“Flour power!”
In this case, I’m talking about the flour made from wheat. Today we’ll learn about a Kansas grist mill that is producing flour and benefitting the local economy.
Last week we learned about the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad, which runs excursion trains from Abilene to Enterprise, the location of the Hoffman Grist Mill. The mill is managed by Debbie and Terry Thompson. Thanks to railroad volunteer and retired K-State department head Steve Smethers for today’s story.
In the 1860s, a miller named Christian Hoffman migrated from Sweden to Kansas. He saw a place along the Smoky Hill River where he could build a dam for a turbine that would power a grinding stone to grind wheat into flour. The Hoffman Grist Mill began operation in 1869.
The mill initially produced about 60 barrels of flour a day. It became the focal point of the area, spawning a small community of settlers, many of whom worked for Hoffman’s mill.
“The optimism and spirit of those settlers gave birth to the name of the village,” Smethers said. “In honor of Mr. Hoffman’s indefatigable spirit and the enterprising people who settled in the area, the community was named Enterprise.”
