From The DuPage Conservationist (photo by Sandy Rodman)

The wheel still turns at the Old Graue Mill in Oak Brook, enveloped by an area where nature still sings despite development. (photo right) A spinning wheel was found in nearly every home of the mid-1800s. The Old Graue Mill and Museum displays a collection of historical objects from this period and also provides demonstrations of the milling process.

If Frederick Graue stood on the banks of the Salt Creek today, what he would see would astonish him. His gaze would pass the many condominiums and office buildings that peek over the treetops,he'd hear the rush of motorized traffic on the nearby streets, and the water that powered his gristmill is now brown and polluted.

Many of the inhabitants both plant and animal that once were seen in the towns of Fullersburg and Brush Hill, now Oak Brook and Hinsdale, respectively, are no longer here. Bobcat, wolf, badger, and river otter were plentiful not long ago; but a changing environment forced them to move on to gentler habitats that still provided them with what they needed to survive.

The beaver nearly joined them as a "used to be" when pollution in Salt Creek reached critical levels in the late 1960s. As urban development increased along its banks, so did Salt Creek's problems. Highly polluted water runoff from streets and parking lots flowed into the once-clean glacial stream, along with the sewage from at least 15 communities. The new residents looked at Salt Creek as a destructive neighbor whenever its waters stretched to a flood plain that was now covered with buildings and cement. Fish populations dwindled, birds that once fished the flowing water flew elsewhere, and small mammals such as the beaver were not seen anymore.

Salt Creek was in the middle of the wild frontier in the 1830s when records indicate Graue settled in York Township. The Potowatami Indians had hunted and fished in the Chicago region for nearly 200 years, but retreated westward with the coming of the white settlers in 1835.

A rather enterprising fellow, Graue went into business with his partner William Asche by purchasing an old mill site located on Salt Creek. The two built a saw mill which operated for several years until it burned down. Work began in 1847 on a brick mill that stood three stories tall. The operation was changed from sawmilling to custom grinding and in 1852 the mill opened to serve the growing farming community. Graue had since bought out his partner's interest and was the sole owner of the new Graue Mill.

Twenty-four-year-old Benjamin Fuller was pretty disappointed when in 1834 he heeded the call to "go West, young mane," and found only muddy sidewalks and hungry mosquitoes in a settlement called Chicago. He was about to go back home to Broome County, New York, when another traveler told him about pristine forests and streams of clean water 17 miles to the west. Fuller found the land of his dreams in the area that is now Oak Brook and Hinsdale along Salt Creek. He persuaded his family to join him, and his father, mother, twelve sisters and brothers, and his wife Olive, headed west the following year to the new land.

In 1851, he platted the town of Fullersburg and by 1855 had purchased some 800 acres from the government. He started work on the first hotel in the new town, the Fullersburg Tavern. Another settler, Orente Grant and his brother David, started building the Castle Inn down the road a bit just east of York Road.

One day a farmer from the territory to the north was returning home with a wagonload of supplies when his wagon got stuck crossing the creek near Fullersburg. The farmer freed his horses and returned the next day to recover his wagon and supplies. The only thing lost in the mishap was a barrel of salt which dissolved in the waters. Salt Creek got its name from the dash of salt -- or so the story goes.

The intersection of Ogden and York was becoming a busy one. There was a store on the northwest corner, a blacksmith shop on the southwest corner, and another store a little further west. A steady stream of settlers arrived in the area and the town thrived.

The Graue Mill prospered until the turn of the century. But improved transportation and newfangled grain processing methods soon made the mill obsolete. Like the woodlands and prairies in the area, the mill suffered from the growing prosperity in DuPage County. The wheel stopped turning and fell silent for nearly three decades.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County purchased the mill in 1931 and the Civilian Conservation Corps, as in so many other areas around the country, began work on picnic shelters, a boathouse, and concession stand.

The region surrounding Salt Creek, Old Graue Mill, and Fullersburg Woods was a popular location for family outings during the ensuing years. Much like the early comers, families enjoyed the recreation and natural peacefulness that the once-wilderness offered them. While they offered an escape to those who frequented them, the forests, prairies, and Salt Creek could not escape the heavy price such over-use brought. Without care, the area soon would be of no use to anyone.

When pollution levels in Salt Creek were found to be unsafe, the Forest Preserve District permanently closed the boathouse and restricted picnicking and other recreation in an effort to preserve and restore this troubled area to the pristine land it once was.

Today, 20 years later, families and school groups plod along the trails, surrounded by the types of wildflowers that graced the land when Graue and Fuller first arrived. The gristmill is back in operation, demonstrating to new generations how Miller Graue plied his trade. Black-crowned Nigh Herons can be found fishing in Salt Creek next to the mill. Panfish, bluegill, and sunfish swim in the rushing water. And along the banks, gnawed tree trunks signal the return of the beaver.

The wheel still turns, and stands as a quiet reminder of a natural history and heritage almost lost. While enjoying their natural surroundings and learning about our precious environment, DuPage County residents walk among the shadows of the past. If you look close enough, you can almost see Frederick Graue and the others just across the creek.