Historic Mill Creek
P.O. Box 873    Mackinaw City, MI 47901
Listing Type: Historical
Phone: 231-436-4100
Fax: 231-436-4210

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Originally constructed by Scotsman Robert Campbell in the 1780s, Historic Mill Creek is one of the first industrial sites in the Great Lakes. A reconstructed 18th century water-powered sawmill is nestled in a 625-acre wooded setting with nature trails and forest management displays. Accredited by the American Association of Museums. Open daily mid-May through September.

Location On US-23 three miles southeast of Mackinaw City, Michigan. Exit 337 off I-75 to US-23 east.

Millwright's House Exhibit - New in 2005! Built almost entirely with lumber from the onsite sawmill using traditional methods, the Millwright's House is a careful reconstruction of an original house built on the site and occupied by the millwright in the 1820s. Features artifacts, exhibits, the original hearth ruins, and an interactive video Millwright family ready to tell you about life at Mill Creek in the 1820s.

Water-powered Sawmill Demonstration
Watch the saw bite into fresh logs replicating work once done to provide neighboring Mackinac Island with finished lumber.

Sawpit Demonstration With the help of young visitors, costumed interpreters delight onlookers by grasping opposite ends of the long saw to demonstrate the vital pioneer skill of sawing logs for building projects.

Creatures of the Forest Discover Historic Mill Creek's flora and fauna in a new nature program with an expert who will identify a variety of plants and the habitats of forest creatures.

Forest Trails Hike two new forest trails through a demonstration tree farm of hardwood and aspen. There are forest and wildlife management displays and a reconstructed sugar shack.