Powerhouse and Kiln – Marine on St. Croix, MN
N 45° 11.849 W 092° 46.103
15T E 518192 N 5004914
This marker tells details of how the sawmill powerhouse worked and the kiln dried the lumber.
Waymark Code: WMP2R9
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 06/18/2015
Views: 1
This marker is the last in a series of historical markers on the sawmill trail. It tells details of how the sawmill powerhouse worked and the kiln dried the lumber. The text reads:
Powerhouse and Kiln
Sawmills cut logs into rough boards. The boards were then planed and smoothed to emerge as finished lumber.
To your left are the remains of the planing-mill powerhouse. The square stone at the bottom of the ruin once supported a 50-horsepower steam engine that was fueled by wood shavings. The depression to your right was where freshly planed lumber was kiln-dried to prevent warping. For years, lumber had simply been left outside to dry. Kiln-drying, which became widely used in Minnesota in the latter part of the 19thcentury, not only speeded up the process but also resulted in a greatly improved product.
Ease and speed
Before steam-power planers were perfected in the 1870s, all the work of smoothing boards was done with hand planes. In 1888, the mill reopened under the management of the Anderson and O'Brien Company with four power planers and a siding mill.
Minnesota Historical Society
Marine Mill
Marker Type:: City
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