.

UTOPIA GTA INSTALL

The mill dam was destroyed and rather than replacing it Harold Bell decided to install a diesel generator. The water ran through the building and out again without causing any structural damage. On OctoHurricane Hazel caused Bear Creek to rise to the point where the front porch of the mill was washed away.

They also chopped grain for feed for the local farmers and by the 1940s this was the sole business of the mill. Snowflake was milled with pastry in mind. The mill had its own brand of flour including Gold Coin which was intended for baking bread. It is claimed that quicksand forced the foundation to be set 30 feet deep. The mill sits on a foundation made of stones that is four and a half feet thick. The mill was rebuilt and opened again on January 1, 1904. His brothers John and Manuel operated it until it burned to the ground on May 29, 1903. Richard Bell had worked at the mill for three years when he bought it in 1879. The water flow in Bear Creek was insufficient to run both mills at the same time so the saw mill was operated during the day and the grist mill at night. James Pink had built the original mill on this site in 1864 and soon added a saw mill down stream. The original mill lane runs between rows of cedar trees.Īt the bottom of the lane the mill pokes out from behind the trees.

I carried on in the interest of photographing and reporting the current condition of the old building. Beyond this a gate across the road bears a sign indicating that the area is closed to the general public. This will likely be spread out on the trails in the spring. The road to the old mill has been blocked by several truck loads of fine gravel which has been dumped there. I parked at the entrance to the Utopia Conservation Area and went for a walk. It was originally known as All Saints but changed its name to St. Bates was the first to hold services in the new church building. In 1873 John Jennet donated a parcel of land to build a permanent church for the Anglican parish in Utopia. In Utopia the faithful started meeting in homes and the school with services being held under a large tree at the corner of the 5th concession and 25 side road. Sunday shopping hadn’t been invented yet and so Sunday was a day of rest when people would hang around after church to discuss the crops or catch up on the news. The rural farmers would often see each other once a week when they got together for worship services. The town served the local farmers in Essa Township.Ĭhurch was often the focal point for early communities. By the 1870s there was a hotel, blacksmith shop, general store with post office a school and two churches along with a saw mill and grist mill. Eugene Smith was the first settler in the hamlet of Utopia and he arrived with his family in 1845. Utopia is a few minutes west of Highway 400 near Barrie and on a recent trip to see the family in Gravenhurst to celebrate Christmas I made the side trip to see the old grist mill that stands in the local conservation area.

Utopia gta