7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

1/9

The Smoky Valley Roller Mill is a finalist for the 8 wonders ofKansas History because it is the oldest operational roller (flour) mill inthe Midwest and the only one with all of its original equipment in place.

Research has not uncovered another restored mill like it anywhere inthe central United States. It is the oldest roller mill still standing inKansas and the only one with all of its original equipment still inplace. It has been not only preserved, but fully restored to operatingcondition and is capable of producing flour at any time.

This mill represents the transition to modern milling (the change fromgrinding with stones to grinding with corrugated chilled iron rolls) inKansas and the United States. This transition took place very quickly inour state. The mills in Kansas played a large role in securing Kansas'splace as a leading producer of flour as well as wheat. Millers in centralKansas were among the earliest to endorse hard winter wheatflour. This mill reflects the craftsmanship and technologies of the late19th century that continued into the 20th century. The steps forproducing flour have not changed. Today's mills simply use an updatedversion of the machines in the Smoky Valley Roller Mill. At the time thismill was built, almost 500 mills were in operation across the state. Nowthere are about a dozen. Few historic mills have survived. The SmokyValley Roller Mill is a rare exception.

The mill is open daily except major holidays. Guided tours are given onrequest and an audio-tape guide and video are available. The milloperates (without grain) once a year during the museum's Millfestevent, the first weekend in May. During that weekend alone, about onethousand people tour the mill to learn how wheat was, and is, made intoflour. Professional millers and trained volunteers donate their time tosupervise operations and guide tours.

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

2/9

The mill has a strong impact on tourism in this area. Between 10 and15,000 visitors each year visit the site to see the historic mill and learnmore about the agricultural heritage of the state and region. A largepart of our Kansas heritage revolves around farmers working to producequality wheat and millers working to produce quality flour. The SmokyValley Roller Mill illustrates a very important part of that story.

The star of the McPherson County Old Mill Museum is the Smoky Valley

Roller Mill, built in 1898 and also on the National Register of HistoricPlaces. It was in operation until the 1950's and was restored to fullworking condition in 1981. It is now operated one day each year, thefirst Saturday in May.

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

3/9

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

4/9

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

5/9

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

6/9

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

7/9

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

8/9

7/29/2019 The Smoky Valley Roller Mill

9/9