Chiles Mill

The bronze says Chiles built this mill. The man who built it was Billy Baldridge, a Missouri millwright Chiles brought west in 1843, and the mill machinery they hauled with them had to be abandoned before they reached California. The grant it stood on took its name, Catacula, from the valley's Native name. The state register misprints the bronze's 1845-46 as 1845-56. The mill's stone ruins stand in the creek west of the road; the plaque sits on a boulder at the top of the embankment on the east side, easy to miss in summer grass.

What the plaque says

Chiles Grist Mill Built by Joseph Ballinger Chiles who first came to California in 1841. He erected the mill on Rancho Catacula 1845-46, the first American flour mill in Northern California. The mill was still used in the 1880's. Chiles was a vice-president of the Society of California Pioneers, 1850-53. Historical Landmark No. 547 Plaque erected by the Society of California Pioneers in cooperation with the California State Park Commission. July 7, 1956.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Beringer Brothers Winery — 8.0 mi
• Site of Yount's Blockhouse — 8.1 mi
• Charles Krug Winery — 8.3 mi
• Grave of George C. Yount — 8.9 mi