HOLLAND, Mich. - Holland's iconic Dutch windmill has been a fixture in the community since it arrived from the Netherlands in 1964.
De Zwaan, which is Dutch for The Swan, officially opened to the public during Tulip Time 1965, and it has been serving two purposes ever since: a tourist attraction and a working grain mill.
Alisa Crawford has been the head Miller inside De Zwaan since 2002.
"This is a really unique profession," said Crawford. "It takes strength and you really need to understand the mechanics of how the mill works."
Crawford says she acquired an interest in history after she took a trip with her family to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia when she was 13 years old.
"I'm all about preserving the past," said Crawford, who holds a Bachelor's Degree in History and a Master's Degree in History Museum studies. "I honestly feel we need to know where we came from to better understand the present and to better prepare for the future."
When she was 15, Crawford became an apprentice at Crossroads Village, which is a late 19th century historical village near Flint. The village had a grist mill and Crawford recalls visiting it frequently.
"The aroma of grain being ground into flour is intoxicating to me," said Crawford. "I knew from that moment I wanted to learn how to be a miller."
Two years later, after she turned 19, Crawford took over the Crossroads Village mill, becoming one of the first female millers in the United States.
After college, and living in various cities throughout the country, Crawford ended up back in Michigan. She accepted a position as education director at the Holland Museum which, ultimately, drew her to De Zwaan.
"Being a history person, I get to hang out in the past everyday," said Crawford. "You can't beat that."
Soon after starting to work at De Zwaan, Crawford became committed to furthering her credentials and education toward becoming a Master Miller.
"In 2007, I approached the Dutch Mill Society and said, 'Would you consider allowing an American woman who runs a Dutch windmill in Holland, Mich. go through your program,'" said Crawford. "My request was very unusual, and [the Dutch Mill Society] had to consider it for a long time. But they finally agreed."
The textbooks Crawford had to study were all written in Dutch, so she was learning an entirely new language as well as learning how to be a Dutch-certified miller. Once her coursework was complete, Crawford then had to take an exam, which she passed.
"Once I passed the exam, my Dutch colleague told me that I needed to go after the professional level [of milling]," said Crawford. "The next level was exclusively for grain millers, which is what I am."
Two more thick text books, each written in Dutch, were shipped to her from the Netherlands.
"I had to take another qualifying course just to get into the main course," Crawford recalls. "Once I was able to go through that program, then endure several reviews, I would be admitted to their guild."
Ambachtelijk Kolenmolenaars Gilde is the professional and traditional grain millers guild of the Netherlands.
"There were only 35 members when I was admitted," said Crawford. "I became the first Dutch-certified miller outside of the Netherlands as well as becoming the first woman admitted into the guild."
Since 2009, when Crawford was admitted at the Journeyman level, the Ambachtelijk Kolenmolenaars Gilde has grown to 45, and now includes its second woman.
"I'm proud that I could pave the way as a woman for her," Crawford said, speaking about the other female member. "Now there's two sisters in the brotherhood of milling."
Thanks to Crawford, there's a lot more happening inside De Zwaan than educational tours for tourists. The iconic windmill is a factory. On milling days, Crawford grinds wheat, corn and rye, and prepares it all to be sold to Holland area businesses.
"Local bakeries, breweries, distilleries and restaurants purchase the products," added Crawford. "The product sells all over the country as well."
So how does she do it?
A better question might be, how does she do it all by herself?
"I wake up every morning and and listen to the wind outside my bedroom window, and I know just by hearing it, if it's going to be a milling day or not," said Crawford. "I really have to kick it into high gear and get ready because it'll take two hours just to get everything set up and ready to begin the milling process.
"It might require turning the entire cap of the mill to turn the blades to face the wind so we can get the power to be able to do the work. It might require me climbing up the blades [of the windmill] to set the sail. Maybe we need a full sail; maybe we need a half sail; maybe we only need two sails instead of four sails. I have to make all those decisions so that the right amount of power can be harnessed during the milling process."
On a really good milling day, Crawford says can grind 2,000-2,500 pounds of grain.
Only a dozen of the 45 members of the Ambachtelijk Kolenmolenaars Gilde have reached the level of Master Miller. Alisa Crawford hopes to make it a baker's dozen.
"That's the final step for me," said Crawford. "For me to start working toward the master miller status, I have to be a member of the guild for 10 years. I will hit that mark in October 2019, so I look forward to beginning that final journey."
In April 2018, the De Zwaan Windmill became listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. A plaque commemorating the honor has been placed near the entrance to the windmill.
If you'd like to learn more about Holland's iconic De Zwaan Windmill, Alisa Crawford has authored a comprehensive book entitled, 'De Zwaan: The True Story of America's Authentic Dutch Windmill.' You can purchase a copy by clicking on the link.
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