Simon's Grist Mill

LaSalle Commemorates Local History The Town of LaSalle has published a new booklet about gristmills both locally, across Ontario, and throughout Quebec, and the Maritimes. The booklet was written for the Department of Culture and Recreation, and is being sold for $10.00. The mill was originally built in 1781 by Simon Amable Drouillard on his farm in what was then known as Petite Cote. It's believed the mill was originally a log cabin with a water wheel on the side. The site is near the Windsor Raceway, near a bridge just south of Sprucewood Road, and just west of Malden. Terry Fink is the director of the Department of Culture and Recreation. He says the town purchased the property in 2003 for the construction of the bridge on Sprucewood. "The contours of the land, and river, were changed;" Fink says, "But it could be returned to its original state." Fink believes that the original building was moved to Skunk Island, near Amherstburg, and that it still exists today. Fink says he'd like to recreate the mill in order to capture part of LaSalle's early French history. The booklet is called: Grist for the Mill. It was originally written this spring as a report to council by Herb Colling, a local author, and retired reporter for CBC radio in Windsor. Colling is now a freelance writer. During the course of his research, Colling discovered that the mill in LaSalle was the first one built in Ontario. It predates other early mills built at Niagara, Kingston and Napanee, as well as the earliest known mill in Windsor, which wasn't built until 1796. "It's an incredible story," Colling says, "The report was supposed to be about 30 pages, but it just kept expanding because there was so much interesting stuff." Colling says Drouillard was a local farmer, the son of a well-known French Canadian fur trapper and voyageur who was one of the first settlers in this area. Drouillard ran the mill for 11 years before selling it to J.B., or Jean Baptiste Fere. One report suggests that Drouillard requested payment for the mill in flour, rather than cash, because of his concern about the British conquest. 1760 marked the end of the Seven Year's War between the French and the English, and the French were afraid that things would change in the colony because of the English victory. So, Fere agreed to pay Drouillard 12 hundred pounds of flour per year for life. The booklet includes the story of the local mill, a look at other mills in existence across the province, as well as the earliest mills in Canada in both Quebec and the Maritimes. Colling discovered that the first mill in this country was built in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, in 1607, during the time of Samuel de Champlain and The Order of Good Cheer. Other mills, in Quebec, also predate the mill in LaSalle; but the building of the local mill was in keeping with the French belief that settlements would result because of the existence of mills to grind settler's grain. Eventually, Fink decided that, if pictures were available, then the booklet should be published, and shared with the general public. It's in keeping with LaSalle's philosophy of community involvement, and informing residents about projects in the town. The booklet is available for purchase at the town office, and the Department of Culture and Recreation. The funds will be used toward the commemoration of the grist mill in LaSalle: the first in Ontario. It's hoped that the mill can be acknowledged in some form: either with an historic plaque, and explanation on the site; or as a static building with a turbine driven water wheel to show what was there originally; or as an actual working mill, grinding grain for purchase by tourists to LaSalle in the summer. For questions or to purchase copies of the book please contact: Dawn Hadre Administrative Assistant, Department of Culture and Recreation Town of LaSalle 519-969-7770, ext. 235 dhadre@town.lasalle.on.ca