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The Napa Valley State Parks Association gathered last Friday at the Bale Grist Mill to honor past board members (from left) Bob Frescura, Michael Fradelizio, Ken Stanton, Chip Bouril and Pete McGee.
Even though the state gave up on the Upvalley’s 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 Space 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 shadow of the mill, the NVSPA held a celebration to thank five former board members who served during that pivotal era and continued to keep Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park running despite wildfires and a pandemic — Michael Fradelizio, Bob Frescura, Pete McGee, Ken Stanton and Chip Bouril.
“This mill would not be (operating) today without these five guys,” said NVSPA board president Cathie Bennett Warner.
Fradelizio recalled meeting the late park ranger Sandy Jones in 2003 when she wanted to organize a fundraiser. Fradelizio, who then operated the Silverado Brewing Company, agreed to take charge of the first Harvest Dinner, which became an annual tradition.
Fradelizio said he was attracted to the Bale Grist Mill “for selfish reasons” because he believes in the nutritional value of freshly milled grains.
“When you buy a bag of flour you’ll see an expiration date, which may mean something and may not, but you don’t really know the grind date, which is more important,” he said.
Frescura is a devoted volunteer who liked getting his hands dirty, maintaining trails, orchards and the Native American Plant Garden at Bothe.
“Bob’s the guy you would see weed-eating on a Tuesday morning,” said board member Kathy Carrick. “He was like another part of the staff. … He was always there.”
McGee is longtime ranch manager at Livermore Ranch, which borders Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. He facilitated donations for trail and sign improvements and worked on the Old Mills Days and Harvest Dinner events. He and his crew helped clear trees and maintain trails at RLS.
Colleagues say Stanton and Bouril know Bothe’s trails better than anyone.
A noted outdoorsman and author of “Great Day Hikes in and Around Napa Valley,” Stanton joined the board in the mid-1990s. He’s led hikes on Mount St. Helena, including to the cabin where the author Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, spent their honeymoon.
Stanton has participated in trail work, volunteered at numerous park events, and documented and maintained Bothe’s historic cemetery.
Bouril served on the board since 1984 until he retired recently. A dedicated volunteer at park events, he was instrumental in managing the handover of Bothe and the Bale Grist Mill from California to the NVSPA and the Park and Open Space District.
A naturalist and soil conservationist, Bouril was also the board’s “conscience,” Warner said.
“Everything had to be done right and to the letter of the law,” she said. “He reminds all of us that we need those standards to keep this organization going.”
The gravitational power of falling water flows through the Bale Grist Mill's flume onto the 36-foot diameter waterwheel.
For its operation, the Bale Grist Mill uses a combination of gravity, massive clockwork-like gears, wood and iron-mongered craftsmanship, and verbal traditions handed down from one miller to the next.
The wheel of the Bale Grist Mill uses the power of Mill Creek -- through a series of iron and wooden gears -- to turn two mill stones to grind grain into meal and flour.
Teaching the traditions and the mechanics of running the Bale Grist Mill, Millright Rob Grassi tells the crew that different millstones may be left or right oriented. He noted that the traditional apprenticeship of a miller usually took seven years.
A portrait of David Fulton, a Vermont blacksmith who arrived in St. Helena in 1852. He helped build the Bale Grist Mill, founded his own saddlery shop in 1858 and planted Mission grapes in 1860. He built a wine cellar the following year on his Fulton Lane property.
On April 17 volunteers and staff at the Bale Grist Mill State Park came together for a four-hour apprenticeship lesson by Millwright Rob Grassi, second from right.
The Crown Wheel (lower) is made of wrought iron with wooden gears. The gears are designed to be replaced if they become stripped. The horizontal Spur Wheel transmits power to the Stone Nut (upper right) which in turn is connected to the spindle upon which the Running Stone rests.
A set of exposed French Buhr stones on display at the Napa Valley Bale Grist Mill shows the hand-carved grooves that were used to grind grain to make flour for settlers in the Napa Valley.
According to Steve Harle, a miller at the Bale Grist Mill, imported French Buhr millstones such as the Chiles mill stone were rare and expensive, and remains today highly sought after by stone millers around the world.
The Bale Grist Mill, Historic American Buildings Survey by Robert W. Kerrigan, Feb. 18, 1937.
The threshing floor of the Bale Grist Mill was crowded with children and adults as they decorated home-made gingerbread men at the Pioneer Christmas celebration last Saturday.
The two grain hoppers of the old Bale Grist Mill were each filled with corn and wheat as the miller showed visitors how the mill turned water-power into milling power to make flour and meal at the Pioneer Christmas event last Saturday.
Poppy and Evie Arcadi went the extra mile to arrive at the Bale Grist Mill in bonnets and capes for the Pioneer Christmas celebration last December. This year's event is Dec. 8.
“Where should I stick these candies on my gingerbread man?” asked one little girl at the cookie decorating table.
A variety of pioneer crafts, including lace making, will be demonstrated at the Annual Bale Mill Pioneer Christmas, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9 at the Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, located between St. Helena and Calistoga on Highway 29.
You can reach Jesse Duarte at (707) 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.
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Jesse has been a reporter for the St. Helena Star since 2006. He became editor in 2021.
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Hiking fans may see no major Open Space District projects over the coming year — unless a state grant comes through.
The grandeur of one of Napa Valley’s most iconic parks is now on state and national records as a place of historic significance, ensuring its preservation for generations to come.
Built in 1846, the restoration of Bale Grist Mill was feted July 10 by dignitaries and the local community. It will also earn a place in the Congressional Record.
The Napa Valley State Parks Association is inviting the public to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Bale Grist Mill and the restoration of its water wheel on Saturday.
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is open for hiking again, although some areas remain closed after the devastating 2020 fires.
The Napa Valley State Parks Association gathered last Friday at the Bale Grist Mill to honor past board members (from left) Bob Frescura, Michael Fradelizio, Ken Stanton, Chip Bouril and Pete McGee.
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