Opportunities to step back in time are both rare and exciting. DAWT MILL is a resort that brings life during the 1860s into today for those who choose to explore it.

Centered on the historical roller mill, which ground corn into meal for the families that journeyed there over 100 years ago, the small village of Dawt was once a bustling community. Visitors today are treated to sites such as the General Store, post office which now serves as a deli, period dwellings converted into modern-day lodging and, of course, the beautiful North Fork River flowing nearby.
At the turn of the century, in addition to the mill, store and post office, the property featured a blacksmith shop, saw mill, cotton gin, houses and a church. These businesses sprang up as a result of necessity. Farmers bringing their grain for milling conducted their business in Dawt as they waited their turn for the mill.
The blacksmith shop has been converted into canoe storage. The saw mill has since faded and in place of the cotton gin stands a cedar lodge, the Cotton Gin Inn.
Where the wagons once parked, campers now pitch their tents in anticipation of experiencing the Ozarks up close. This activity is a reminder of the slower, simpler days of Dawt’s beginnings.
Following is a timeline of DAWT MILL’s history:

  • 1874 – President Grant conveys a patent for the land to Fhuma J. Isom; the land had previously been homesteaded and a mill had been established there as early as 1866

  • 1874 – The land is sold a second time and a patent is granted to Samuel S. Price

  • 1875 – The land is sold to James Colson on an order to pay alimony of $500, plus court costs associated with Price’s divorce of wife Mary A.H. Price; shortly thereafter, the land is sold to Ben B. Price and John H. King but the deed is lost or destroyed and goes unrecorded
  • February 1878 – A sheriff’s sale is conducted for a $500 debt and $17.35 in damages

  • 1892 – John C. Cauldwell purchases the property and the mill, hiring L.A. Rogers to design the dam and mill race; a 425 foot dam is constructed of sycamore timbers filled with rock at an angle to ease the pressure on the dam caused by the fast flowing river

  • 1893 – Rogers drowns in the mill pond and the mill, a log structure, burns; rumor has it owners of the Friend Mill, a nearby competitor located, paid a young boy $10 to burn the mill down; legend tells the young boy was accused because he had allegedly ridden a crippled mule, whose tracks could be traced
  • Somewhere between 1897 and 1900 – Alva Hodgson, builder of the Hodgson Mill on Bryant Creek in Sycamore, Mo., purchases the land

  • January 12, 1901, 6 p.m. – Alva registers the purchase at the Ozark County Courthouse with Alva, his brother George and mother Mary E. Hodgson as the owners; Alva rebuilds the dam of stone, anchored to submerged oak trees and capped with heavy boards to act as a spillway directing the current up and over the dam, channeling it into the mill race; he also rebuilds the mill as a three story roller mill, powered by a turbine, constructs a general store, blacksmith shop, cotton gin and large family dwelling (now the Hodgson House)

  • 1907 – The post office opens only to close in 1934

  • 1920s – The Bushong family owns and operates the mill; operation occurs 24 hours-a-day, except on Sundays, for three years during their ownership

  • 1930s – Charles Thompson owns and operates the mill

  • 1940s – World War II ends and the mills in the area begin shutting down, due to the shift from grain to cattle farming, with the exception of DAWT MILL

  • Today – The mill is the focal point of a resort dedicated to preserving history and promoting the enjoyment of outdoor activities

 

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