This bell is a mystery artifact. Not in what it is, but in what it was used for. It is the wrong shape and size to be used on livestock.

This large iron buckle is from a harness. Draft animals -horses and oxen- were crucial to the Mill Creek farmstead, for hauling logs to the mill, plowing fields and other

“whereon the said Robt. Campbell, for many years past, and until his death, did live and improve, together with the house, mills, and other improvements thereon erected and made, commonly

“Ever since his recollection, his father, Robert Campbell occupied until his death the tract of land described in the annexed notice; that after his father’s death this deponent occupied said

“And the ice only closed the 22nd. Mr. Fraser had to stay at Mr. Campbell’s 15 days before he got over here.” – Charles Morison (Mackinac Island) to John Askin

Milling and farming required frequent repairs to tools, such as the scythe blade pictured previously, so blacksmithing and other metal work was always part of life at Mill Creek. During

Although the Mill Creek settlement was closely connected to Mackinac Island, the Straits were not always passable due to weather. The entire Straits of Mackinac region was isolated from the

This padlock is amazingly well preserved. The flap protecting the keyhole from the weather still moves. The generally sandy soil in the Straits region drains well, which leads to good

Knives were as important to daily life at Mill Creek as they had been at Michilimackinac. This knife, found at the Campbell house, has a nearly identical handle to one