Yorkton's historic flour mill, also known as the "brick mill" because of the construction material, is one of the oldest remaining buildings from the community's early years. Yorkton moved south from its original location in 1891 to be alongside the newly-built rail line, and in 1898 John J. Smith built the flour mill with bricks from his own brick plant to support the new settlement's agricultural base.
Over the next 80 years, the old mill changed ownership a number of times before falling into disuse in the late 1980s. It is now one of the last remaining heritage mills in Saskatchewan, and the only one of its kind made from brick, and it is also the oldest remaining local commercial/agricultural heritage site.
The objective of the new capital campaign is to create a new agricultural interpretive centre to educate and promote connections between society and agriculture and to restore the mill site to a thriving cultural hub and gathering space.
The new complex will be connected to the historic mill via a main entrance directly into the interpretive centre and its walk-in interactive agricultural displays. These will tell the stories of primary producers and prairie agri-businesses, demonstrating their focus on generating safe and wholesome food products by sustainable means.
The rest of the complex will be a vibrant, bustling hub of activity. It will offer a multo-purpose space, meeting space for service groups, artists, youth and seniors, as well as a servery, patio and enhanced gardens and grounds.
The exterior grounds provide a comfortable, park-like setting featuring large aluminum panel signs that display important aspects of Yorkton’s history, including York Colony, the railroad, and the signing of Treaty 4.
The building will feature the iconic railway station roof design reflecting York Colony’s relocation to the railway in the late 1890s. The building design will seek to minimize carbon footprint and maximize sustainability.
The building will adopt state of the art technology, creating a juxtaposition of the past and the present - a mix of character and modernity that will be a coveted location for events such as:
- Educational and historical programming;
- Community events, small recitals and concerts, receptions, family reunions, etc.;
- Corporate functions such as training meetings, strategic planning sessions, and customer or staff appreciation events;
- Youth, Indigenous and newcomers’ groups gatherings and activities;
- Service group meetings
- Fundraising events;
- Farmer’s market and other indoor/outdoor opportunities.
