Cedar Creek Grist Mill
Cedar Creek Grist Mill

Cedar Creek Grist Mill

Cedar Creek Grist Mill Near Amboy WA

Grist Mill : grist·mill : ˈɡris(t)mil : [noun] : A gristmill grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to both the grinding mechanism and the building that holds it.

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In the foothills of the Cascade Mountains,

deep in the lush, damp, green woods of southwestern Washington state

is the Cedar Creek Grist Mill.

These days it is no longer a commercial operation,

but is still an operating mill after 143 years,

founded by George Woodham in 1876.

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The oldest known structure in Washington is a small white,

clapboard pioneer church in Claquato,

a blip in the road on Highway 6,

just west of Chehalis, built in 1857.

So while not the oldest building in the region

where pioneers originally settled in what became Washington state in 1889,

it is old and amazing.  Both the mill and bridge have been restored,

and are on the National Register of Historic places.

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I quite stumbled upon this mill while driving around,

poking down the blue highways in the area

and was so pleased I did.

Dropping down a steep hill,

it looked very much like the hollows

in West Virginia or North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains

where my dad’s family is from.

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The mill itself is only open on weekends

and is a working museum staffed by volunteers these days.

It was closed the day I visited,

but I could peek into the windows

and enjoyed the cool shade and rustling breeze in the deep woods

and the bubbling, tumbling of Cedar Creek beneath the covered bridge.

I hope to go back one of these days and

see in mill in operation.

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Blessings,

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Here’s a shot of the restored covered bridge,

it was a delight!

Cedar Creek Grist Mill Near Amboy WA

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