Just milling around, part 1

Hey, what's up, dogs?  This week I took another field trip, this time to the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton, NJ.  This is supposedly the most photographed mill in New Jersey.  And I can see why--quite a picturesque spot, isn't it?...

Now, the Mill is actually one of several historical buildings that have been preserved and turned into a museum. Let's see what's inside.

Here are some of the gears that made up the inner workings of the mill...

The grain traveled down this chute....

...dropped into this hopper...

...and was crushed between giant grindstones like this one:

Of course, most of the power to turn the grindstones came from the giant water wheel outside.  But...hey, what's this??....

A DOG-POWERED TREADMILL?  No.  Way.

I guess the dogs must have been very fit back then.  I hope they were well compensated with bacon...

All right, let's proceed to the next room.  See you next time, everyone...