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San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department
Park Histories

Upper Mill Park
San Antonio River South Channel (downtown)

In the 19th century, the San Antonio River flowed swiftly enough to power mills that produced flour for area residents. Carl Guenther built his first San Antonio mill in 1859 at the end of King William Street that was completely undeveloped at that time. Success led Guenther to construct a second mill several blocks upstream in 1868. A small waterfall, and later a turbine, powered Guenther’s Upper Mill until about 1900.

The mill and adjacent buildings were then leased to the San Antonio Macaroni Factory and the Reigler Creamery Company, but were vacant when the great flood of 1921 inundated the area. The mill was considered a flood control hazard, and in 1926, it was purchased by the City and demolished.

A portion of the mill’s foundation remained in the river bed, and when South Channel improvements were constructed in the 1980s, the structure was rebuilt to convey the area’s history. In the small park adjacent to the reconstructed foundation, historical markers tell about the mill and its site.