Champion Mill historical site a perfect road-trip destination

Champion Mill is the last and oldest functional water-powered flour mill in Nebraska and stands as a symbol of the settlement and development of Nebraska and the West.
The Chase County landmark is officially listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The ownership of Champion Mill State Historical Park along with the 11-acre State Recreation Area belongs to Chase County.
The town of Champion and Chase County volunteers have dedicated themselves to keeping the mill open for the public.
Two of those volunteers are Bill and Kristy Eskew.
Bill maintains the property and Kristy is the secretary  for the mill board.
The Eskews are available to lead tours of the mill building museum and grounds upon request, she said.
The community has protected and preserved the history of the mill for generations to come by providing a museum that can be walked through to get a glimpse of a time gone by.
The town of Hamilton, later renamed Champion, was created as part of the sudden influx of settlers to the area in 1885.
The location of the town was chosen because a natural three-foot rock waterfall on the Frenchman Creek was regarded as a prime site for a mill.
Preliminary construction of the mill began in the fall of 1886 and was operational by late 1888.
Chase County was formally organized in 1886.
Imperial remained the county seat through three elections, although Champion sought support because of its advantageous location on the Frenchman River.
Another reason for building the mill was because the people of Champion were hoping the mill would bring more settlers into town and perhaps the community would become the Chase County seat.
As it turned out, the railroad went to Imperial instead so it remained the county seat.

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