Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Originally, Dillard was located on this hillside to avoid the flood waters of Indian Creek. In the late 19th Century, the settlement relocated a mile north to the Sligo and Eastern Railroad line. The tracks have since been removed.

To the left about 50 feet are four foundation stones indicating the location of a store, one of several that operated in Dillard. Businesses located near the mill because it was the center of commercial activity until the coming of the railroad. The Sligo and Eastern Railroad served primarily the nearby Sligo Furnace, an iron smelting operation that began business in 1879 and shut down in 1921. Like a magnet, it pulled businesses from their location near the mill to its railroad tracks. The present location of Dillard is reflected in the picture taken in approximately 1904.

This was the honeymoon cottage built by Lester Klemme as part of his Old Mill Lodge Resort. It is the only one of the resort's four cabins still standing.

This two story home across the entrance road was built by the Mischkes, owners of Dillard Mill. In April 1930, Lester Klemme purchased the home, and it became the centerpiece of his Old Mill Lodge. Presently, this building serves as historical site administrator's residence.

Further to the right of the lodge and on this side of the main road, the unpainted, metal-roofed, board-and-batten building was once known as the Adams-Wilhite Store. It was built in the 1880s and served simultaneously as the community's post office. Pictured to the right is Cletis Cottrell, grandson of Joseph Dillard Cottrell, after whom the town was named. Cletis Cottrell was the community's last postmaster -- handing out mail from his store located in (New) Dillard. This structure stands today along Dillard Mill Road just off Highway 49.

[top photo: markers; middle photo: map of Old Dillard; bottom photo: Adams-Wilhite Store.]

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