Postcard Memories is a series of historic views, stories, and photos of Bradford and the area, a trip down memory lane on a Saturday morning.
The Bradford Flour Mill was a landmark in early Bradford, and one of its most important industries.
Founder Samuel Lukes came from a proud milling lineage. His father was John Lukes, a man considered to be ‘the finest master miller in Newmarket'. His brother William was also a respected miller who erected a grist mill on Huron Street in Newmarket in 1876. Branching out on his own, Samuel built the Bradford Flour Mill in 1878 to process local grain, the product of dozens of area farms. The flour was shipped by train to distant markets.
At the time, Samuel Lukes’ flour mill was one of the largest and most productive in Ontario. It was only the third flour mill in the province to be equipped with the then-cutting-edge roller system for grinding grain, which boosted efficiency so greatly that the mill was able to produce over 200 barrels of flour a day. To keep up with the demand, Luke employed 12 men full-time and kept the mill humming day and night for almost eight months of the year.
Business grew in leaps and bounds. Lukes had ready markets in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and even as far away as England. Local farmers could no longer supply all his needs, so Lukes began purchasing premium grain from Manitoba. In 1904, newly installed machinery boosted capacity again to 300 barrels of flour per day.
Sadly, the mill burned down in 1923. A smaller grist mill was built on the burnt-out foundations; this one was torn down in 1966.