Near Kathryn in Barnes County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Walker’s Best ⎯⎯⎯ Grinding Away
Photographed by Connor Olson, June 13, 2021
1. Walker’s Best/Grinding Away Marker
Inscription.
Walker’s Best, also, Grinding Away. .
Walker’s Best. The Walker family, Minnesota emigrants, had milling in their blood. In 1879, Hiram Walker established a mill in Valley City. A few years later, his son Myron took over and built a new mill at Oakville, he later bought another mill at Daily. Myron's brother, T.J. Walker, constructed a mill at Fort Ransom.
Myron Walker built a dam here in 1906 with the intention of moving his Oakville Mill from a half mile upstream, closer to the town of Kathryn, and the railroad. The dam was sabotaged, however, during a dispute over water rights, and the mill was never moved. The current dam was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930s. Remains of Walker's dam are still visible today.
Myron Walker marketed his flour as "Walker's Best," and teams of draft horses hauled product to railheads at Fingal and Valley City. Although much of Walker's flour went east to New York City, he also supplied local towns within a 40-mile radius: Eckelson, Enderlin, Tower City, and Griswold.
Grinding Away. Flour mills grind hard-hulled grain, such as wheat and rye, into a fine powder suitable for baking. Historically, mills were built on streams, where the energy of flowing water was harnessed to provide power for turning a millstone.
The flowing stream turned a waterwheel, which was linked with shafts and gears to turn the top, or "runner stone" in a pair of millstones. Grain, fed through a hole in the top of the runner stone, was ground against the bottom, or "bed stone." The rotating runner stone forced the ground grain to the outside edge of the bed stone where, dropping into a trough, it was brushed into a hopper and bagged.
Captions: Small towns often "sprang- up in the vicinity of flour mills, and their fate was often determined by a mill's success. The once prosperous nearby towns of Daily and Oakville, for example, have all but vanished in the wake of the location of the railroad further south. Grinding grain for the area's farmers was a large part of Myron Walker's mill trade. Farmers came from miles around to have their harvest ground into flour. Trips to the mill provided a much- anticipated holiday for farm families a chance to fish and swim in the Sheyenne River, to pick berries, shop, and socialize!
Basic mill operations A system of water wheels shafts, gears, belts, and pulleys operate a mill. These elements were often housed in several buildings and connected underground or through walls. The Walker Mill at Valley City, circa 1880. It was replaced by a larger mi building in 1902. Millstones are traditionally made from segments of a very hard rock, such as granite. The segments are sculpted to form a circle and are bound together with an iron band. This mill's original stones are believed to have come from Normandy, France. A pair of millstones working ten- hour days required "re-dressing" about once each month. The constant grating of the stones against each other wore down and flattened their grooved grinding surfaces. Re-dressing was the difficult task of renewing the grooves with chisel-like tools called bills and picks. Millstones, working full time, could last 20 to 25 years. Dressing tools: 1. Sledge hammer 2. Wedge for supporting upturned runner stone 3. Wooden handle that holds interchangeable bills and picks 4. Mill pick 5. Mill bill 6. Chisel 7. Hand hammer 8. Sharpening file
Walker’s Best
The Walker family, Minnesota emigrants,
had milling in their blood. In 1879, Hiram
Walker established a mill in Valley City.
A few years later, his son Myron took over
and built a new mill at Oakville—he later
bought another mill at Daily. Myron's
brother, T.J. Walker, constructed a mill at
Fort Ransom.
Myron Walker built a dam here in 1906
with the intention of moving his Oakville
Mill from a half mile upstream, closer to
the town of Kathryn—and the railroad.
The dam was sabotaged, however, during
a dispute over water rights, and the mill was never moved. The current dam was
built by the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) during the 1930s. Remains of
Walker's dam are still visible today.
Myron Walker marketed his flour as
"Walker's Best," and teams of draft horses
hauled product to railheads at Fingal and
Valley City. Although much of Walker's
flour went east to New York City, he also
supplied local towns within a 40-mile
radius: Eckelson, Enderlin, Tower City,
and Griswold.
Grinding Away
Flour mills grind hard-hulled grain, such
as wheat and rye, into a fine powder
suitable for baking. Historically, mills were
built on streams, where the energy of
flowing water was harnessed to provide
power for turning a millstone.
The flowing stream turned a waterwheel,
which was linked with shafts and gears to turn the top, or "runner stone" in a pair of millstones. Grain, fed through a hole in
the top of the runner stone, was ground
against the bottom, or "bed stone." The
rotating runner stone forced the ground
grain to the outside edge of the bed
stone where, dropping into a trough, it
was brushed into a hopper and bagged.
Captions: Small towns often "sprang-
up in the vicinity of flour
mills, and their fate was
often determined by a
mill's success. The once
prosperous nearby towns
of Daily and Oakville, for
example, have all but
vanished in the wake of
the location of the railroad
further south. Grinding grain for the area's
farmers was a large part of Myron
Walker's mill trade. Farmers came
from miles around to have their
harvest ground into
flour. Trips to
the mill provided a much-
anticipated holiday for farm
families a chance to fish and
swim in the Sheyenne River, to
pick berries, shop, and socialize!
Basic mill operations A system of water wheels
shafts, gears, belts, and pulleys
operate a mill. These elements
were often housed in several
buildings and connected
underground or through walls. The Walker Mill at Valley
City, circa 1880. It was
replaced by a larger mi
building in 1902. Millstones are traditionally
made from segments of a
very hard rock, such as
granite. The segments are
sculpted to form a circle
and are bound together
with an iron band. This
mill's original stones are
believed to have come from
Normandy, France. A pair of millstones working ten-
hour days required "re-dressing"
about once each month. The
constant grating of the stones
against each other wore down and
flattened their grooved grinding
surfaces. Re-dressing was the
difficult task of renewing the
grooves with chisel-like tools called
bills and picks. Millstones, working
full time, could last 20 to 25 years.
Dressing tools:
1. Sledge hammer
2. Wedge for supporting upturned
runner stone
3. Wooden handle that holds
interchangeable bills and picks
4. Mill pick
5. Mill bill
6. Chisel
7. Hand hammer
8. Sharpening file
Erected by Federal
Click or scan to see this page online
Highway Administration, Garrison Diversion Recreation Grant, Valley City Food & Beverage Tax Fund and Barnes County Wildlife Federation.
Location. 46° 40.432′ N, 97° 56.693′ W. Marker is near Kathryn, North Dakota, in Barnes County. It is on 51st Street Southeast (County Road 21) near 120th Avenue Southeast, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kathryn ND 58049, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Dakota’s Red River Valley. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 425 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on July 12, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
