In search of an old grist mill

[BigDan]

I have two items to identify. These are from an area on the Mackinaw river in Illinois where a bridge crossed the river and a grist mill once operated in the 1850's. The first item, is a large plank half buried parallel to the river, roughly fifteen feet up shore. It was ten feet wide, at least. I found it by walking an old road from the time period, easy enough to see, and the road led me right to the plank! I believe it may be part of the old bridge. But, notice the bolt? Were nuts and bolts in use that long ago? If not, this must be from a later bridge.

The second item, (Three pictures) I found in the woods along the river. I propped it up against a tree to take better pictures. It is about four feet long. It is all one piece of wood. Notice the outside has been planed, and if you look closely, so was the inside. Time, has caused the inside to rot, and there is even some growth in there like the tree decided it wasn't "dead" yet. But my suspicion is that this may be an old sluice?

Folks, thank you for reading, any thoughts will help.

Big Dan

 

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[trikikiwi]

Looks interesting BigDan.
Let's hear some others' opinions.

Mike

 

[diggummup]

As far as the nuts and bolts go, yes they were in use back then. However, the one you show pictured looks like a newer type. Here's a little info on old nuts and bolts-
http://www.blacksmithbolt.com/gpage14.html. I don't know about the sluice looking thing. Except it does look like one.

 

[chipveres]

Firstly, thanks to Diggumup for the extensive history of bolts. But then, I suspect your first item has been made since 1950. Around then was the transition from mostly square nuts to mostly hex nuts. Even today, you still see the occasional square nut, particularly in large sizes.

Chip V.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Kinda looks like a generic sluice box doesn't it?

As far as bolts go, The first application of machinery for making bolts and screws was made by Besson in France in 1568, who afterwards contrived a screw-cutting gauge or plate to be used on lathes. In 1641, almost a century later, this device was further improved by Hindley of York, England, and for many years was in general use.

The notion of a nut and bolt manufacture in America originated with Mr. Micah Rugg, a small country blacksmith, in the town of Marion, Southington Township, Connecticut in 1818. In studying the best methods of making tools to manufacture implements, he invented and brought out two machines for making carriage bolts. So, the bolt has been around a minute eh?

 

[BigDan]

May be premature, but I'm gonna call it a half-solved so far. I think the plank stuck in the ground is too big and too far off the bank for a boat dock. It's part of a bridge. But, I agree it's too new to be my 1850's bridge.

Going to wait a day or so in hopes a mill sluice expert will make a call on the "sluice" I think I found.

Treasurenet is amazing, in less than a day I now know more about bolts than I ever imagined I would know. Kind of applies, since I've been accused of being a nut so many times.

Big Dan

 

[DrGrip]

May be premature, but I'm gonna call it a half-solved so far. I think the plank stuck in the ground is too big and too far off the bank for a boat dock. It's part of a bridge. But, I agree it's too new to be my 1850's bridge.

Going to wait a day or so in hopes a mill sluice expert will make a call on the "sluice" I think I found.

Treasurenet is amazing, in less than a day I now know more about bolts than I ever imagined I would know. Kind of applies, since I've been accused of being a nut so many times.

Big Dan

I am FAR from an expert on ANYTHING on this board, but I am a bit curious about the box "growing" after it was worked to make the box. For someone to plane the wood and it keep its shape it would have needed to be pretty dry, and well beyond further growth IMO.

From the looks of the "growth" inside of the box I am led to believe that the box had been worked down to just above the tips of the longer growths and then erosion of the underlying wood occurred when something abrasive ran across it. The growths are the "harder" part of the wood.

It looks a LOT like the results I have seen when a friend of mine has sandblasted wood to make art. The "knots" and tighter grains in the wood stay in place while the softer wood leaves.

Your box could have had this happen as water with sand, rocks, etc. ran through it over time... It could be a sluice...

My uneducated guess for the night! :P

Grip

 

[wheelerite]

I think the second one is part of a support for the bridge ,not a sluice box , the center just rotted out of the support.
ksmith