Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:AM to 6:PMSaturday: 8:AM to 5:PM Sunday: CLOSED
14822 S. Union Mills RoadMulino, Oregon 97042 Phone: 503-829-2386
A long, long time ago...
Daniel Trullinger and his wife Elizabeth moved their 10 children to the Oregon Territory in the year 1848 from Iowa along the Oregon Trail. They were chasing a dream of free land they could farm. Elizabeth was insistent that the whole family go together. Each male over 18 was allotted 320 acres in the land claim or married couples received 640 acres. The oldest son, Gabriel Johnson Trullinger, went with his brother, John Corse, and dad to the hills of California when they heard about The Gold Rush. The boys were able to bring back approximately $18,000 in gold for the family. The original gold pan is on display at the mill.
With money in hand, Gabriel decided to settle down and married Sarah Glover or Eagle Creek, Oregon. They received 640 acres of land in a newly established (circa 1851) community of Mulino in 1852. Mulino was named for the Spanish word, molino, meaning mill because Howard’s Mill was the first flour mill in the community established in 1848.
Gabriel and Sarah were able to build a small lumber mill to make rough cut timber. After saving up, Gabriel purchased a power-driven planer from England. With his “new” technology, he built his business. He added water power in 1877 along with steel rollers and was able to make white flour; thus the name Union Mills was established.
Throughout its history, Union Mills has produced lumber, flour, dried hops, carded wool, and manufactured feed. The mill has been passed down from Gabriel Johnson Trullinger to his son Delazon Lee Tullinger to his daughter and her husband, (Della)Maude and Otto Bernhard Friedrich, to their sons, Kenneth Donald Lee Friedrich and Alvin Bernhard Friedrich, to Ken’s son, Robert Del Friedrich, to his daughter, Connie Marie Friedrich. Robert’s two other daughters, Heather Lynn Mann and Sherree Rene’e Friedrich, work in the mill also. Connie’s children, Kenra Leigh and Del Friedrich DeAngelis (7th generation) work part time at the mill.
