A water-powered grist mill was operating on Clear Creek as early as 1819, established by white settlers in old Miller County, Arkansas Territory. A new mill was built in 1837 by Choctaw Joel Kemp. A later owner, Choctaw John Wilson, replaced the crude undershot wheel with a turbine-type wheel that also powered a cotton gin. John Prince acquired the mill site in 1909, updated the machinery, replaced the log dam with concrete, drilled two artesian wells, and supplied water to the town of Valliant for many years. An adjacent swimming pool became a favorite recreational facility. The mill ceased operation about 1944, and the swimming pool closed in 1962. Remnants of the mill remain. Tradition holds that two black slaves, Wallace and Minerva Willis, first gave voice to renowned Negro spirituals such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" on a nearby plantation.