Our Story

The mill was operated by R.B. McLean and his three sons from 1926 to 1965. It is a showcase of pioneering get-it-done attitude and inventiveness. The mill is typical of the remote coastal lumber camp and sawmill complex from the middle of the last century and has been named a National Historic Site (1989) to commemorate the history of logging and saw milling in British Columbia. The site is a very complete collection of industrial and personal memories of the people that lived and worked there.

Since 1995 and continuing to the present, the site has been restored with funds from Heritage Canada, Forest Renewal BC, the BC Heritage Trust, BC Community Futures, the Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot and the City of Port Alberni. MacMillan Bloedel donated the land. The sawmill has been rebuilt to operate as it did in 1965, including a replica of a 1928 log carriage. The camp buildings are in the process of been restored and furnished as they were at particular times in their history.