The mill owner originally built a concrete dam across the shut-in creek (a real travesty since it's such a beautiful spot!) which forced the water down this raceway toward the mill wheel. The dam is now gone. There are just a few places where you can see residual concrete stuck to the rocks.
Since it was springtime and the leaves were out the view of the mill is somewhat obscured from the across the creek. However there is a nice photo during leaf-off time at this post by another blogger, Jeff Moore, at his blog, Missouri Backpacking
4 comments:
Yes. It is definitely on my list now. Thanks man!
Please don't disparage the concrete parts of the dam and mill house. My grandfather owned the property from the mid-1930s till the U.S. govt bought it in 1969 for the Ozark Nt'l Sc.Rivwys. He had built a gorgeous 3500 sq.ft log home across the road from the dam and used the mill to produce electricity(DC) to light up and electrify the house since there was no nearby electric co-op at the time. As a pre-teen and teen I "ran" the power house as we called it; opening up the flume gates, switching on the storage battery area,starting up the generator paddles, etc. Anyone now would never know what a beautiful place my grandfather's full section was. He owned a business in St.Louis and was essentially a gentleman farmer but did run cows and raise hogs at various times. He and my grandmother were devastated when their most favorite place in the whole world was appropriated for a national park service site. lisa.marie119@gmail.com
Thanks so much for sharing that history with us! It must have been a fun place to grow up. I'm sorry your grandparents were heartbroken to lose the place. But perhaps it is some consolation to know that their old mill is now one of the most beloved spots for hikers to visit in the Missouri Ozarks.
My family and I have been visiting this area for 15 years now for a vacation in Eminence area. For the first time ever, we found this place while out raid tripping. We spent over 2 hours there exploring the falls (which were low due to the lack of rain) and the mill. We sat for a long time on the rocks and discussed how the mill was set up and how the waterways must have been done since we could see where parts of concrete still clung to the rocks. My mom and I took over 100 pictures between the two of us of this place. We loved it and have already told friends of ours about it and are preparing for a road trip to see it again next year. We are actually hoping for more rain so we can see the waterfalls better next time. We are so happy to see something like this still around and taken care of like it is.
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