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The rooster and the hen have long been known as a symbol of excellent workmanship in Bracebridge and the rest of Canada. This trademark of quality was first stamped on fine wool products when the mill settled on the banks of the Bracebridge Falls and lasted until the mill closed in 1953.
The Bird family has a long history in the textile industry stemming back to Mr. Bird’s home of Gloucestershire, England, in the 1700's where the Bird's produced cloth for billiard tables. This fine textured cloth was renowned in Europe and Bird products won awards in England and France.
The first Bird Woollen Mill was opened in 1869 in Glen Allen, Ontario, however, closed its doors in 1871 after two floods and the death of Henry J. Bird’s wife and two children from tuberculosis.
A saw mill and a grist mill had been operating on the south side of the Bracebridge Falls for a few years. These inspired Mr. Bird’s choice of Bracebridge for the location of his new mill. 
In the early years, the mill's operation was dependent on the amount of local wool brought in by farmers. When a farmer brought his raw wool in it could be traded for carded wool or spun yarn. Popularity of this trade system increased in 1888, and at this time an expansion was necessary - stone and brick warehouses were added to the mill in order to store the Muskoka wool.
The warehouse was eventually replaced by a second three storey building. By 1911, a third building was erected and new machinery was ordered from England. By this time, the original mill was almost unrecognizable among the many marks of progress.
This growth meant that supplies of Muskoka wool were not large enough to fulfill the needs of the mill and Mr. Bird began importing wool from other parts of Canada, Iceland, New Zealand and Austria.
"Indian Point" blankets were manufactured when people began to flock to Muskoka in the summertime. Stocking and legging yarn, sporting cloth, Romney’s, heavy tweeds, and also a black glossy Mackinaw cloth were also produced at the mill.
The Mackinaw jacket, which was popular with lumberjacks for its water resistance, was what made the Bird Woollen Mill famous. In 1890 they were contracted by Carr’s Mackinaw in Orillia to create this special grey tweed. This contract was responsible for fifty percent of manufacturing capacity for some time at the mill.
Local sales also contributed to the mill’s profits - skeins of yarn, socks, blankets, work pants and sports clothes were sold at Mr. Bird’s store. At the peak of the tourist season almost fifty percent of the mill’s production would be sold locally.
During World War I, the mill changed its production to meet the demands of the war effort. Operating from 7:00 am until 9:00 pm, the mill produced service blankets by the hundreds. Heavy grey coat material was woven for the army and the air force while finer finished khaki was used for the soldiers’ uniforms. During this time, the Bird Woollen Mill still produced its mackinaw but 90 percent of production was devoted towards the war effort.
The mill reached its peak in the years before the Depression. However, by the end of the 1930's, many of the markets had disappeared or declined and the mill closed its doors during the height of the Depression. The mill workers were given work by the town, where they dug sewers and were compensated with vouchers until the mill could reopen.
By the 1940's, the farming and lumbering era had ended and this part of the local market was gone for the mill. When World War II began, the Canadian government refused to give any orders for war supplies to the Bird Woollen Mill. The only local competition at this time was Humphrey Woollen Mill in Simcoe however, some major competition came from England. When Mackenzie King’s government was in power they lowered the tariff on English imports and very fine wool was being brought into Canada at low prices. At this time, the Canadian mills could no longer compete which eventually led to the closing of the Bird Woollen Mill.
The introduction of synthetics such as nylon and polyester claimed a large part of the wool market. The Bird Woollen Mill could no longer afford to keep up with the times. Their machinery was old and slow, and they did not have the financial resources to purchase better equipment. The closing of the mill was a gradual process. During its last year of operation, only 25 of the original 60 workers remained.
In 1953, the Bird Woollen Mill closed its doors for good. In later years, the old buildings were destroyed to make room for a new parking lot. Today, one building remains to mark the place where one of Bracebridge’s grandest traditions began, under the mark of the hen and rooster. Renovated in 1993, today the last remaining building houses the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor Information Centre and the Riverwalk Restaurant.
