Even though the state relinquished Upvalley State Parks in 2012, visitors can still hike Bothe’s scenic trails and see the 176-year-old Bale Grist Mill in action.
That’s largely thanks to the Napa County Regional Park and Open Spaces District and the Napa Valley State Parks Association, which took over the parks after they were threatened with closure a decade ago.
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Last Friday in the Shade of the Mill, NVSPA hosted a celebration to thank five former board members who served during this pivotal time and continued to operate Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park despite wildfires and a pandemic — Michael Fradelizio, Bob Frescura, Pete McGee, Ken Stanton and Chip Bouril.
“This plant wouldn’t be (running) today without these five guys,” said NVSPA Board Chair Cathie Bennett Warner.
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Fradelizio remembers meeting the late ranger Sandy Jones in 2003 when she wanted to organize a fundraiser. Fradelizio, then head of the Silverado Brewing Company, agreed to host the first harvest dinner, which has become an annual tradition.
Fradelizio said he was drawn to Bale Grist Mill “for selfish reasons” because he believes in the nutritional value of freshly ground cereals.
“When you buy a bag of flour, you will see an expiration date, which may mean something and may not, but you don’t really know the milling date, which is more important,” he said. declared.
Frescura is a dedicated volunteer who enjoyed getting his hands dirty, maintaining the trails, orchards and Native American plant garden in Bothe.
“Bob is the guy you would see eating weed on a Tuesday morning,” board member Kathy Carrick said. “He was like another part of the staff. … He was still there.
McGee is a longtime ranch manager at Livermore Ranch, which borders Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. He facilitated donations for trail and sign improvements and worked on Old Mills Days and Harvest Dinner events. He and his team helped fell trees and maintained trails at RLS.
Colleagues say Stanton and Bouril know Bothe’s trails better than anyone.
Renowned outdoorsman and author of “Great Day Hikes in and Around Napa Valley,” Stanton joined the board in the mid-1990s. He has led hikes on Mount St. Helena, including up to the cabin where author Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, spent their honeymoon.
Stanton has participated in trail work, volunteered at many park events, and documented and maintained the historic Bothe Cemetery.
Bouril served on the board from 1984 until his recent retirement. A dedicated volunteer at park events, he was instrumental in managing the transfer of Bothe and the Bale Grist Mill from California to NVSPA and the Park and Open Space District.
A naturalist and soil conservationist, Bouril was also the “conscience” of the council, Warner said.
“Everything had to be done properly and to the letter of the law,” she said. “He reminds us all that we need these standards to make this organization work.”
Photos: Napa Valley Bale Grist Mill Activities
The overshot channel and waterwheel at the Bale Grist Mill in Napa Valley
The gravitational force of the falling water flows through the channel of the Bale Grist Mill on the 36 foot diameter waterwheel.
Tom Stockwell, star
A diagram of the mechanisms of the Bale Grist Mill
For its operation, the Bale Grist Mill uses a combination of gravity, huge clockwork gears, wood and iron craftsmanship and verbal traditions passed down from miller to miller.
Tom Stockwell, star
The 36 foot overshot wheel of the Bale Grist Mill
The wheel of the Bale Grist Mill uses the power of Mill Creek – through a series of iron and wooden gears – to turn two millstones to grind grain into flour and flour.
Tom Stockwell, star
Millwright Rob Grassi leads a lesson for volunteer millers at Bale Grist Mill
Teaching the traditions and working mechanisms of the Bale Grist mill, Millright Rob Grassi explains to the crew that different millstones can be angled left or right. He noted that a traditional miller’s apprenticeship typically took seven years.
Tom Stockwell, star
Photo by David Fulton
A portrait of David Fulton, a blacksmith from Vermont who arrived on St. Helena in 1852. He helped build the Bale Grist Mill, founded his own tack shop in 1858, and planted Mission grapes in 1860. He built a winery the following year on his Fulton Lane Estate.
David Stoneberg, star
Millers at the Bale Grist Mill in Napa Valley
On April 17, volunteers and staff at Bale Grist Mill State Park gathered for a four-hour learning lesson by Millwright Rob Grassi, second from right.
Tom Stockwell, star
The crown wheel and cogwheel of the Napa Valley Bale Grist Grist Mill
The crown wheel (lower) is wrought iron with wooden gears. Gears are designed to be replaced if damaged. The horizontal spur gear transmits power to the stone nut (top right) which in turn is connected to the axle on which the running stone rests.
Tom Stockwell, star
Display of millstones at Grist Mill Ball in Napa Valley
A set of exposed French Buhr stones on display at the Napa Valley Grist Mill show the hand-carved grooves that were used to grind grain to make flour for Napa Valley settlers.
Tom Stockwell, star
Chiles Mill bedstone was once worth a fortune
According to Steve Harle, miller at the Bale Grist Mill, imported French Buhr wheels such as the Chiles millstone were rare and expensive, and remain highly sought after by stone millers around the world today.
Tom Stockwell, star
Bale Grist mill.jpg
The Bale Grist Mill, Historic American Buildings Survey by Robert W. Kerrigan, February 18, 1937.
Hands busy decorating gingerbread men at Bale Grist Mill
The threshing floor at Bale Grist Mill was packed with children and adults alike as they decorated homemade gingerbread men during the Pioneer Christmas celebration last Saturday.
Tom Stockwell, star
The Christmas season ends at the ball mill
The two grain hoppers of the old Bale Grist mill were each filled with maize and wheat as the miller showed visitors how the mill transformed water power into milling energy to make flour and flour during the Pioneer Christmas event last Saturday.
Tom Stockwell, star
Dressed for a Pioneer Christmas
Poppy and Evie Arcadi went the extra mile to arrive at Moulin Bale Grist in bonnets and capes for the Pioneers Christmas celebration last December. This year’s event is on December 8.
Tom Stockwell, star
Dress up a Gingerbread Man in Pioneer Christmas at the Ball Mill
“Where do I stick these candies on my gingerbread man?” asked a little girl at the cookie decorating table.
Tom Stockwell, star
make lace
A variety of pioneer crafts, including lace, will be demonstrated at the annual Bale Mill Pioneer Christmas, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, December 9 at Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, located between St. Helena and Calistoga on Highway 29.
Photo submitted
