Historic Sawmill Fired Up This Weekend!

It's whistle blowin,’ blade whirrin,’ sawdust flyin’ fun when our 100-year-old sawmill starts up Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. When the whistle blows, permeating the forest on the Museum’s 135 acres, you can get a rare glimpse into the region's timber industry from a century ago.

The journey of High Desert trees as they are turned from timber into lumber is clear as you get up close to the sawmill’s huge whirring blade. The scent of fresh pine fills the air as massive logs are milled.

The sawmill turns 100 years old this year, and the team of volunteers who run it demonstrate how logs were worked by hand. You can also try sawing timber with tools from 100 years ago.

The sawmill is a working exhibit, used for certain projects at the Museum such as the barn at the re-created 1880 Homestead ranch exhibit.

The sawmill operates only on special weekends this summer. It's a great place to go on Father's Day, especially because admission is free for Dads if you bring him here on Sunday. After this weekend, the sawmill will run July 3 - 4, 17 - 18 & 31; August 1, 14 – 15, 28 – 29, and September 4, 5, 6, 18 & 19.