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Somehow, I have lived in this area for 20 years, and never went to Thompson’s Mill. It is about 15 minutes from our house! This is a fun and FREE interactive tour near Shedd Oregon. The site is run by the Oregon State Parks. When we arrived, they had posted tour times listed. However, since no one else was there, they gave us a personal tour anyway. They have lots of chickens running around, which my kids thought were fun.
The park director gave us the tour. It is a FANTASTIC tour! They give you lots of history and information about the mill and how it worked, but not so much that the kids get bored. Inside, there were plenty of hands-on opportunities to work parts of the mill, which the little boys loved. At one point, they turned on the machinery for the mill and that was fun to watch!
The kids even had an opportunity to take wheat and grind it with a stone, and then use a sifter to make it into the flour we are used to getting in the grocery store. Fun and educational for the kids.
I think we were there about an hour. All of the kids enjoyed it and it was a great tour with a fun guide! I think we may head back over spring break for another tour!
