McLean Mill Historic Park

I feel happy that the good will of the McLean family donated the mill and property to the city with hopes and dreams that the camp would be restored. Back in 1989. Sadly. The mill has been run into the ground and now is in condemned state. Needing desperate funds to satisfy wcb and the Provincial safety branch. Too bring it up to safety standards. I feel that it has been neglected badly. Along with the deteriorating Cookhouse. McLean house. And office. And other historical artifacts and buildings. It saddens me every time I go there. There's no reason for this neglect !! Yes Deanna has turned the main buildings around and helped a lot. But I believe. The attention needs to be focused on restoring the buildings. Machinery. Mill. There's no Fire protection on site. Which really concerns me. Fire hydrants should be put in. In case there's an emergency. There's not enough fire extinguishers in the different areas as well. But thank you
7 years ago (21-01-2018)

A 2 1/2 hour drive from Victoria will take you to one of Vancouver Island's most interesting historical sites, the McLean Mill. What makes the McLean Mill such a unique heritage treasure is that much of the original machinery and buildings have survived making it a rare example of a sawmill complex from the early days of mechanized logging on the west coast. Even more remarkable is that the sawmill has been restored to full working condition, the millpond and dam have been reconstructed and the companies original steam donkey is also operating along with a fully rigged ‘spar tree’ for pulling in cut logs and loading onto trucks. You can see how an early 20th century logging and milling operation actually worked! This is a spectacular site to explore. If you want an even cooler experience, take the steam train ride to the mill from Port Alberni!
7 years ago (05-01-2018)

Lovely place! Very instructive and fascinating for those who don't know much of the wood industry of last century. People there are very kind and you can feel their passion. The site is very well organized, well equiped and clean. Trails are very pleasant and both kids and parents can enjoy the site as it is well secured yet quite authentic.
8 years ago (03-07-2017)

We had a great family day visiting the mill and riding the train! My son was excited to ride in the train for the first time. The conductors went out of their way to open up the room with the train models and let him look at them. Thank you for the memories.
8 years ago (24-06-2017)

We rode the train from Port Alberni to the mill and had an interesting visit at the old mill. We had a guide take our group for a tour and explain the history of the mill
8 years ago (27-07-2017)