Gervais Grist Mill

Gervais Grist Mill (HMUMI)

Location: Little Canada, MN 55117 Ramsey County
Buy Minnesota State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 45° 1.337', W 93° 4.746'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 395 views
Inscription
Just across the road and creek from this marker was the site of the first commercial grist mill built in the region now named Minnesota. Constructed in 1844 - five years before the birth of Minnesota Territory - the water-powered, flour and meal mill was operating when present day Little Canada was an unmapped wilderness on the western frontier of Wisconsin Territory. Its builder was St. Paul's first carpenter, Charles Bazille (1812-78), a Montreal native who was remembered as a short, "honest man, full of kindness." Its owner was another short, honest French Canadian, Benjamin Gervais (1786-1876) - the founder of Little Canada, and one of the pioneers of St. Paul. A former voyaguer born in Riviere du Loup, Quebec, Gervais came to this site in 1844 on the recommendation of his Dakota Indian friends. Aided by his wife Genevieve and eight children, Gervais carved out a large farm along this creek and adjoining lake now named for him. After their first harvest, the Gervais family used the mill to make cornmeal and flour for the lumber camps of the St. Croix Valley. In 1847 Gervais replaced his original pair of seven inch diameter granite mill stones for a better set from St. Louis.

The Mill was razed in the 1880's.

Erected in 1987 by the Little Canada Historical Society
Details
HM NumberHMUMI
Tags
Year Placed1987
Placed ByThe Little Canada Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 15th, 2014 at 8:56pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15T E 493768 N 4985428
Decimal Degrees45.02228333, -93.07910000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 45° 1.337', W 93° 4.746'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds45° 1' 20.22" N, 93° 4' 44.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)651, 612
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2666-2682 Noel Dr, Little Canada MN 55117, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?