Description of Historic Place

Yorkton Organic Milling Ltd. is a Municipal Heritage Property consisting of a .48-hectare lot in the downtown core of the City of Yorkton. The property features a brick-clad mill built in 1898 that is attached to a wood-crib mill built in 1900; a feed storage facility and elevator built in 1947; and a flour storage facility, garage and office built in 1957.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Yorkton Organic Milling Ltd. lies in its status as the oldest milling complex in the Yorkton area. Since its inception, the site has evolved to accommodate the changing needs of the businesses located here. A brick flour mill constructed in 1890 was moved to this site in the early 1900s to be closer to the rail lines. In 1900, the mill was expanded through the addition of a wood-crib building. In the 1940s a grain elevator along with facilities for flour storage, feed storage and additional office space were added. By the early 1950s, the mill was used solely as storage for wheat to be milled in Saskatoon, and as a bulk baking outlet. Although the complex closed in 1989, it remains a landmark in the community.

The heritage value of Yorkton Organic Milling Ltd. also resides in its association with prominent businessmen in Yorkton. John J. Smith, one of Yorkton's early businessmen, commissioned the original mill and had it built using brick manufactured by the Yorkton Brick Company. In 1902, Smith sold the Mill to Levi Beck. Beck operated the Mill under the name of "Northern Star Flour" until 1936, when he sold it to the Yorkton Milling Company. In 1982, the Yorkton Milling Company sold the mill to Bill Kent.

Source:

City of Yorkton Bylaw No. 03/1997.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Yorkton Organic Milling Ltd. resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the site’s former use as a milling facility, including the milling equipment, equipment for elevating and storing grain, the rail line and the functional layout of the property;
-those elements reflecting to its use as a sales and marketing facility, including the office space, elevator, grain and flour storage and the proximity to the downtown core;
-those elements reflecting its association with the early businessmen of Yorkton, such as the orientation of these buildings on their original lot within Yorkton's industrial area, and the use of the yellow brick from the Yorkton Brick Company.