"There's satisfaction in a proud tradition"

Another of the newspaper clippings found in the books donated to the museum from Friends of Clinton Library:

Page 10 - Clinton, Iowa, Herald     Saturday, December 7, 1985

Picture Caption: Leslie Struve owner and operator of Hauntown's sawmill, works alone. He claims hiring people involves too much government red tape.

Hauntown- On a recent morning, amid these peaceful surroundings, the silence was suddenly shattered by the ear-splitting scream and high-pitched wall of a power saw. It was Leslie Struve, 79, owner-operator of the large sawmill, going to work on an order for several hundred two-by-fours. He works alone, explaining that hiring help involves too much government red tape.

To many, the Struve family and the milling industry are synonymous. They have earned the reputation of being honest and competent millwrights.

Ernest Struve, Leslie's grandfather, was the first of the family to own and operate the Hauntown mill, acquiring it in 1869. He was followed by his son, William, who assisted his father in the mill, and then in 1887, bought it from him.

At some time, according to records, Dr. E.A. Wood of Sabula held an interest in the mill. Quoting from an August 1894 item in the Sabula Gazette, "Dr. E.A. Wood sold his two-thirds interest in Hauntown mill to his partner, William Sturve, for $8,000."

In July, 1926, the old mill, then 72 years old, burned to the ground. William Struve and his son, Harvey, suffered painful burns in a fruitless attempt to retrieve the account books and other records from the fire.

The loss was not covered by insurance; nevertheless, Struve immediately announced his intention to rebuild on the same spot, but said it would be a smaller mill. This mill, two and a half stories high, still stands. Sometime in the years following, Struve's son, Leslie, acquired ownership of this mill.

The mill which burned, built in 1854 by William Haun and one of the oldest in Iowa, was an impressive structure, 36 by 60 feet, five stories high, with 12 by 12 inch beams clear to the top. Even the rafters rested on 12 inch plates.

In the early days, water power was used to operate the flour mill, the grist mill and the sawmill. Later on, William Struve attached a steam engine for use when the water was low. This engine was one that had been used in the Sabula packinghouse. He traded flour for wheat but he used the old buhrstone mill for buckwheat and rye. Early settles came from 100 miles around to Elk River mills and Hauntown became one of the prosperous settlements.

And still the old mill drones on, cutting the two-by-fours.

What keeps Leslie Struve going? Admittedly, he is now well past the usual retirement age, and he also admits that he tires more easily than he once did. His father, William, was called "the honest miller" because he gave honest measure. He was also a capable miller, as was his father, Ernest. Maybe this is what drives him on.

There's a good deal of satisfaction to be derived in carrying on a proud family tradition.