Ride to Dillard Mill

[Sharkey]

I have to work this weekend, so I had the day off. I could not think of a better way to spend it than with my Little Man. He loves sharing wind. I have had many a person that asks why do you ride? When I tell them they just dont get it. My son Gabe said "Dad when I felt the wind ,I just got a big smile on my face" At 7 years old hes got it figured out allready. I think I have a future Valk rider on my hands.

We rode down to the old Mill while Tinkerbell and the girls went back to school shopping on this tax free weekend.

[Sharkey]

One of the old grinding wheels, and a super nice shelter. Would be a nice place for a bbq after a ride. Only bad thing is the mill is down a mile of dirt road.

[Sharkey]

The mill was closed today so we could not go inside

[Sharkey]

We had a great day. There are some great roads here in the Ozarks 

[RTaz]

Great pictures...and understanding the ride has no age limits...you either know or you don't...

[Whistler]

Looks like you had a great day Sharkey and judging by that smile I can see your boy did too! Of course a day riding beats shopping everyday!!  Ride Safe, JDW

[Sharkey]

Here is a little info on the mill

A barn-red mill nestled among green trees beside blue waters rolling over a rock dam create the colorful setting of one of Missouri's most picturesque historic sites. Dillard Mill State Historic Site interprets one of Missouri's best-preserved, water-powered gristmills.

Completed in 1908, Dillard Mill sits along Huzzah Creek and was the second mill built at that site. The first, Wisdom's Mill, built in the 1850s, was destroyed by fire in 1895. Innovations in the new, modernized mill included steel roller mills for grinding the wheat and a turbine to power the mill. For years, farmers brought their grain to the mill to be ground into flour and eventually livestock feed. The mill ceased operation in 1956.

Today, most of the original machinery is still intact and operational. A turn of a wheel brings the machinery back to life during tours of the mill, which are given year-round. Groups should contact the site in advance.

Picnic sites provide a peaceful, scenic setting to enjoy lunch. Visitors can also wade across the creek to a 1.5-mile hiking trail that winds through an oak-hickory forest.

Visitors leave Dillard Mill State Historic Site with a better understanding of the area and the milling process, and usually a photograph.