We hope this Monday finds you with a large bucket of coffee and a manageable amount of pollen in your spring air.

Today, we’re taking a quick pause from houses to feature the Pelton Water Wheel in Auburn, California.

Invented by Lester Pelton in 1877 in Camptonville, California, this wheel revolutionized the mining industry. Hard rock mining required power to drive machinery such as rock crushers, stamp mills, hoists and compressors. Prior to electricity, the only source of such power was water or steam.

The Pelton wheel was developed to eliminate resistance of incoming water caused by splash back. As electric power replaced water, Pelton Wheels were later used to generate electricity. They were used world wide and some are still in operation today.

This is a seven-foot Pelton Wheel and could develop up to 260 horsepower.