Location: County: Napa. Nearest City: Calistoga.
Campsites, facilities: No campsites. Point of interest
to visit while on tour.
Reservations, fees: Call the park for information.
Contact: Phone the park at 1-707-942-4575.
Operating hours, seasons: Grounds are open daily 10:00am
to 5:00 pm. Buildings and grounds are open on Saturday
and Sunday. Closed New Year's, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Directions: The historic park is three miles north
of St. Helena on Highway 29.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: The park is the site of a water-powered
grist mill that was built in 1846. It was once the center of
social activity as Napa Valley settlers gathered to have their
corn and wheat ground into meal or flour. The owner of
the mill was Dr. Edward Turner Bale. He received the property
in a land grant from the Mexican government and lived near the
site until his death in 1849. The mill remained in use until
the early 1900s. The mill and its 36-foot water wheel are protected
as a state historic landmark and have been partially restored.
A trail connects the historic park to Bothe-Napa Valley State
Park.
The gristmill and granary were built with local materials,
Douglas firs and coast redwoods. Some timbers were cut to length
with the bark left on, while others were roughed out with hand
tools. The timbers were notched and held in place with wooden
pegs as well as nails and screws. The foundation of the structure
is native stone. The mill was powered by a waterwheel, with water
diverted from Mill Creek nearby. A ditch carried the water from
a millpond to a wooden flume, which brought the water to the
top of the waterwheel. The first wheel did not provide enough
power during dry summers and was replaced by a larger one, similar
to the one at the mill today. Farmers brought grain to the mill
where it was placed into the boot of an elevator to be mechanically
transported upstairs where it was cleaned by various types of
equipment. The slow turning of the old grind stones and the dampness
of the mill's site gave the meal a special quality for making
cornbread, yellowbread, shortening bread and spoon bread. As
old timers put it, "When meal comes to you that way,
like the heated underside of a settin' hen, it bakes bread that
makes city bread taste like cardboard."
The park has limited picnic facilities. However, visitors
can hike from the mill on the historic trail to Bothe-Napa Valley
State Park, which features extensive picnic facilities and a
number of trails. The round trip hike from Bale Grist Mill State
Historic Park to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is approximately
two miles. Bothe-Napa Valley State Park includes the site of
the first church in the Napa Valley as well as the Pioneer Cemetery.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
