Buffalo County, Nebraska - Chapter 42: First Flouring Mill; Erected in 1873 First Mill Ix State West of Hall, 1916

The First Flouring Mill

This mill was not only useful and beneficial to the early settlers of a large portion of Central and Western Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, but it was a most important factor in the early settlement of Buffalo County and of the country named. Its establishment encouraged the growing of wheat as it enabled the early settlers to have ground into flour and meal grain of their o\vn raising thus saving the expense of shipping such grain to distant markets and paying freight on flour and meal manufactured at distant points. So important did the Union Pacific Railroad deem the erection of the flouring mill in the settlement of the new country that it transported, free of charge, two carloads, one of machinery, one of lumber, for the construction of the mill, this free transportation being for the same reason that free transportation was granted of material for building churches and schoolhouses.

In the early days settlers came, in some instances, distances of more than one hundred miles in order to get their grain ground into flour. Some of these settlers came with ox teams, bringing full loads, being a week on the way, at times waiting a week for their turn to have the grain ground and then a week on the road home. For many years the mill was run as a custom mill, each one receiving the flour from his own grain and awaiting his turn to have his grain ground.

The original mill was built in the summer and fall of 1873; the building was about twenty-four feet square and two stories ; there were two runs of four-foot buhr stone, one for wheat, one for feed and a reel bolt. The capacity of the mill was about thirty barrels per day.

Power was furnished by \\'ood River, a stream of living water having a fall of about ten feet per mile ; the dam erected was about ten feet high.

The mill dam has always been a source of great expense to maintain. About twelve feet below the surface is a layer of quicksand and muskrats working down into the quicksand caused great damage. It is estimated that in the thirtyseven years since its first construction from twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand dollars have been expended on this dam. While there has never been a complete washout, each year repairs have been necessary. In the year 1877 the mill was remodeled, another run of stone added for grinding midlings, thus increasing the yield of flour per bushel. In the year 1884 the roller process of grinding was introduced, increasing the capacity of the mill to sixty barrels. The Gibbon mill was one of the first in the state to introduce the roller process of grinding. In the year 1889 the mill was again remodeled, a swing sifter system installed, also a twenty-one horse power gasoline engine, thus increasing the capacity of the mill to eighty barrels. The Gibbon mill was one of the first in the state to install machinery necessary in the milling of turkey red winter wheat which practically took the place of spring wheat which before the advent of the turkey red had been altogether grown. The successful milling of turkey red winter wheat was of immense benefit, financially, in the development of the agricultural resources of Central Nebraska. In the year 1905 there was installed a fifty-horse power steam engine with all the latest and best improvements, making the capacity of the mill about one hundred and twenty barrels.

From the building of the mill in 1873 and the remodeling of the same from time to time, nothing but the latest and best improved machinery has been installed and from 1873 to date (1916) the manufactured product has always been recognized as first class, standard as to quality.

Also the management of the mill has always been in the hands of men with a well earned, well deserved reputation for honesty and integrity in all their business relations. The original builders of the mill were I. N. Davis & Company (I. N. Davis and James H. Davis), who conducted the business until 1885. From 1885 to 1897 I. N. Davis was owner; from 1897 to 1907, James H. Davis and son (Roy A. Davis) ; Roy A. Davis from 1907 to 1914, when J. N. Ashburn purchased a one-half interest. Roy A. Davis died in 191 5 and the Gibbon mills for more than forty years in the Davis family passed into other hands.

The managers of the business have been James H. Davis, from 1873 to 1885; James S. Hopkins, 1885-88; C. Putnam, 1888-90; Bert Sprague, 1890-92; C. Putnam, 1892-97; Roy A. Davis, 1897-1914. The millers employed appear in the following order, beginning in 1873 : Fritz Stark, Hans Voss, J. B. Ring, Fred Carter, James S. Hopkins, Bert Sprague, Bayard Seaver, Charles A. Putnam, J. D. Mickey, R. S. Winchester, Ralph Sprague and Homer J. Mickey in 19 16.