The Sawmill Museum has completed its last exhibit in its latest slate of exhibit additions. The interactive museum is located at 2231 Grant Street, Clinton, IA, and is open:
- Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
- Mondays from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday-through-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Starting in 2017, the museum expanded 5600 square feet to accommodate a water table, depicting steamboat-driven log rafts, and a log raft simulator. The museum installed the water table at the end of 2017. In early July, it installed the log raft simulator.
Created by Eureka Exhibits, the log raft simulator puts you in control of a floating log raft. You are a steering oarsman, and you have to navigate a floating log raft through a series of challenges faced by river pigs. Captain is there to tell you what to do and what you did wrong!
Every simulator “challenge” was found in primary source materials for historical accuracy. You leave the Northwoods with 2000 logs and 20 men. But how many will you arrive with at the sawmill?
To control the exhibit, you steer using oars. These big, floating rafts were controlled by a 12-to-20 steering oarsmen. As you move the oars, the seat moves with both the oars and the water in front of you. The journey takes around five minutes. Captain is there to provide some interpretation and direction.
The target audience is pre-teens to adults, but kids and adults of all ages will enjoy it. When combined with the water table, using the simulator helps to make the Mississippi River come alive.
To contact Eureka Exhibits to talk about the design process and other components, contact Keith Feinstein at keith@eurekaexhibits.com or 908-644-8373.
To contact the museum, contact Matthew Parbs at 563-242-0343 or director@thesawmillmuseum.org.
The mission of The Sawmill Museum is to preserve, collect, interpret, and explore the history of America’s sawmill, lumber, and forestry industries. Centered around the story of Clinton, IA’s, rich lumber history, the Museum features dynamic exhibits, programs, and events that explore the history of these industries, their current practices, and future opportunities and challenges
For more information about volunteer opportunities, events, exhibits, and educational programs and trips, visit www.thesawmillmuseum.org.