Join the interpretive staff at Historic Mill Creek, located three miles east of Mackinaw City, for a Lost Rocks and Mackinac Millstones theme week starting Sunday, August 18 through Saturday, August 24. Through the week, special programs will highlight the grist mill, which once ground grain into flour and how the millstones at Historic Mill Creek were hewn from “lost rocks,” boulders deposited by glaciers thousands of years ago. Guests will also learn what evidence of milling has been found at the site, how the process worked, and what grains were grown at the Straits of Mackinac.
“These special programs will shine a spotlight on the grist mill which once stood at Historic Mill Creek,” explained Kyle Bagnall, Mackinac State Historic Parks Park Naturalist. “Visitors can see the original millstones, crafted from granite boulders over 200 years ago, which were rediscovered and returned to the site for display. See which tools were unearthed by archaeologists and learn techniques once used to transform corn into flour along the banks of Mill Creek. We’ll also search for “lost rocks” left by glaciers thousands of years ago, which still dot the park’s landscape, and learn what stories they have to tell.”
Special programs will take place at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., replacing the regularly scheduled Farming at Mill Creek programs. In addition, trained naturalists will also highlight the theme of milling and lost rocks in their regularly scheduled programs. Guests are also encouraged to explore the more than three miles of hiking trials at Historic Mill Creek and participate in a “lost rock” scavenger hunt! Regularly scheduled sawpit and sawmill demonstrations will take place throughout the day. All special programs are included with regular admission.
The site opens for the day at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m., with last admission/last ticket sold at 4:30 p.m. The site features a working water-powered sawmill, pitsaw demonstrations, naturalist programs, guided walks, artifact-rich exhibits, and more than three miles of hiking trails. Funding for many Mackinac State Historic Parks programs comes from Mackinac Associates, friends preserving and sharing Mackinac’s heritage.
More information on the event can be found here. Tickets can be found here.
