Something different

Thought this photo of the Bruderheim Windmill would make a change from owls and snow scenes : ) Taken on 14 September 2013, when I spent the day at Heritage Park with my youngest daughter and the photography group that she ran for a few months, including lunch at the old Wainwright Hotel. Great company, most enjoyable.

"Wilhelm Mallon, a carpenter and blacksmith of German descent, arrived in Canada in 1910. He happily discovered that the sandy soil of his farm near Bruderheim, Alberta, about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton, grew a good crop of spring rye. The next step was building a mill to make the sort of rye bread that had been a staple back home in Belarus.

From 1920 to 1924, Mallon completed this mill, which was the second he'd built on the farm. Mallon used hand tools to shape the gears, wheels and shafts from scrub birch, and shaped his millstones from granite found in the North Saskatchewan River. Despite being constantly hampered by a lack of wind, Mallon's mill did a good business in the area. In 1964, the Devonian Group of Charitable Foundations donated the structure to Heritage Park, along with $35,000 for its restoration."

www.heritagepark.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions-and-exhib...

"Newcomers to Western Canada were dismayed by the scarcity and cost of flour. Those with a millwright’s skills often ground wheat or rye for the community. This was the case for Wilhelm Mallon, who built this windmill in the Bruderheim district near Edmonton.

Mallon used only materials at hand. Local timber provided the framework. The gears, wheels and shafts were made from scrub birch. Paraffin wax was used to lubricate all moving parts. There was not a single piece of metal in the original millworks.

Mallon’s mill turned out 150 pounds of flour each day if the winds were right. As was the custom, the miller kept a portion of each run as a payment for his services."

www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2CKR_Bruderheim_Windmill_He...