McLean Mill National Historic Site, National historic steam sawmill in Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, Canada

McLean Mill is a preserved sawmill complex with around 35 buildings and structures forming a complete working community scattered across the grounds. The mill itself still runs on steam power and demonstrates how timber was processed in the early 20th century.

The family-owned R.B. McLean Lumber Company operated the mill from 1926 to 1965, capturing a full era of timber harvesting in the region. The site gained national historic designation in 1989 to protect this chapter of industrial heritage.

The location reveals how communities formed around logging operations, with residents depending on the mill for work and survival. The buildings still show the bonds between workers, their families, and the forest that shaped their daily routines.

The mill sits near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, and in summer the Alberni Pacific Railway steam train runs to the site, bringing visitors to the grounds. Once there, you can tour parts of the operation and watch a demonstration of the milling process. Much of the site is outdoors, so wet weather leaves paths muddy.

The mill's steam locomotive, the Alberni Pacific Railway, runs to the site each summer season and carries visitors onto the former company grounds, where parts of the operation can be toured and a sawing demonstration is staged.