A scale model of the grist mill that "put Verndale on the map" could be ready for public viewing as soon as Memorial Day, reported Clarence Horsager, president of the Verndale Historical Society.
Horsager said last week that the one-sixth size replica will be a valuable tool to educate people about the early history of the mill, which turned wheat into flour.
Constructed in 1870, the mill processed up to 800,000 bushels of wheat a year into flour. Most of the crops were transported by horses and oxen to the mill, which sat on the Wing River until a severe storm brought heavy lightning and it burned down in 1912.
"It's historically significant because that put Verndale on the map," Horsager said. It also brought the railroad through Verndale, which brought an estimated 800 families to the area by 1881.
The replica, built by Verndale resident Bob Sommars, has gears that move. It is also portable, built on a trailer to be brought around for demonstrations.
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"You'll be proud of it," Horsager told the Verndale City Council. "The machines will all be working."
It isn't the only ambitious project the Verndale Historical Society has been working on.
Horsager told the council his group has envisioned a long mural running somewhere near Highway 10 detailing the history of the town.
He said a mural with several sections bearing different historical scenes could stretch 150 feet east-and-west along the highway to attract tourists and tell the town's history.
Horsager estimated a cost of about $10,000 just to erect the concrete structure, plus more for paint and artists.
