Description of Historic Place

Brent's Grist Mill consists of a grist mill and two associated buildings; Brent's residence and a dairy barn. The three buildings are located on a large site at the northwest corner of Dilworth Drive and Leckie Place, adjacent to Mill Creek and the Canadian National Railway right-of-way. The buildings were relocated here in 2002, and were sited to retain their original orientation to one another, including their location along Mill Creek. The buildings are in the process of being restored by the Central Okanagan Heritage Society.

Heritage Value

Brent's Grist Mill is of heritage value as an excellent and rare surviving example of pioneering agricultural and production practices in Kelowna. It was one of the first industrial enterprises in the Okanagan Valley and is the oldest surviving purpose-built grist mill building in B.C.

Frederick Brent faced many challenges in establishing his milling operation. He had to travel to San Francisco to buy his equipment, then move it by sailing ship, train, freight wagon, lake and river steamers, row boat along Okanagan Lake and, for the last 6.5 kilometres, by horse-drawn sledge, illustrating the challenges faced by early settlers at a time when this area was remote and transportation was difficult. At the end of each season, the millstones had to be dressed with steel picks, which until 1885 had to be sent to San Francisco for sharpening. The mill was an immediate success, and settlers and local natives from throughout the Okanagan Valley brought their grain to be ground into flour, with up to a dozen camps at a time being set up on the creek waiting their turn at the mill.

The demise of the mill indicates the rapidly-developing food supply networks being developed throughout the province. Brent sold the property in 1893, and milling operations ceased, a result of cheaper flour being available from the steam-driven mills at New Westminster. The grist mill was later adapted for use as a dairy barn, and another dairy barn structure was added to the site circa 1912. Although the milling operation was dismantled, Brent's portable mill, with its imported millstones, survives and is displayed at the Kelowna Museum.

Additionally, Brent's Grist Mill site is of value for its association with Frederick Brent (1827-1919), one of the earliest European settlers in the Kelowna area. He acquired his land, over 800 hectares, in 1870, and Peon Creek was renamed Mill Creek after his milling operation. Brent was well-known for his hospitality and for hosting the annual 'Bachelor Ball' at his house. He was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in 1872, and raised a family of six children; some of his descendants are still located throughout the Kelowna area.

The grist mill and house are rare surviving structures from the 1870s, when there was a recession throughout the province and little construction occurred. As such, they are a valuable representation of the building practices of pioneer times. The grist mill was built of hand-hewn pine logs for the posts and beams, joined with pegged mortise and tenon joints. The siding is whip-sawn lumber, attached with forged square nails. The large one-and-one-half-storey house was built in 1871 of large squared logs. The site was acquired by John Dilworth in 1900, and prior to 1908 he installed milled siding on the house and added plaster walls on the inside, indicating the pattern of improvements made to pioneer houses as the settlers prospered and more refined materials and techniques became locally available.

The preservation of Brent's Grist Mill reflects the community's commitment to conserving and interpreting their built heritage.

Source: City of Kelowna Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Grist Mill, Brent's Residence and the dairy barn include their:
- location adjacent to Mill Creek in their original configuration
- landscape features, such as its mature riparian tree species

Brent's Grist Mill
- form, scale and massing, as expressed by its utilitarian form and split-level configuration
- front-gabled roof with lean-to structure on the side
- hand-hewn wooden post and beam structure
- whip-sawn vertical-plank exterior boards with original forged square nails

Brent's Residence
- form, scale and massing, as expressed by its one-and-one-half-storey height and symmetrical plan with central front entry
- side-gabled roof, later extended over front verandah and rear addition, with three front-gabled dormers
- square hewn log construction dating from 1871
- lapped wooden siding added prior to 1908
- additional exterior elements, such as projecting eaves, corner boards, brick chimneys and a front verandah with square columns
- regular fenestration: multi-pane six-over-six double-hung wooden-sash windows
- interior features, such as its lath and plaster walls, wooden floors and river rock fireplace added in the 1920s

Dairy Barn
- form, scale and massing, as expressed by its one-storey height with a partially-exposed lower level
- gabled roof
- bevelled wooden siding