Bonneyville Mill
by Mary Carol Story
Title
Bonneyville Mill
Artist
Mary Carol Story
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
During the mid-1830's, Edward Bonney had a vision of a rapidly growing city centered around a sawmill and a grist mill on the Little Elkhart River. He selected the location partly due to its proximity to the Toledo/Chicago trail and the navigable St. Joseph River, providing access to Lake Michigan commerce. When the railroads by-passed the Bonneyville site and the proposed canal system was never developed, Bonney's dream of an urban hub ended. Bonney then sold the mill and went into the tavern business. He was later accused of counterfeiting, forcing him to flee the area as an outlaw.
Bonney had installed a horizontal water wheel, the turbine, which could produce larger quantities of horsepower than the traditional vertical water wheel. This innovation enabled Bonneyville Mill to function as a progressive mill of the era. During the 1880's, milling advanced rapidly by using new innovations to speed the production of flour. Many mills were replacing their grist stones with the recently invented roller mill to grind flour. Bonneyville Mill never expanded choosing to remain a "progressive" mill of the civil war era, committed to serving the local farmers and a few merchants.
Uploaded
April 16th, 2014
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Viewed 700 Times - Last Visitor from Ann Arbor, MI on 03/28/2024 at 5:46 AM
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