The Pine Creek Grist Mill

Video #1 of 2 (8/16/2024):
Welcome back to Wildcat Den State Park! A revisit took place specifically at the Pine Creek Grist Mill! To my surprise, it was open to explore the interior. Grist is a term to describe a grain that has been grinded up into a flour. In this case, the mill used wheat, buckwheat, corn, and rye. It turns out that wheat has the highest volume of gluten, which is a protein that helps a grain maintain its shape.
The mill dates clear back to 1848, which was built by Benjamin Nye. He was one of the first white settlers of this area. It is quite impressive how mechanical mills were during that period. They were also very essential in the fact that during the pioneer days, food options were very limited. Starvation was a real concern.