Evidence what we know and how we know it?

            The Cedar creek grist mile lies eight miles southeast of woodland. Nestled at the bottom of a gorge, with a canopy of trees surrounding it the grist mill is perched perched on the side of a creek. Built by by George Woodham in 1876 and two of his sons. Durning it 123 year life the girst mill has seen many changes.   Restored by volunteers  from a ruin the grist mill is one of 23 of its kinda left in the country.  Of the three grist mills left in the state of Washington this the cedar mill grist mill is the only one intact on its original site. In the later 1800’s familes from the surrouding areas would come to the grist mill to grind food for themselves and food for their livestock.  Present day the grist mill is open on Saturday 4-6 and all day Sunday where you can whitness it at work as it grinds grains and special events such as in October when it is used for apple pressing. The grist mill has been used to generate electricity and is eclogicaly friendly  with a screen that prevents salmon from entering.

From whose perspective is the art from

            The art will be from the Ecological prospective, Economic prespective and aesthetic

How is this connected to anything else?

            Which came first the grist mill or the dams. Grist mills have been around much longer than dams. Dams were invented cause of the need for eletricy. The dams around the pacific norwest have shaped it. Grist mills because of the need for ground grains to make floor ect… The grist mill shows are past achievements it shows us how things can be built that do not effect the salmon runs and are not needed to be built in such a great scale that the destroy habitat and salumn runs.

What if things were different?

            What if grist mills were still used and hydro power was still widely used. There would be less dams and less abrasive ways to grind flour and other goods instead of large factories that put emissions into the air. If the grist mills was still in used today It would not be able to produce the quanties that are required from the regions population. More gristmills would be required but grist mills do not kill fish, there would be less emissions cutting through are ozone. The world would be a cleaner place.

Why is this important?

            The grist mill is a local monument that reminds us of our past. Our past is there to so that through it we can learn. The grist mill it could be said inspired the creation of dams. Humans saw with the creation of grist mills that water power could be used to generate massive amounts of electricity. This is just one example of how the past helps us make decisions in the future, evolution itself is based of trial and error and in my mind the grist mill was a success in our evolution.

What’s Next?

            The grist mill has pasted its apex and is on a downward run. It will continue to be preserved but eventually will be lost like everything, the need for land or the need for the waters the life of the grist mill will be used up. A wooden structure does not stand forever.