Spalding’s Gristmill Canals

To power the gristmill that stood at this site, Henry Spalding directed some Nez Perce to dig a network of canals, dikes, and flumes. The gristmill and the nearby sawmill were part of a larger plan. Realizing that the Nez Perce life of moving with the seasons did not make them good candidates for full-time religious conversion, Spalding determined to make them permanent farmers. A year after arrival, the Spaldings had 100 families out of a population of 5,000 people cultivating the land around the mission. A few historic ditches are still evident on this landscape, humble indicators of a cultural transformation.

Idaho · United States