This cache has been placed as part of an initiative by the County of Peterborough, its member municipalities, the City of Peterborough and local First Nation communities to celebrate Canada 150+. There are 23 geocaches placed throughout the region showcasing local history.
The geocoin stock has now been exhausted. Please continue to enjoy exploring local history through other geocaches within the Canada 150+ collection.
GC Codes full list: GC74A7F - Payne Murders & First Execution, GC74A76 - Victoria Museum at "Inverlea", GC72PWE - Memengweshii, GC72PWP - Historic Curve Lake Village, GC72PX1 - Old Rail Road Stop, GC72PXA - Hiawatha Church, GC72VFW - Sucker Hunt at "Welbeck", GC74A7Q - Richard Birdsall, GC74A7V - John Deyell, GC74A7Y - Cavan Blazers & Paddy Maguire, GC72VG3 - Balm for her Wounded Heart, GC72VGA - Sedgwick Lime Kiln Park, GC72WDJ - Nepheline Syenite A Global Lustre, GC75D68 - Havelock Public School, GC72WDT - The Brush Factory, GC72VGJ - Sam Edgar Crypt, GC72VGQ - Nelson Brawl at the Keene Hotel, GC75D6H - Lang Grist Mill, GC72VGW - Catharine Parr Traill, GC72WDZ - The Pope Stallion, GC75D5Q - Adam & Eve Rocks, GC74A8B - Going to School on the Oregon Trail.
At this site, from 1825 to the 1870s a saw mill constructed by Thomas Short, a local entrepreneur, existed on the east side of the Indian River. During the 1870s a fire destroyed this saw mill. In 1846 Thomas constructed the Lang Grist Mill using limestone from the Indian River to cut the elm staves which were sent to his cooperage to construct the wooden barrels, which were used to store and ship the flour ground at the Grist Mill. The empty barrels were transported from the cooperage to the mill by a private railway built by Thomas. At the Grist Mill the barrels were then filled with flour. Inscribed on the building above the entrance way on the South side of the Grist Mill is the date “A.D. 1846,” the date the main section of the mill was completed. Over the Mill’s first 50 years, there were many changes including additions of an oatmeal drying area and a boiler house. These additions would have flanked the entrance way (the outlines of the two foundations are still visible).
The Mill continued operation under new management in the 1860s after Thomas Short went bankrupt, but a devastating fire in 1896 left only charred walls. When the Mill re-opened, state of the art rollers replaced the four sets of grind stones. The oatmeal drying area was never restored. The Mill continued in operation until 1956. In 1964, the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA) purchased the Mill and restored it to its late 1890s appearance. Lang Pioneer Village gained management of the Mill property in 1985.