A grain mill was operated at this site on Sturgeon Creek in what is now the St. James area of Winnipeg, between 1829 and about 1832, by Metis leader Cuthbert James Grant. The first water mill in Western Canada, a working replica of the original mill was erected at the site beginning in June 1974, as part of Winnipeg’s centennial celebrations, by a group of seniors involved in the New Horizons program and the city’s six Rotary Clubs. Its one-foot thick logs came from Gypsumville and its stones from quarries at Garson. It was opened officially by Premier Ed Schreyer in July 1975.
The mill was closed in April 2025 due to unspecified structural issues. Plans call for the building to be dismantled and rebuilt on the original foundation. The Manitoba Metis Federation and St. James Assiniboia Pioneer Association are fundraising with the expectation that it will reopen in 2029-2030.
Grant’s Old Mill (1980s)
Source: Bob Hainstock, RWH027
Grant’s Old Mill (2011)
Source: Bill Fraser
Grant’s Old Mill (May 2022)
Source: George Penner
Interior of Grant’s Old Mill (June 2024)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Interior of Grant’s Old Mill (June 2024)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87934, W97.27537
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Cuthbert James Grant (1793-1854)
The Reconstruction of Grant’s Mill by Francis Walker “Frank” Armstrong
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 21, Number 1, Autumn 1975Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Co-operator Rural Buildings Series
Memorable Manitobans: Francis Walker “Frank” Armstrong (1900-1986)
“Start set for mill replica,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 June 1974, page 19.
“Old Grant’s Mill grinding dollars” by Robert Wielaard, Winnipeg Free Press, 17 September 1975, page 1.
“MMF, groups try to save Grant’s Old Mill” by Kevin Rollason, Winnipeg Free Press, 28 April 2026.
We thank Bill Fraser, George Penner, Rose Kuzina, and Jean McManus for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 12 May 2026
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