Star Mill Way

In City Park, 140 NW Park Drive  |  Est. 1882

In the early 1850s, William T. Newby hired 300 Chinese laborers to dig a four-mile ditch that diverted
water from Baker Creek. The water powered the gristmill he built near Cozine Creek at the west end of
today’s Third Street. It flowed into a flume that fed a classic overshot water wheel. The weight of the
falling water turned the wheel; the water then emptied into Cozine Creek and flowed onward to the
Yamhill River.

Newby obtained two heavy millstones quarried and cut in Oregon City and transported them by boat
and ox team to the site. These two millstones formed the heart of the operation: a stationary bed stone
and a rotating runner stone. The water wheel connected through gears and belts to rotate the runner
stone. As grain moved between the runner stone and the stationary stone, it turned into flour. This
reliable hydraulic system allowed local farmers to process grain on-site instead of hauling it to distant
mills. Completed in 1853, Newby’s gristmill became the economic foundation that led to McMinnville’s
founding in 1856.

The mill later operated as the Kinney Mill and then the Star Mill after moving slightly westward around
1882. Operators created a millpond for water storage and continued using the flume to power the
overshot wheel. Today, two original millstones stand mounted as a landmark at the site of the Star Mill
on Star Mill Way. The stone footings of Newby’s original gristmill sit approximately 200 feet east of the
millstones. Across from 345 NW Star Mill Way, near the western edge of City Park, visitors can see the
remains of the old flume — a 24-foot-long brick wall with an arched opening. Lined with large blackgrey
stones in common bond, the flume runs downhill about 150 feet, though often covered by
blackberry vines.

For images of the the property, and further details, check out the link below:

Historic Resources Inventory Documentation