Great Smoky Mountains National Park Volunteers Needed at Mingus Mill

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to help provide visitors with historic information at Mingus Mill located one half mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C. Mingus Mill, built in 1886, offers visitors a unique look into the inner workings of the turbine-wheel operated mill that custom ground a variety of grains including corn, wheat, and rye.

The complexity of the mill provided customers with custom-ground cornmeal or flour in a fraction of the time needed by other types of mills.

Volunteers will work alongside Great Smoky Mountains Association employees to provide opportunities for visitors to learn more about Mingus Mill and its unique turbine wheel.

Each volunteer is asked to work at least one four-hour shift per week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the peak visitation season from May through the end of November.

New volunteers are required to attend orientation and training on Monday, Aug. 31, 2015 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The training will be held at the Oconaluftee Administration Building adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C. To reserve a spot in the training or receive more information, please contact Park Resource Education Ranger Florie Takaki by phone at (828) 497-1906 or by email at florie_takaki@nps.gov.