Bridgeton Mill

There is a room under the new addition of 1940 that was sealed off with concrete sometime after 1969.  I’ve told folks it is the “Secret Room”  – No one has been in there for years, not even me.  Well ….. I was in there, accidentally.  There is a hole where the wheat was shoveled…

As you can see the concrete wall that fell into the creek is gone.  I had a mini excavator come in and remove it.  I found the channel I’ve been looking for, it was under the concrete.    But it only goes about 30 ft. and then there is bedrock.  This ain’t gona work.  Maybe…

The water is low enough I can see the two holes where the turbines were installed in 1939.  Both holes were full of …..crap.  One washed out but the other one didn’t.  That is because it had been sealed with wood.  Possibly …. this turbine was being repaired when the dust explosion happened.  Or, it…

When we are having a drought I will lower the mill pond (With the gates) and check the dam.  Small cracks can become large holes.  Kinda like a road – small cracks become a chuck holes.  I think ……  So, I lowered the mill pond and took the pressure washer out to clean out a…

The drought is here.  I’m the only one around here that likes a drought. Lowered the mill pond (with the gates) so I could finish the trash rack.  I was going to build a security fence to keep folks off of the walkway.  I have seen very few on it, so I just added more…

Dustin (Middle son) came out to visit.  So, I put him and his sons (Dylan and Ethan) to work helping to clear the trash rack.  Jamie, Dustin’s wife, ran the mill so Karen could come out and help.  On the left side of the photo you can see the biggest tree we pulled off the…

The water was low enough to start clearing the logs off of the dam.  Dylan (oldest grandson) was hooking the chain to the logs.  Then a fisherman, who thought helping us would be more fun, helped chain the logs.  It took awhile but we got all the big logs pulled off the dam.  Later I…

This is the biggest flood we have had since the dam was finished.  Lots of logs caught on the dam.  The undertow is cool and scary.  Logs fall over the waterfall and get caught by the undertow where the water hits the bottom.  They spin and spin and sometimes flip end over end.  Eventually they…

The grand kids and I like to participate in the parade at the Rosedale Strawberry Festival  (Small town down the creek).  I drive the truck and they throw candy.  There was a lot of empty wrappers in the truck??????

Took this photo today.  I can’t stop looking at the waterfall and the mill pond.  Fifteen years of dreaming and it has come true.  What a wonderful country.