Sawmill/Gristmill
Sawmill built by Asa Call
"By autumn in 1856, two sawmills were merrily buzzing away in the county, one in Algona and one in Irvington, and the houses henceforth were mostly frame buildings'- Florence Call Cowles,
Asa Call knew that the in order for the city to grow, he would need to build a sawmill to turn logs into lumber and a gristmill that would grind wheat or corn into flour. The mill would be water powered so it would need to be built by the river. Asa chose a location on the east fork of the Des Moines River to build the mills. They were located near the current site of Veteran's Park. In 1856, he set about buying the equipment for the mill. Asa purchased the equipment from a man in Dubuque, IA. All of the heavy machinery for the mill was loaded onto wagons driven by teams of oxen from Dubuque to Algona.
Asa Call knew that the in order for the city to grow, he would need to build a sawmill to turn logs into lumber and a gristmill that would grind wheat or corn into flour. The mill would be water powered so it would need to be built by the river. Asa chose a location on the east fork of the Des Moines River to build the mills. They were located near the current site of Veteran's Park. In 1856, he set about buying the equipment for the mill. Asa purchased the equipment from a man in Dubuque, IA. All of the heavy machinery for the mill was loaded onto wagons driven by teams of oxen from Dubuque to Algona.
1830's Water Powered Grist MillThis mill in southern Canada is very similar to the one built in Algona by Asa Call
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1830's Water Powered SawmillThis mill in Michigan is very similar to the sawmill built by Asa Call in the 1850's
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