HERITAGE PARK – SAWMILL
The first sawmill in the area was built in 1857 by Mr. Douglas at Douglas Falls. When the US Army built Fort Colville in 1859, they determined that Mr. Douglas wanted too much for his lumber, so the military built their own sawmill on the banks of Mill Creek.
The partial mill on display came from the Winslow Mill built in 1858 at Orin, four miles south of Colville. Before railroad cars were used in 1903, 90 teams of horses, four horses per team, were used daily to haul logs and lumber. Logs came from as far away as 20 miles. The Winslow Mill continued operating until 1934. It was the largest sawmill east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
The lumber wagon was shipped on the railroad to the area by an Illinois family moving to the area in 1885. They constructed a small lumber mill, and this wagon hauled their lumber to town to sell.