Nielsen Grist Mill

The Nielsen Grist Mill is located at the foot of the Thousand Lake Mountain on the edge of the scenic country referred to by ancient Indians as “The Land of Sleeping Rainbow.” Constructed around 1893 for Hans Peter Nielsen by his son-in-law, Niels Hansen, the mill was known as the Thurber Rolling Mills. Water for powering the mill was channeled from the Fremont River and dropped 22 feet through a wooden pope to the turbine that ran the mill.

The mill still has a double stand of Wolf Rolls and two double stands of McNalley Rolls with scalpers under each that are spouted to the various elevator legs. Sixteen elevators with five reels for flour milling are found in the mill. The Barnard and Leas dust collector and the turbine with belting still have the pulleys made of native wood, ready for use. Old models of Howe Scales, one for weighing wheat and one for weighing flour sacks, still exist. All equipment is in good shape, including the cash register. The mill produced flour, germade, shorts, and bran, each coming from individual sprouts.

farmers would receive one sack of flour for each three sacks of wheat. All 48-pound bags of flour were sewn by hand. The space between the ears was sewn with a long, sharp needle with a built-in thread cutter.

The mill made flour for the surrounding area for 40 years. Improved roads, constructed in the 1930s, spelled the beginning of the end for the Thurber Rolling Mills. Since Wayne County could not grow hard wheat, which made the best bread, it became just as east to truck in flour as hard wheat.

The Hans Peter Nielson Gristmill was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#75001835) on June 18, 1975. The following text is from the national register’s nomination form:

The Bicknell Gristmill was constructed in 1890 for Bans Peter Nielson, a miller born in Denmark who came to Utah in 1863, The mill was constructed by Niels Hansen, also born in Denmark and a carpenter by trade, Mr. Nielson ran the mill until his death in 1909, Prom 1910 to 1921 the mill was operated by -three brothers, Ernest, Jesse and Clinton Syrett, The mill was operated by several men until 1935 and since that time has remained idle,

Gristmills were constructed in almost every Mormon community and village and were an essential part of the agriculturally-based economy, two gristmills, the Isaac Chase mill built in Salt Lake City in 1852 and the E. T. Benson built 1849-50 in Tooele Valley, have been listed on the National Register. The significance of the Bicknell gristmill is that it illustrates how after 40 years the gristmill was such an important element in the economy of the Mormon village and, when compared with the E. T. Benson mill, how little the construction and architectural style of the gristmill has changed in forty years. Also of significance is that the Bicknell mill is the only gristmill in Utah in which the original machinery and equipment is still intact.

The Hans Peter Nielson gristmill is a two-story rectangular frame box with a gabled roof. The tall sandstone foundation wall provides some usable area in the crawl space for operating the roller and. bolting machinery. In some areas, the foundation wall has been pulled away to give access to the mechanical systems of the mill. A post and beam system supports the two-story superstructure above. The posts and beams are roughly hewn, but are fastened with mortise and tenon connections, It is significant that all of the original parts of the mill are still intact. These include the stone burrmills, slatted wooden flumes, water turbine and connecting gears and drive shafts- roller and bolting machinery and, in short, all of the original workings of the pioneer flour mill.

In appearance, the building is tall and imposing and beautifully situated in a meadow near a stream lined with poplar trees. The building is sided with wooden planks or clapboard. The cornice is boxed and has a slight return. The frieze ss plain. Windows are 6/6 double-hung sash and the doors feature diagonal siding. A wooden loading platform surrounds two sides of the mill, Two shed-roofed wings connect to the rear of the building. These are also wood sided and appear to have been added just after initial construction of the main mill. All roofs are covered with wood shingles. Plain boards situated vertically at the building’s corners and framing the windows are the only trim elements. The only existing chimney is made of brick.

The very pristine character of the old mill is due to the fact that its wood and stone show no evidence of paint or other elements of finish and refinement. Though built strictly as a utilitarian structure, the Hans Peter Neislon flour mill is nevertheless a thing of unassuming beauty.