James Mills digs the mill race, afterward known as "Mills Ditch."

The Yakima River diversion dam that supplied water to Mills Ditch, which powered both the Thorp saw mill and grist mill.

Photo courtesy of Central Washington University Archives.

James Mills (pictured) begins construction on the sawmill.

Photo courtesy of Central Washington University Archives.

Oren Hutchinson builds the grist/flour mill. The grist mill opened in 1883 under the name, The North Star Mill, co-owned /operated by Oren Hutchinson and Gustave Huhn.

In 1886, the Northern Pacific Railroad arrived in Kittitas County and built an ice house and ice pond in Thorp. These were purposefully sited close to the grist and sawmill in order to access water from the Mill's Ditch to supply water for the pond and to utilize the sawdust from the lumber mill as insulation for the ice stored in the ice house.

Photo courtesy of Central Washington University Archives.

In 1896, the grindstones were taken out of the grist mill, and new metal rollers were installed to increase efficiency and productive potential.

Roller mills, like these featured in a miller's journal ad, began to replace the traditional stone grindstone.

In 1900, a Haggenmacher Plan Sifter was installed on the third floor of the flour mill. The roof was raised 1/2 story to accommodate the sifter and its frame.

First invented in 1888, the Haggenmacher Plan Sifter improved the separation of the flour between grindings.

1906, Nelson Mills, son of James Mills, brought back a direct current dynamo from Seattle . He convinced people to hook it up to the flour mill system to generate electricity for use in both the mill and private homes nearby. It didn't work very well but was successful enough.

In 1907, the sawmill was converted to an electrical plant for the town through the addition of an alternating current generator powered by the sawmill turbine.

The Thorp flour mill closed in 1946 as most Thorp farmers were growing hay by this point rather than grain.The sawmill/ powerplant burned down in the 1950s.

1987-1993 The Thorp Mill Town Historical Preservation Society, made up mainly of Thorp residents, was formed and restoration of the old mill building was carried out. The Thorp Mill opened as a museum in 1993.