In 1934, a terrible fire turned the mill into dust. The mill has also faced great challenges. The mill experienced two decades of growth and expansion, including the acquisition of the Okeene Milling Company which is still in operation today under the direction of Bob Ford, executive vice president and brother of Bill Ford. In that way, the Kickapoo saved the mill.” Ford is our friend you leave him alone,’” Bill says. “They came down in their full regalia and told the troublemakers, ‘Mr. Lloyd called on his Kickapoo friends for help. Many of the locals fought to take the mill away from the Ford family, so J. However, the settlement was still relatively new and law had yet to be established. He and his wife also worked to carve civilization out of a rough area. Lloyd loved elevating people, and he especially enjoyed sharing his wood and food off the farm with the Kickapoo people. “We continue to name all our facilites after the town.To this day, we learn to take care of the mill because we take care of our families.” “He wanted the people to take pride in the company-it belongs to the people here,” Bill says. Instead of naming the company after his own family, he chose to honor his community of Shawnee, Oklahoma. Lloyd was an interesting and gentle guy, according to Bill Ford, third generation miller and chairman of the Shawnee Milling Company board. He promptly renamed it Shawnee Milling Company and opened its doors for production a mere four days later. Lloyd used his life savings to buy that mill in 1906. Pioneers used horses, ropes and skids to bring it to the current location in 1895. The original wooden mill was built four years earlier and had to be dragged across the North Canadian River. The Fords’ first home, a log cabin, was soon built by using the land’s native oak trees. Lloyd Ford, who had traveled five days in a boxcar on an emigrant train from Michigan to begin his family farm. On May 23, 1895, 10,000 individuals drew allotments in the Kickapoo Land Run settlement. Like many stories of Oklahoma pioneers, it began with a land run. Through depression, wars, booms and busts, an unwavering commitment to Oklahoma families remains deeply ingrained in one of the milling industry’s most respected companies. From cornbread to pancakes and biscuits to gravy, the company has been milling mixes and flour for generations.Īfter more than 100 years of operation, the original miller’s third and fourth generations of family continue to make the mill a shining star in the buckle of the wheat belt. If you take a peek into any Oklahoma pantry, you will likely find a package (or two) of Shawnee Mills products. Shawnee Milling Company weaves into the fabric of Oklahoma History
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