Meyers Falls Sluice Gates - Kettle Falls, WA - Historic Hand Operated Sluice Gates on Waymarking.com

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Meyers Falls Sluice Gates - Kettle Falls, WA

in Historic Hand Operated Sluice Gates

Posted by:  T0SHEA

11U E 421879 N 5382891

These are the old, original sluice gates constructed for the Meyers Falls Power Plant in 1903.

The structure and the gates are no longer totally original,, as they have been refurbished and restored over the years. The main concrete structure, however, is the original, as are the hand wheels which operate the gates. In the photo below, one can see two large hand wheels. The nearer one is for a bypass gate and the farther one controls the sluice gate which feeds the penstock for the original, 1903, power plant. By noting the length of black rod extending above the centre of each wheel, one can see that the penstock gate is fully open, while the bypass gate is fully closed. The entire site is now a National Historic District.

The district encompasses 50 acres centered on Meyers Falls and includes one building and 10 structures. The structures include a water dam, a replica of the original grist mill and two hydroelectric generating stations. It is historically significant as one of the two sites of earliest habitation and industry in the area, the other being the site of the Hudson's Bay Trading Post and St' Paul's Catholic Mission.

The first hydro station was built in 1903, with upgrades taking place in 1910 and 1915, with further development taking place at later dates. It is still operational and supplies power equivalent to that required by about 1,000 homes. The 1915 upgrade was actually an addition, seeing a new power station built on the other side of the river from the original. The older station having been refurbished, they both produce power at present.

In 1830 a gristmill was built by the Hudson's Bay Company on the river above the dam and continued in use until after the first generating station was built. Interestingly, this early use of the Colville River makes it the oldest source of water power in continual use west of the Mississippi River.

The Meyers Falls Power Plant Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 29, 1995.

Coordinates for this waymark were taken at a viewing area to the northwest of the sluice gates, about as close as one may get and still take a photo.

Text from onsite plaque:

Hydroelectricity - The Enduring Industry of Meyers Falls

Water power has been in continuous use at Meyers Falls since the first grist mill constructed by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1826, making It the oldest continuously operating waterpower development West of the Mississippi River in the United States.

Early use of the water power potential involved grist mills for production of up to 75 barrels per day of flour and a water powered sawmill that could produce 20,000 board feet of lumber each day.

The first hydroelectric production at Meyers Falls began with a small plant constructed in 1903 on the South side of the river. In 1910 a larger plant with concrete powerhouse was built at the same site. 1915 saw the construction of the present day operating plant on the North side of the river.

The original 1910 hydroelectric plant has been redeveloped and is currently in operation. The restored intake can be seen across the river from where you are standing.

The Meyers Falls Hydroelectric Development produces enough clean renewable energy to supply the electrical requirements of approximately 1,000 homes like yours.