The John P. Cable Mill in Cades Cove was a technological advancement of its day, the likes of which Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountains had never before seen. In those early days, power was a commodity that had yet to be discovered up until the Mill’s formation.
The water wheel was a form of power that was used by early grist mills like the Cable Mill. The Smoky Mountains Natural History Association operates the Cable Mill today from April-October.
Back then, the more forward thinking residents of Cades Cove built water driven mills to grind grain. It was a business decision for them. They thought that other families who called Cades Cove home would rather pay them to grind their grain rather than try to do it themselves in their homes. Tub mills, which were the alternative, could only process a bushel of corn a day. It was a worthwhile gamble as folks like John P. Cable made a good living with his mill.
The waterwheel driven mills could grind wheat into flour, in addition to processing cornmeal, and was looked upon favorably by Cades Cove’s residents. Instead of a diet of pure cornbread, families could now make biscuits.
So what did it cost the average family to grind and sack of grain? Maybe a portion of the flour or meal, possibly money, whatever they could offer was up for grabs in those days. And it wasn’t only John Cable reaing the rewards of a fully operational mill. His son and Frederick Shields also operated mills in Cades Cove. The Cable and Shields also used their waterwheel to power saw mills.
Saw mills were important in the history of Cades Cove because they revolutionized how houses were built. Homes were constructed out of logs before saw mills. Saw mills provided for lumber and frame construction. Also, most owners of the log homes in Cades Cove bought lumber for siding to cover the fact that they were living in old fashioned cabins.
John P. Cable Mill katika Cades Cove ilikuwa maendeleo ya kiteknolojia ya siku yake, kama ambayo Cades Cove na Great Smoky Mountains hawakuwa wameona kabla. Katika siku hizo za mapema, nguvu ilikuwa bidhaa ambayo ilikuwa bado haijagunduliwa hadi kuundwa kwa Mill. Mzunguko wa maji ulikuwa aina ya nguvu ambayo ilitumiwa na viwanda vya mapema vya kusaga nafaka kama vile Cable Mill. Shirika la Historia ya Asili la Smoky Mountains linaendesha Kiwanda cha Cable Mill leo kuanzia Aprili hadi Oktoba. Wakati huo, wakazi wa Cades Cove waliokuwa na mawazo ya mbele walijenga viwanda vya kusaga nafaka vilivyoendeshwa kwa maji. Ilikuwa uamuzi wa kibiashara kwao. Walidhani kwamba familia nyingine zilizokuwa Cades Cove zingewapa pesa ili wapige nafaka badala ya kujaribu kufanya hivyo wenyewe nyumbani kwao. Viwanda vya kusaga mahindi, ambavyo vilikuwa mbadala, vingeweza kusindika shayiri moja tu ya mahindi kwa siku. Ilikuwa ni mchezo wa kubahatisha wenye thamani kwa kuwa watu kama vile John P. Cable walipata riziki nzuri kutokana na kiwanda chake. Viwanda hivyo vilivyoendeshwa kwa magurudumu ya maji vingeweza kusaga ngano na kuifanya kuwa unga, pamoja na kusindika unga wa mahindi, na vilitendewa vizuri na wakazi wa Cades Cove. Badala ya kula mkate wa mahindi tu, sasa familia zingeweza kutengeneza biskuti. Kwa hiyo, familia ya kawaida ilihitaji pesa ngapi kusaga na kufunga nafaka? Labda sehemu ya unga au chakula, labda pesa, chochote walichoweza kutoa kilikuwa kwa ajili ya kunyakua katika siku hizo. Na haikuwa tu John Cable reaing tuzo ya kinu kikamilifu uendeshaji. Mwanawe na Frederick Shields pia waliendesha viwanda huko Cades Cove. Kampuni ya Cable and Shields pia ilitumia gurudumu lao la maji kuendesha mashine za kusaga. Viwanda vya kusaga vilikuwa muhimu katika historia ya Cades Cove kwa sababu vilibadili jinsi nyumba zilivyojengwa. Nyumba zilijengwa kwa mbao kabla ya kutengenezwa kwa viwanda vya kusaga. Mashine za kusaga zilitumiwa kutengeneza mbao na muundo wa ujenzi. Pia, wamiliki wengi wa nyumba za mbao huko Cades Cove walinunua mbao za kutengeneza mipaka ili kufunika ukweli kwamba walikuwa wakiishi katika vibanda vya zamani.