Archibald Mill - History

History

The first mill in Dundas was built by John Sidney (J.S.) and George Archibald on the east bank of the Cannon River in late 1857. At the time, the Cannon River had only one channel in Dundas and an 1860 flood caused a split, routing water further east of the mill and creating an island, which still exists today. Across the river was a sawmill, built in 1856 and purchased by the Archibalds for use in constructing their mill. Wooden dams on both channels controlled water flow.

The mill used the most current technology available and produced flour of a fine quality. Called EXTRA, the flour was sold for $1 or $2 more per barrel than other local flours.

A second mill was built in 1870 on the west bank of the west channel.

In 1879, the original mill was completely remodeled. A Hungarian roller system was added and it produced better quality flour at an increased rate.

On December 31, 1892, both mills owned by the Archibald family burned. A rebuilt mill burned on November 19, 1914. The monetary loss of the fire was $30,000, partially covered by insurance.

After the 1914 fire, the Archibald Mill was rebuilt for the final time and later partially destroyed in the early 1930s.

Currently ruins of the west bank mill are the most prominent, though some stonework from the original 1857 mill can be seen on the west side of the island.