The Bale Grist Mill, now a California Historic Park, operated by the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District on California Highway 29 between St. Helena and Calistoga.

The water-powered mill was once the center of social activity as Napa Valley settlers gathered to have their corn and wheat ground into meal or flour. 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 spoonbread.

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. In 1871, Theodore Benedict Lyman bought the mill and surrounding land. He passed it on to his son, William Whittingham Lyman, and in their care the mill remained in use until the early 1900s.

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.

After William Lyman's death, it appears his wife deeded it to the Native Sons of the Golden West, and through them the mill was restored during the late 1960s and early 1970s thanks to the efforts of the Native Son Parlors of Napa County. Photo by Carol Highsmith.