6Foot5

Adam Russell · Dayton, Ohio

Clifton Mill and John Bryan

Spring 2017 at Clifton Mill, plus a walk in the woods next door the October before. The mill sits right where the Little Miami River drops into a gorge, east of Dayton, and the trails along that gorge run through John Bryan State Park. John Bryan bought 335 acres out here in 1896, called it Riverside Farm, and left it to the state in 1918. Good neighbor.

Red multistory Clifton Mill and its water wheel above waterfalls and a fast brown river in a green gorge
Clifton Mill, with the Little Miami River coming down the gorge in front of it. There’s been a mill on this spot since 1802. This building is the third one. The first two burned down, which seems to be an occupational hazard.
Black and white long exposure of Clifton Mill above silky white waterfalls in the gorge
Same view, in black and white, with the shutter left open long enough to turn the river into steam.
Clifton Mill's red buildings and water wheel on a grassy bank above the rushing Little Miami River
Around 1810 this mill was bought by Robert Patterson, whose grandson John H. Patterson went on to found NCR in Dayton. Grandpa ground the flour. Grandson built the machine that rang it up.
Wide view down the Little Miami gorge, with the river curving below Clifton Mill and its waterfall
The Little Miami once powered five other mills within a mile of here. This is the only one still standing. The others are long gone. This one opened a gift shop.
Clifton Mill and a waterfall framed between the open treads of a dark wooden staircase
The mill and the falls through the back of a staircase. Whoever built these stairs skipped the risers, which is bad news for your shins and good news for a picture.
Heavy wooden truss framing in the foreground with Clifton Mill's large water wheel behind it among green trees
The water wheel, seen through more diagonal braces than seems strictly necessary. Somebody really believed in triangles.
Gift shop shelves packed with country decor: white ceramic hens, jars, a red flower wreath, and HOME and WELCOME signs
The gift shop. You can get a sign that says HOME, a sign that says WELCOME, and a ceramic chicken to stand guard between them.
Cone-shaped grapevine tree wrapped in warm string lights inside the shop, with baskets and lanterns by a window
A grapevine Christmas tree, lit up in May. That’s not a mistake, it’s a warm-up. Every Christmas the mill puts up more than 4 million lights, and in 2020 it won ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.
Branch of bright red berries among long green leaves against a soft green background
October on the gorge trail. I don’t know what these berries are, so I left them alone. The birds don’t have that rule.
Black and white leaf-covered trail running straight into dense woods
A trail through the woods along the gorge. Fall color, minus the color.
Black and white view looking up through tall straight tree trunks with the sun bursting between them
Pointed the camera straight up. It’s not often I feel short, but these trees pulled it off.
Pale moon in a deep blue sky above a dark line of treetops
The moon over the treeline. About 239,000 miles away, and still the easiest thing I shot all day.