Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for a few volunteers to help interpret the Mingus Mill./NPS

Think you have the grit to produce grist? Then consider helping out Great Smoky Mountain National Park by volunteering to help provide visitors with historic information at Mingus Mill.

The mill, located a half-mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina, was built in 1886. It offers visitors a unique look into the inner workings of the turbine-wheel operated mill that custom-ground a variety of grains, including corn, wheat, and rye. The complexity of the mill provided customers with custom-ground cornmeal or flour in a fraction of the time needed by other types of mills, according to park officials.

Volunteers will work alongside Great Smoky Mountains Association employees to provide opportunities for visitors to learn more about Mingus Mill and its unique turbine wheel. Each volunteer is asked to work at least one four-hour shift per week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the peak visitation season, from May through the end of November.

New volunteers are required to attend orientation and training on Monday, August 31, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The training will be held at the Oconaluftee Administration Building adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. To reserve a spot in the training or receive more information, please contact Park Resource Education Ranger Florie Takaki by phone at (828)497-1906 or by email at [email protected].