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Museum Hours: Memorial Day weekend until November 01, 2026. Weekends only.
Adults $10.00, Ages 13 -17 $7.00, Children free.
Museum Hours: Memorial Day weekend until November 01, 2026. Weekends only.
Adults $10.00, Ages 13 -17 $7.00, Children free.
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Museum Hours: Memorial Day weekend until November 01, 2026. Weekends only.
Adults $10.00, Ages 13 -17 $7.00, Children free.
Museum Hours: Memorial Day weekend until November 01, 2026. Weekends only.
Adults $10.00, Ages 13 -17 $7.00, Children free.
The mill was built at the close of the 19th century in the Mora Valley. The mill is the only flour mill of its size and type restored to operating condition in Northeastern New Mexico.
The Mill is a three story, adobe, water powered flour mill that has been turned into a local history museum. The Cleveland Roller Mill's original machinery remains intact and has been restored significantly to the point that it can be operated for demonstration purposes only.
This was the last mill to be built in the Mora Valley and is originally one of Northern New Mexico's largest flour mills. The mill incorporated the “roller mill" process of milling, using metal rollers to grind the flour in place of the earlier ones which commonly used millstones.
In the 1890s Mora Valley boasted nearly twenty thousand acres of farmland and seventeen gristmills. Farmers grew wheat, alfalfa, oats, corn, rye, barley, clover and millet.
Joseph J. Fuss, moved to New Mexico in 1878 and became a prominent merchant and rancher in the Mora area. In February of 1891 Fuss and Robert C. Allen bought the property where the mill stands today. Fuss had the Mill constructed as well as the dam ¼ mile upstream and it’s ditch leading to the mill. The J.B. Ehrsam Co. of Kanas was contracted in 1897 to install the majority of the mill equipment. The machines, gears, and other equipment were brought to Las Vegas, New Mexico by train and then transported by wagon to Cleveland.
Joseph Fuss sold the mill in1913 to Daniel Cassidy Sr., though he continued to consult and assist in its operation until 1927 according to Casimiro Paiz. Cassidy Sr. put Frank Trambley and Milnor Rudolph in charge of the milling operations.
Up until 1916 the mill was powered by a water wheel only. At that time a adobe building was constructed in front of the mill (not there now) which housed a steam engine. This addition was done to operate the mill when there were periods of low water, and the water wheel could not be used effectively. The steam engines boiler proved to be dangerous when in 1919 a worker by the name of David Allen a relative of Fuss was killed instantly when it exploded.
That same year Cassidy Sr. sold the business to his son, Daniel Cassidy Jr. who proved to be a successful miller. His son, Dan lll remembered his father once shipped "1000 wagon loads of wheat from Las Vegas."
When Daniel Jr.'s sons were young they began working with their father full-time at the mill. It was a taxing business. "The work schedule for flour mills in the Mora Valley consisted of a twenty-four-hour day from late September until early January. During the remainder of the year, mills operated from ten to twelve hours, depending upon the work load." It was estimated that the Cleveland mill would grind between one and two million pounds of wheat per year.
Around 1935, "agriculture began to decline and the effects of the depression was felt by the farmer." For flour mills in the area, the 1930-38 period was especially bleak. Not only did the agriculture begin to recede (along with the movement of people off the land) but other flour mills as far away as Minneapolis began to flood the market with flour.
In the late 1940s the mill ceased operations because very little or no wheat was being grown in the area. Daniel Cassidy Jr. was no longer able to run the gristmill for a period of time.
In 1970 Daniel Cassidy III (Jr.'s son) began restoration of the mill but failing health prevented him from finishing the project. After his death in 1975 his son, Dan Cassidy IV took over the restoration project. Dan IV obtained partial funds to complete the project through the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Division and the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties. The Cleveland Roller Mill Museum opened its doors in 1992.
Source: Cleveland Mill Museum and Folsom Museum
The museum preserves the history of milling in northeastern New Mexico through photographs, documents and physical exhibits making this history available to the public. Our website highlights the Mill's history for those unable to visit the museum in person.

A 'Molino' (Spanish for gristmill) is on loan
from the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe. This molino is located on the mill grounds and open for public viewing. The Spanish first mentioned the use of molino technology in New Mexico in a report dated from 1601.




Learn about the rich history of the Cleveland Roller Mill Museum. From its founding to present day, our museum has been dedicated to preserving and showcasing the cultural history of our community.



