The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-20

Tor the few settlers, near and far and
much Of the flour was taken into the
mountains for miners and prospectors
In sacks made by the women. The
by-products were fed to the hogs and
the pork was, like the flour. hacked
into the mountains.
A room in the old mill served for
the first store of Waitsburg and if is
not too much to say, the old mill made
the town.
The great modern roller Touring
mill is an evolution, and has been
evolved within the last thirty years.
The changes from the primitive mill
towards the modern were fastened by
/ the Prestons buying an interest in the
business, and later, taking in Frank
Parton as co-partner, and they to-
/ gether incorporating the present COM
pany in 1891.
"They builded better than they
knew" 1t may be reasonably doubted
whether the joint action of any other
three men ever did so much for Walla
Walla county as did w. G. Preston.
Frank Parton and P. A. Preston when.
in 1891, they founded the present bust
ress of the Preston-Parton Milling
| c. mpany. The direct result of their
action was the building of an up-to-
date modern Touring mill, with a
capacity to manufacture four hundred
| and fifty barrels of flour per day.
1neir joint action was, also, the indi-
rect cause of another modern mill of
even greater capacity, being built at
Athena, Oregon, by the company in
1865. These two mills are owned and
operated by the Preston-P Parton Milling
company through general manage
ment located at Waitsburg.
Of the present mill it may be said
that is has supplied a keenly felt need
of Waitsburg and the surrounding
country, and has proved large factor
in the growth and business Importance
of !Vs,itsburg, and Of the general pros
perity enjoyed by wheat growers. It
is not generally realized but it is a
fact all the same, that it is the local
mill, in much greater measure than
the slipper of wheat, that makes for
prosperity for the farmer. The shipper
pays the price which the competing
miller has made and the wheat with
its bv-products is shipped out of the
country. The miller pays the same
price, erinds the wheat, and of the
by-products, supplies mill-feed, so
much needed by the farmer Hence
it is plain to see that without the local
Touring mill, farmers could not reali-
'ze the profits they now do from wheat
growing.
When it is realized that this one
company buys and mills about one
million bushels of wheat per annum.
and that at thirty three and a third
bushels per acre, that this means the
wheat from thirty thousand acres of
land; also that other mills are doing
prcportionally the same, it becomes
manifest what an important factor the
local mill is in making prices and gen.
eral prosperity.
The Waitsburg mill is situated i'm
mediately on the track of the o. R. &
N railroad and is run by water power
from the Touchet river. The Athena
mill is located conveniently for ship
ping by both the O. R. & N and the
w. & c.. railroads, and is operated by
electric power generated by the com
panys plant on the south fork of the
Walla Walla river.
The company is at all times a cash
buyer of the best wheat to be had.
A speciality is made of blue stem, for
the manufacture of the best grades OF
-four; but a large amount OF other
wheat is used for the manufacture OF
considerable home demand, the COM
pany ships to fill orders from Boston,
Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Atlanta,
and other Eastern and Southern
cities, and sells for export to Central
America, South America, China and
Japan.
For the information of home buyers
it may be stated that the choicest
brands of flour made at the Waits
burg mill are known as Pure White,
Upper Crust" and Peerless Inc
Athena choice brands are american
Beauty" ''Athenean," and Poppy.
The company manufactures two ex-
cellent articles of breakfast food,
which are put up in attractive car
toons, and known as wheat Flakes,
and Germ Meal" Steam Rolled