MACLAREN’S GRIST MILL, WAKEFIELD

Author:
Ray and Diana Baillie (Text reprinted with permission from Imprints: Discovering the Face of English Quebec, 2001)

Image removed.Farmers depended on the grist mill from the earliest days in the 17th century. During the French Regime, the seigneur was obligated to build a mill for the use of the habitant. Early English-speakers had to depend upon local entrepreneurs to provide them with a facility to grind their grain.

Image removed.The first mill on this site was established in 1838 by William Fairbairn on the La Pêche River leading into the Gatineau River. [David] MacLaren bought him out. The mill operated until the 1970s, and is now owned by the National Capital Commission. [It is now home to an upscale inn and restaurant].

Editor’s note: This text has been modified slightly from the original.