Oregon’s Thompson’s Mills State Heritage Site

32655 Boston Mill Rd., Shedd, Oregon

A five-story 19th-century grain mill is at the heart of this 20-acre heritage site in the Willamette Valley. Dating from 1863, this oldest water-powered mill in Oregon was a regular destination for rural families who came with their grain crops and left with bags of flour for the coming months. The mill also produced its own brands: Thompson’s Best, Cream of the Valley, and Valley Rose.

On guided tours led by rangers, visitors view the Calapooia River (the still-operating mill’s power source), antique milling machinery, four silos, grain elevators, and a carpentry shop. They also pass the Queen Anne – style millkeeper’s house, built in 1904.

Open daily, weather permitting.

www.oregonstateparks.org/park_256.php

(541) 491-3611

Originally Published in Reader's Digest