Historic Properties of Spokane
Dybdall Grist Mill (collapsed)
In 1896, Ole C. Dybdall purchased the sawmill and property on Chapman Lake from previous owners Fred Wagner and Henry Hinkney. The following year, Dybdall constructed a turbine-driven grist mill on Rock Creek, just below the southern tip of Chapman Lake. The mill stands today, with the original equipment in place. The site is a complex, multi-stage operation that required considerable technical understanding and engineering ability to assemble. Some supplemental machinery was installed in 1910, although the process itself remain basically unchanged. At its peak in the 1920s, the Dybdall Grist Mill produced 30 barrels a day. As a result of its eight-stage roller grinding process (in comparison to the standard six-stage process), the mill was well-known throughout the area for the finest baking flour available.