History of the (grist) Wheel

History of the (grist) Wheel. . Used in the grist mill built in 1853-54 by Lazarus Wright. The mill was located next to the planked bridge crossing in the 'village' of Myrtle Creek near the current location of the Dairy Queen. The mill was managed by John Hall, the founder of Myrtle Creek, and Hans Weaver. Although it had changed hands several times, the mill was still in operation as recently as 1926. , The complete grist wheel was composed of two stones, referred to together as a 'run'. This is the top stone, called the 'runner'. The bottom stone, called the 'bedstone' remained stationary while the runner was turned, grinding the grain, called grist, between them. The grist was introduced through the hole in the center of the top stone. The grooves of 'furrows' in the stones served to separate the grain from its outer cover and directed the ground grain to the outside of the stone. The two stones never touched. They were kept a correct distance apart according to the type of grain to be ground. The Myrtle Creek grist mill was used to grind wheat, barley corn and oats, all of which were grown locally and, when in full production, could produce 45 barrels of flour daily. This grist wheel, made out of quartzite, probably came from Boston, traveling around Cape Horn by boat.