DELLS MILL
Water~powered grist mills ground the wheat that dominated Wisconsin's Civil War -era economy. Built in 1864. this mill was one of several serving area farmers. After wheat production moved westward. owners adapted the building to mill flour and grind feed.
A trip to Dells Mill could be an all- day family affair. Farmers often fished the millpond to pass the time. The millpond also provided a source for the winter ice harvest. A store. hotel, and school grew up nearby to serve the growing community.
Creating a millpond required the building of a dam to flood upstream land. The Wisconsin Territorial Legislature enacted legislation enabling dam construction in 1840.
Built along the dells of Bridge Creek, the base of the mill was carved Into the sandstone bedrock. Massive hand-hewn timbers secured with wooden pegs make up the structure of the mill. Water turbines powered the milling process. A concrete dam replaced the original log structure in 1919. Dells Mill, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, operated continuously until 1968.
Erected 2006
Wisconsin Historical Society