A roller grist mill operated
in Conklin from about 1890 until 1933. Manufacturing Four Rose Flour, a group
of farmers, incorporated as the Patrons of Industry (not to be confused with the Grange, Patrons of Husbandry), built and
operated the mill for many years.
Located on the north side
of Miller Street, just east of the railroad
tracks, the mill purchased grain and beans and milled a variety of feeds and flour.
Lorenzo M. Smith, an experienced miller, purchased the mill and operated it until his retirement when he sold it to
Herman I. McMillan. After about ten years, Mr. McMillan sold the mill to the
Peoples Milling Company, a large corporation located in Muskegon. Mr. McMillan continued working at the mill as an employee
and Arthur Conrad served as manager. The mill burned to the ground in 1933 and
was never rebuilt.
The Coopersville Observer, Friday, July 31, 1931