Thorp Grist Mill

Thorp is a small town near I-90 on what we call the East Side. It’s the east side of Washington where Dino got most of the votes. Lots of Seattle folks drive I-90 to watch football games in Pullman, to pick apples in Yakima, and to taste wine in the Yakima Valley.

There’s also John Wayne Trail State Park trail. You can walk, ride a bike or horse, or have a picnic on the trail. Some folks like to think you can get over the mountains on the trail.

Long ago when I was just a kid, in the 1800s, people used to buy bags of flour. Honestly, I don’t know why anyone would want to buy flour. You can buy hundreds of things already made out of flour at Safeway.

People around Thorp in those days got agitated and decided to build a grist mill. Grist is what they call grain that’s ground into flour. It also refers to the quantity of grain that’s ground into flour in one batch. Just in case you thought I didn’t know what a grist was.

After the mill was built folks around Thorp would carry wheat to the mill and say something like, “Hey, Miller, grist this!” Fights broke out until everyone realized the farmer was just asking the miller to make a batch of flour. Grist is one of those interesting words. It seems to be an action word that annoys people, but it’s really just a noun, not a verb. So you can readily see why people wanted to fight over it.

The grist mill at Thorp used a water turbine mounted horizontally in the irrigation ditch. The turbine was connected to the main shaft by a large leather strap with a 90 degree twist. The main shaft had numerous wheels that were connected by many other leather belts that turned the grinding machinery. Cows lost their skin over this mill.

All the water stays in the irrigation system. Many other mills use a vertical wheel that turns as water runs over the top and drops into the creek. These usually have a higher water source. There was also had a saw mill that got its power from the irrigation ditch turbine. That part is gone.

In the early 1900s the water turbines were used to generate electricity. Not many folks in Thorp had computers so it served OK. If they needed more power it could be brought in by train, I think. Anyway, the Milwaukee Road had a depot in Thorp.

Another interesting feature at the Thorp mill is the old ice pond. Northern Pacific trains would stop there to toss ice into refrigerator cars. The pond was 23 acres and provided ice for the local community as well. That is when it was frozen. When the weather got above freezing one has to assume the ice was hidden in cold dark places. Another mystery for further research – where did they hide the ice in summer?

The John Wayne Trail passes close to the mill and people can stop at the Ice Pond Park for a rest. I-90 travelers may also stop in for a visit.

To me, the main attraction of the mill is the mechanical complexity. The grain travels up into the top and down for the various grinding processes using a spider web of wood races. It takes several grinding stages in order to get the finest flour.

The mill also made livestock feed which was a courser grind. I don’t know if you could call it grist. Feed of this type is used to fatten out cattle just before they’re made into quarter pounders with cheese. The bonus is they got more cow skin for the drive belts. Economic theory in action.

Sometime in the future we may once again see passenger rail service along the I-90 route. Right now Amtrak runs the Seattle – Chicago train further north via Stevens Pass. That pass was named for an early Washington State pioneer in building passes. However, right now we don’t have passenger trains near Thorp.

Which brings us to my plan: BNSF currently runs freight trains through Thorp on the old Northern Pacific right of way. Passes right by the old ice pond. I think it’s about time we get back to passenger rail service across the state. BNSF would probably be OK with this.

Their line follows the Yakima River down through Yakima and then through the wine tasting country to the Tri-Cities. Do we have to call it “Trines” now? We need to check with the folks in Northern Indiana. Oh, I know; if Trine gives us the money to get a passenger train going then yes, we’ll change the name.

Wouldn’t it be great to relax in a train over the Cascades, have lunch at the Thorp Grist Mill, taste a gallon or two of wine in the Yakima valley, spend the night at the Trines, take in a football game in Pullman, and head back to the rainy side without ever having to drive on I-90? If you have a bag of wheat you could drop it off on the way over and pick up flour on the way home.

Al

If you click on a photo it gets bigger. Amazing, isn't it, but they don't all do it.?.