The area surrounding the village of Chesaning contains a surprisingly high number of now lost and forgotten places of interest, most of which no longer appear on any map, and many that have even faded from local memory.
While the second issue doesn’t contain anything as singular as last week’s frolic with a naked wild man, it does capture an important moment in Chesaning’s transition away from the lumbering industry to a more diversified economy.
Even though Chesaning was founded as an agricultural settlement, no 19th century community could survive without a sawmill, and out here on what was still the frontier, the only practical means of driving a mill was through the power of water…
Now that we have determined our starting point (or rather had one determined for us by the vagaries of historical preservation), the next step is to develop an understanding of the physical layout of the village. This will make it easier to track the development of Chesaning over time.
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