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Bell's Grist Mill The above photo displays the history of Bell's Grist Mill. The following is a transcription of that image: "The original frame structure was established on this site by James Spink in the 1860's he later sold it to Richard Bell who came to Utopia from Honeywood at 15 years to learn the milling trade. Two sawmills located on the North side of Bear Creek just below the present damsite operated concurrently with the original Grist Mill all were water powered. The Grist Mill working in the day time the sawmills at night. The original mill burned to the ground May 29, 1903 and by Jan. 1, 1904 Richard & his two brothers Manuel & John had re-built by hand & operating the present 75 barrel capacity structure, the buildings is supported on a quick sand soil base by a rock & concrete slab 4.5 feet thick & is sound to this day. Power was Originally converted by an under shot wheel & more recently by turbine water. Power was use by "Harold", the son of Richard from the early 1930's until "Hurricane Hazel" washed the dam out in Oct. 1954 it then functioned on diesel power until operation stopped in-1965-when Harold donated the site to the Nottawasaga valley conservation authority for a water conservation project the mill will be restored & preserved as an historic factor in the development & utilization of the natural resources of this region. As funds permit. N.V.C.A." Location: Utopia. Status: Abandoned, but only mildly vandalised. Accessibility: The last time any UEC affiliates were at the Mill it was quite accessible. Hazards: The main hazards are squishy wooden floors and dangling machinery. Interesting features: Old equipment and turn-of-the-century architecture. Recommendation: If you're in the area or in search of awesome historical sites do check out the Grist Mill. The Fortuitous Grist Mill Expedition. December 9th, 2001 Behold the Grist Mill photos. On a particularly adventurous night Flame0ut, Sema4, Static, Dain Bramaged, Grebin and I went in search of a fabled abandoned Grist Mill. This was the last target of the night, was we had already been to the Canadian Malting Plant and York Mills; both impressive and large infiltration sites. Onwards to Utopia! After some searching we found the small village of Utopia, population 10. Once we had found the general area that the mythical Mill stands we began to search side roads. As we were driving down a gravel road, that looked like every other one we had been down that night, we noticed an intersecting road that was named "Old Mill Road" -- how unambiguous. We walked down a long driveway which lead to the Mill, hidden away behind a row of old pines. At first glance it seemed that there was no way in: it appeared to be locked up tight. Not letting the fact that we had gone all that way to find that the building was secured get us down we took shelter from the cold in a little shed, which was open, beside the Mill. It's my guess that this shed is where the locals come to smoke their illicit substances or some such thing. At any rate, further investigations led us to an open door at the side of the Mill. Once inside we were all taken aback by the amount of machinery that was left and not destroyed. We looked around, on all four floors, for some time. The lot of us pondered what each machine did back in the day and what it was called. Damn ignorant kids. Finally we decided to leave the small, but awe-inspiring building. However, we were not about to leave without a quick stop to find the remnants of the water wheel. Also, we poked around the dam on the way back up the driveway, but found nothing of particular interest. ...and so ended our first trip to Bell's Grist Mill. Since our first visit to the Mill we have been back a few times, the place is still in the same condition. There are efforts being made to restore the Mill to its former glory. At the moment re-construction/renovation is at a halt due to lack of funds. However, after some debate about the project (not to mention suggestions that it be turned in to a dance hall) it has been decided that it is a historical site and as such shall be kept intact, machinery and all. Would you like to see pictures? Of course you would. Check out the Bell Grist Mill photo gallery. -Asher Archive Contact: [email protected] .