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Butte Creek Mill rebuilding slow but steady A year after the Christmas Day fire destroyed the Butte Creek Mill in Eagle Point, owner Bob Russell is still trying to rebuild. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Sunday Dec 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune The former Butte Creek Mill looks much like it did a year ago after a massive Christmas Day fire destroyed Oregon's last remaining water-powered flour mill. Charred beams and walls stand defenseless against the elements, the mill's roof having collapsed in the flames. But owner and Eagle Point Mayor Bob Russell says much work has been done behind the scenes to clean up and rebuild the mill. "A lot has happened, it's just you can't do too much until you have your funding in place and our funding is all tied to our nonprofit paperwork," Russell says. Russell's application with the IRS for 501(c)3 nonprofit status was put on hold for three months because of a snafu in Washington, D.C., he says. "But things are moving again now." The community's fundraising efforts to rebuild the mill have topped $230,000, he says. "We're putting packets together to tell our story — and we've got a good story to tell," he says. "We have 1,900 people who signed up for our mailing list and people come by the mill every day and it still brings them to tears. Even our pathway, behind the mill, people walk by. They have a reverence for this place." Perched on the west bank of Little Butte Creek near downtown Eagle Point, the mill was built in 1872. it was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Russell and his late wife, Debbie, were just the sixth owners when they took it over less than a dozen years ago. Russell threw a party last weekend on the charred porch — one of the few areas still structurally sound — to mark the first anniversary of the fire and remember the days when the mill hosted community events. Kids ran around in scarves and hats, adults sipped cocoa and Christmas music enveloped the structure that has stood at the center of town for nearly 145 years. The fire broke out just before 4 a.m. Christmas morning. Russell was awoken by a call from a security company notifying him of a possible intruder at the mill and opened the door of his nearby home to see the mill engulfed in flames. Five fire engines from surrounding agencies responded to the fire, but much of the building was burned. In the weeks and months that followed, community members rallied to save the local icon, participating in bucket brigades to remove and repair salvageable items and offering donations of cash and labor. "We have put a lot of thought into how we'll rebuild and it needs to be almost imperceptible," Russell says. "Every door, every window. It has to be exactly to spec. When I walk through the door I see customers standing in front of the pot belly stove and warming up and having some apple cider," Russell said. "We were going to tear down a portion of what is there now but people from the National Register said, 'No, don't do that until we get that final plan together. We don't want to hurt something that might need to be re-incorporated.'" Russell said pieces from the old mill had been repaired, such as an original post office at the location and a bean counter. "We have a lot of memorabilia that is going to flood back a lot of memories for the community," he said. Russell said he planned to enjoy his family over the holidays and focus on "lots of progress" in the coming year. "I wasn't planning on all that's happened in 2016, and will happen in 2017, but it'll be my legacy for the town. Every time I walk in the door I can still picture all the nooks and crannies. We have to bring that back." On the web: http://buttecreekmill.com. Reach Medford freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].