—Ornithological Biography The happy, prosperous life the Audubons had made for themselves on the frontier had been an early version of what later generations would call the American Dream. But this dream dies fast sometimes, and for the Audubons it did just that. The mill was only part of the problem, though it was a big part. Almost from the time construction began on it in the spring of 1816, the mill devoured capital, grinding up Audubon’s savings faster than it would ever go through wheat or wood. Audubon and Tom Bakewell took on investors as the project swelled. When it was done, the mill was gargantuan—standing some six stories high on the waterfront side, with clapboard siding and rows of double-hung windows looking out over the Ohio River. Crumbling remains of its stone footings still lie, like the partially excavated skeleton of a huge beast, on the mill site today, in what is now a tree-lined city park. In his lifetime—and ever since—Audubon’s failure in business was blamed on his frequent absences on hunting expeditions and his dislike of business routine.
