Gays Mills

History

In 1847 James B. Gay, a native of Indiana, built a dam and a sawmill on the Kickapoo River, which proved to be a flourishing success. When his health started to fail, James convinced his brothers John and Thomas to move to the area. In 1865 John Gay built the first flour mill south of the saw mill. In 1872 Thomas Gay and family organized the First Congregational Church, the first church in Gays Mills and in 1898 the church building itself was finished. In the years between 1848 and 1865, many families moved into the community, which came to be known as Gays Mills in honor of the founder and his brothers. Gays Mills was also the home of the Twining apple-growing family. One of the Twinings took his apples to the World's Fair, where they were a great success, generating mild fame for Gays Mills. Twining and his companions are honored with a historical marker on a hill overlooking the village. Consequently, apples are grown heavily in Crawford County, with numerous commercial orchards surrounding the village. Almost 60 homes were substantially damaged by flooding on the Kickapoo River in 2007 and 2008. In October 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a 72-page report asking residents and businesses to relocate from the Kickapoo River flood plain. Relocation is estimated to cost $1.7 million to purchase north of the existing location. In September 2016, July 2017, and August 2018 Gays Mills was once again hit by flooding.

Geography

Gays Mills is located at (43.318241, -90.846554). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  539
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  520
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  510
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  502
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  468
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  467
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  438
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  394

Largest nearby schools

• North Crawford Elementary
  Elementary · Soldiers Grove · 276 students · 11:1 ratio
• North Crawford High
  High · Soldiers Grove · 124 students · 8.9:1 ratio
• Seneca High
  High · Seneca · 105 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Seneca Elementary
  Elementary · Seneca · 100 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Seneca Junior High
  Middle · Seneca · 50 students · 16.7:1 ratio