Near the west bank of the Missouri River, just north of present-day Omaha, Nebraska, is the city of Florence. It was once known as Winter Quarters for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints heading west.
On the opposite or east side of the Missouri River was Council Bluffs, Iowa, also known as Kanesville for a while.
Monument featuring a mill stone adjacent to the Florence Mill, 2017. | Kenneth Mays
Situated in Florence is an old structure known as the Old Mormon or Florence Mill. An interpretive marker at the mill says that the original mill “was constructed by the Mormons at Winter Quarters during the winter of 1846-1847. Supplying both flour and lumber, the water-powered mill enabled the Mormons to cope more readily with the adverse conditions encountered during their stay in Nebraska.”
Winter Quarters and the mill were eventually abandoned and the mill subsequently came to be owned by various individuals and entities. William G. Hartley and A. Gary Anderson note that “The original mill, much added to, is not now at its original site.” (see "Sacred Places, Vol. 5," edited by LaMar Berrett,).
The mill was used until the 1960s. It has since been restored and is presently used to house a museum, art loft and farmers market.