KEA Mill
The KEA Mill, or Old Mill as locals call it, is located in historic downtown Murrieta. The 100 foot grain elevator was built in 1918 for farmers to store their grain prior to transport to various milling companies in Los Angeles. It sat next to train tracks and a depot and, despite the removal of the tracks, continued to operate into the early 1970s. It was boarded up in 1991 in a bid to thwart vandals. The City of Murrieta took ownership of the Mill and the land when the owner, Lu Tung, died and his son, Wellington Loh, donated it to the city in 2013. The acquisition came as the city was finalizing a master plan for Pioneer Park on the 10 acres across the street from the mill. The iconic reminder of Murrieta’s past as a farming community will continue to stand tall as an anchor for the park.
Murrieta, Riverside County
Photographers: Jeanne Roberts, Andrew Schmidt