Elizabeth and I arose at the Holiday Inn in Springdale and following our Internet duties, went to the Tiffany Grille where I had a waffle and bacon and Elizabeth had the buffet. Today were pre-conference events at the 2024 Heritage Rail Alliance Conference, which we attended in our capacities as members of the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society; Elizabeth is the Director of Communications. We boarded the bus for Ozark Mills, our first stop of the morning.
Ozark Mills at Finley Farms
Before there was a town, the village carried the name of the mill and its owner. The original mill was built in 1833 by James Kimberling who had the homestead rights to the property. In 1838 he sold the property right to John Hoover. The mill was located at the convergence of the Finley River and the Ozark Trace, the mail delivery route through the area, and it filled many of the critical functions of the settlement such as the Post Office for receiving weekly deliveries.
The Civil War took a great toll on this region. Local folklore tells us that while the town was held by the Union, the Confederates controlled and used the mill for a time. By the end of the war, the area was largely depopulated, and many homes, crops and livestock had been burned. The milling industry, along with a dairy and beef production, brought Ozark back from the devastation of the War.
After the mill was destroyed by fire for the second time in 1922, the Hawkins family bought and rebuilt the mill. They built a new concrete dam that produced a 90-horsepower drive from the river flow. After a third fire in 1939, they decided to no longer produce flour in an effort to prevent further fires.
The last commercially operating watermill in the state of Missouri, the Mill ceased operation in 1992. The next year, Johnny Morris, noted conservationist and founder of Bass Pro Shops, purchased The Mill with a vision for a river front dining experience, starting preservation efforts to save the historic structure from the hungry flood waters of the Finley.
With the help of talented engineers and construction workers, the entire mill was rolled back from the Finley River so its foundation could be restored in 2018. It was repositioned on the edge of the water and flood gates were installed. With help from mill experts, historians and the community, The Ozark Mill has been restored in a genuine and authentic way. Today, it symbolizes the spirit of the Ozarks.
Our Visit
Upon arrival, we were surprised to see a tank car, however, it is not that and only the wheels make it look such. Everyone went inside and were divided into three groups; my group was second. After a ten minute break, our group was called for the tour.
The Garrison.
These story boards tell the story of the mill. The Ozark Mill was the last commercially in the state of Missouri, closing it doors in 1992.
The view through the window.
The Ozark Mill storyboard.
The corn arrives. The corn arrives at the Ozark Mill, bought by the farmers from the surrounding areas.
Down into the mill. The whole corn is carried down into the mill by an auger. The corn is then transported to the top of the mill using bucket elevators.
Water turbines. The Finley River powers the gears in mill through a Leffel company turbine.
Up for cleaning. Corn is not stored in the basement, so the next step is to transport it to top of the mill using bucket elevator. A grain cleaner would remove any dust, chaff, rocks, sticks or other debris. The cleaned corn is moved to large hoppers for storage.
Down for grinding. After cleaning and storage, the cleaned corn falls down through chutes into one of the mills where it is crushed or ground inside a roller mill. Other grains, like wheat, barley or rye, would go through a similar process. Sometimes the corn goes through this process more than once.
Up for storage. Once the grinding is complete, the ground corn is sent back up to the top of the mill for temporary storage.
Mixing. If the corn is going to be used as feed for animals, nutrients are added along with molasses to sweeten the taste and bind the mixture together using a ribbon mixer.
Bagging. The ground corn or feed is then sent back down the hopper chutes for bagging. A fast miller could bag two bags every minute including sewing the bag shut.
Warehouse. Once bagged, the ground corn or feed is transported to the Ozark Mill's Warehouse using dollies.
Frisco Train. And finally the ground corn or feed bags are either loaded onto trucks or box cars as they are sold to local farmers and surrounding areas as far away as Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Pulleys for moving the grain.
My group walking through the mill. Next we walked through the mill in darkness and on the walls were moving pictures immersing one in the experience.
Shovelling the grain.
Carrying bags of grain.
Music was being preformed in this scene.
Dancing took place as the music was played.
More bagging of the grain.
Someone proposing marriage.
An elk in this view.
Birds in the sky.
The view of the forest.
One of the other screens playing what we just saw. That ended this part of the tour.
A roller mill, which uses a pair of large corrugated steel rollers to grind grain.
Hoppers.
The pulley system.
Chutes.
A cut-away of the Ozark Mill.
Walkway on the third level.
Creekside view of Ozark Mill. We returned to the main level and I went outside.
Re-purposed support columns.
The bridge across the Finley Creek.
The Ozark Mill.
Finley Creek looking south.
The dam that holds back the creek.
Ozark Mill from the rear.
A surprise to see on the grounds was St. Louis-San Francisco wide version caboose 1938, nee St. Louis-San Francisco 1426, built by the railroad in 1975.
Ozark Mills from the bridge across Finley Creek.
The turbines on Finley Creek, which harnessed the power of the river's flow and provided power for the mill.
Turbine information board.
Riverside Bridge. All attendees enjoyed lunch in the Garrison Room downstairs which overlooked the river.
The large flood doors that protect the building from flooding, which had been used twice this year already.
Faith and the Chapel storyboard.
Frisco Railroad and Chadwick Flyer Trail storyboard.
The Covered Bridge and the Riverside Bridge.
The Spirit of the Ozarks - Ozark Trace and Hoover's Mill.
After a fantastic tour, everyone reboarded the bus which took us to the Branson Scenic Railway, but that will be the next story.
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