One of the first agricultural enterprises undertaken in Lassen County was the establishment of flourmills. Due to the region’s isolation during the 1800s it was important for the region to self sustain itself. One of the most important products needed by the residents was flour. In 1861, J.C. Wemple and Judson Dakin built the region’s first flour mill at Milford. In 1882, H.H. Dakin, built a larger, more efficient mill at Janesville, which eventually replaced the Milford mill. The Milford mill did remain in operation until the late 1880s. In the 1890s, the mill was abandoned and in the early 1900s it finally collapsed. Other flourmills were established at Bieber, Janesville, Johnstonville and Susanville, more on those later.

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