Step back into the 1880s at the miraculously-preserved Phelps Mills
There's a place in Otter Tail County where you can truly step back in time. Scenic Phelps Mill hasn't changed much in 135 years.
"You've probably seen many pictures online. You can't really take a bad shot up here," said Kevin Fellbaum, Otter Tail County Parks and Trails Director.
It's true. No matter which way you approach Phelps Mill, you're going to hear the rush of the Otter Tail River. And you're going to see a site that's been here since the first automobiles were hitting the road.
"The machinery is intact. You have the dam still intact," said Chris Schuelke, executive director for the Otter Tail County Historical Society.
The flour mill was the brainchild of a Fergus Falls businessman named William Thomas. He built the dam in 1888. A contractor named Royal Powers took care of the building.
"Legend has it that he built this without the aid of a blueprint or any kind of drawing, pretty much keeping the plans in his head. And when you look at the complexity of the framing of this mill, it's pretty amazing," Schuelke said.
Just as amazing is the fact that Phelps Mill looks like it did when it first opened. Back then, farmers from across the area would bring in sacks of wheat to be turned into flour.
"You can see the innerworkings of the gears, the power structure that would have powered this mill," Fellbaum said.
Business boomed for 50 years before the doors closed in the late 1930s. And while the machinery never left, the building sat vacant for decades, until a local woman got involved.
"Geneva Tweeten, a local activist from Fergus Falls really got after the county to name this a county park to save the mill as a symbol of a distant lifestyle," Schuelke said.
Not only was the mill saved, but this past winter it went through a major renovation -- and with no time to spare. The building almost slid into the river.
"If we wouldn't have done what we have done, I mean, did we have a couple years? I don't know," Fellbaum said.
Fellbaum says when renovations began, part of the basement had sunk about 2 feet, causing the entire mill to lean. Crews had to literally lift the mill up to save it.
A new basement floor was added so visitors could check out old relics. One of those relics is the dust collector.
"The inner workings of how you can still view this is just amazing to me," Fellbaum said. "This made it through World War II, where scrappers were going around and getting metal and iron. This stuff was all preserved and stayed here."
As the mill re-opens for tourism, the hope is to eventually surround it with walking trails, and even an ice cream shop. But for now, it's simply known as the place without a bad picture.
"Phelps Mill is a real reminder of what I call a living history. It's still there. It's almost like you could walk in and they are still grinding wheat," Fellbaum said.
The mill re-opened for tourism in May, and it's free to visit from May 1 through to Nov. 1. They will have a Phelps Mill Festival the second weekend in July, with art, beer and wine tastings, and a 5K run.
