Mill Creek Park, MI

Mill Creek is a historical park 3 miles south of Mackinaw City.  It, too, is accurately reconstructed to historical specs and well done.  I watched 2 demonstrations of period lumber making, one using only hand tools, the other using water wheels to power a saw mill.  The saw mill operated there for many years and, later, a grist mill operated on the same site, perhaps using some of the same equipment.

Doing it the old fashioned way.  Hey Paul, where'd you park Babe? 

Exterior of saw mill with flume on right.  The flume feeds water into a vertical shaft with a gate at the bottom.  When the gate is opened, water pours out and turns a small water wheel, which drives the saw up and down via gears and axles.

Interior of saw mill showing the big blade doing it's work.

The big cog wheel, when engaged, pushes the log along greased skids.  At bottom of picture, you can see the axle and cogs that drive the big cog wheel, powered by a separate horizontal water wheel below.

Another view of log and saw blade.  The design and construction is quite clever and exacting.  And, it was first built 200 years ago with primitive tools.  Amazing!