My capture of the the Esterhazy Flour Mill on a beautiful hoarfrost day has been a popular image with people requesting prints of it as well as notecards, especially during Christmastime. It gained a lot of exposure after it was shared by Tourism Saskatchewan on their social media a couple of years ago, with hundreds of people commenting on it and sharing their stories from their past of the days when they would visit this flour mill or one just like it. Construction was completed in 1907, making it the oldest and most complete flour mill of heavy post and beam construction remaining in Saskatchewan. Like other mills of the period, wheat delivered here by local farmers would be processed into flour, bran and other products. The flour mill contains original turn-of-the-century milling equipment including grinders, sifter, bucket elevators and bagging machines, and is is attached to an elevator for storing grain. The grain elevator is of wood crib construction and has a sloped shoulder roofline. The Esterhazy flour mill stands as a reminder of the importance of flour mills in the development of Saskatchewan Grain Industry. Designated as a provincial heritage property in 2005, it also joined the family of national historic sites in 2007 with its designation as a National Historic Site of Canada.
One of my Instagram followers commented: "I remember riding around the flour mill on my bike with a banana seat as a kid. Can't believe it's still there. What a beautiful photo." I am grateful to have such a historic building in my hometown of Esterhazy and blessed to have this capture of it framed by the beauty of winter.
