Aug 16 2010
Marine Mill Historic Site in Marine on St. Croix, MN
We’ve been to all but six of the Minnesota Historical Society’s 26 sites, and overall we’ve been impressed with them. Most are nice museums with visitor centers, or historic buildings that have been preserved, and staff are friendly and helpful.
When we visited Marine Mill this past weekend, however, we learned about the other definition of historical “site.”
Marine Mill is the site of the first commercial sawmill in Minnesota, located in Marine on St. Croix, 11 miles north of Stillwater along the St. Croix River. Follow the signs for the business district, and at the first intersection, choose the street with the general store on it and go about a block past the store. The site is on your left, with parking available on the street. There are no signs from the road indicating that there is a historic site in the area, and the small park that borders Highway 95 and has a historical marker with millstones by it is not quite what you’re looking for, although it’s another stop of interest in the town.
The Marine Mill site itself is a series of signs describing where former mill buildings stood. There is no actual mill to see. A short path will lead you past the interpretive signs toward the bluff, and another path through the woods contains more signs. There are a few picnic tables near the parking lot. And that’s the site.
Across the street there’s a refurbished log cabin that is open on weekends, and the Stonehouse Museum in town is also open weekends only. There’s a general store and an ice cream shop in town as well, so if you’ve come to explore one of Minnesota’s oldest towns, you’ll find something to do.
I don’t recommend going out of your way with kids for a visit to the Marine Mill historic site. If you’re expecting something like Mill City or Fort Snelling, you’ll be disappointed. If you enjoy reading signs and trying to picture the past, you’ll enjoy the site more.
Marine Mill is open from dawn to dusk, just like Birch Coulee Battlefield, which is another unmanned, self-guided Minnesota Historical Society site.
I remember feeling a bit let down when I first discovered this place. Of course, it was right after I’d had a wonderful tour of the Folsom House in Taylors Falls, so it was a tough comparison. It’s pretty, though.
I’ve always been very impressed with the MN Historical Society. We were even members for a year after a visit to Northern MN in 1999 (Yes we were in Ely on the day of the big 4th of July “Blow down”). the Society has great publications and the scholarship is excellent. You are luck to have such a quality organization.
.-= Tim Marks´s last blog ..Great Lakes Lighthouses- Old Mission Point Lighthouse =-.