This grist mill was built in the 1880s and operated as a feed and flour mill until 1946. The area was first developed ten years earlier when James Mills dug a 2-mile (3.2km) ditch from the Yakima River to create a log pond and power his sawmill. The grist mill was powered by the same outflow, and with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1886 and Milwaukee Road in 1908, the mill was able to sell it's products nationwide.

In addition to the sawmill and grist mill the owners added an ice pond in 1889 to service the Northern Pacific. Between this pond, and the larger Sprague Lake, over 40,000 tons of ice could be packed into hundreds of refrigerated cars each year. Using sawdust to insulate the ice, they were able to supply the railroads all the way through to the end of summer.

Today the grist mill serves as a small museum and a reminder of human ingenuity and capitalism. The turn-of-the-century equipment inside has earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Find All Thorp Hotels

Change your mind
Book hotels with free cancellation
Treat yourself
Sign in to save 10% or more on thousands of hotels
Sign in
Be picky
Search almost a million properties worldwide

Find All Thorp Hotels

We have found 830 Thorp Hotels

67105b54-9595-443c-a86f-a7d94bf1e3fbdb62637a-02df-4c60-8f6e-aed434ade04e