Saturday, December 7, 2019
10 AM-3 PM
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park
3369 St. Helena Hwy, Saint Helena, CA, 94574
707-963-2236
With the recent power outages, are you wondering how people survived without electricity for so many years? What were the holidays like back then? As you can imagine, life in the mid 1800’s was not the same as it is now. People did not rely on electricity and technology as we do now.
They say life was simpler back then, but was it really?
There was no option to turn on the heater when it was cold or pop a quick snack into the microwave. Without electricity or natural gas running straight to homes, warming your house or cooking your food required heat from a wood fire. Maintaining a wood fire is not an easy task: gathering wood, cutting and splitting the wood, seasoning the wood by letting it dry out, keeping the wood dry from rain, bringing the wood inside, making a fire and keeping it going… everyday single day. Communication long distance was much slower; you couldn’t send a text or post to Facebook. Backup generators or charging stations were unheard of. Letters were written with quill pens and ink and then sent along the pony express. Gifts and decorations were not bought from shopping malls or online stores, everything was handmade.
Gain a new appreciation for life without electricity during this holiday season. Visit the Bale Grist Mill during Pioneer Christmas for a living history holiday celebration. The event takes a step back in time, folk music plays in the background as hot apple cider warms on the wood burning stove.
Anxious children scribe letters to Santa with a quill pen and seal it with wax.
Families string together rosemary, fir and toyon berries into wreaths and garlands to decorate their homes.
The sweet aroma of clove studded citrus drifts from the pomander station.
Icing and sprinkles bring gingerbread men to life at the cookie decorating station.
Strung cranberry and popcorn, woven wheat ornaments and cut paper snowflakes are made to decorate the tree.
Young boys are drawn to the wood working station to split firewood and learn about old wood working tools.
Millers lead tours and spectators watch as the water wheel turns gears to mill flour.
This event is a family favorite during the holidays.
Don’t miss next years old Mill days in October, learn more about everyday life in the 1850’s. Watch the mill transform into a gathering place for all the local pioneers just as it did back in the day during harvest. As farmers brought their wheat and corn to be milled into flour after harvest other townspeople joined in. See tradesman like the gunsmith, blacksmith and wood worker. Try your hand at apple pressing, butter churning, wheat winnowing, corn shelling, sewing, and more.”