Niagara Water Wheel Restoration

The big red water wheel on Highway 22, along the North Santiam river in Oregon has been a local treasure since it was installed as a roadside attraction in 1984. It has not run since 2011, due to a mechanical problem.

For some reason, the wheel shifted on its axle to one side, and metal structural parts rubbed against each other, causing significant wear.

The wheel needs:
1. To have the two large bearings replaced.
2. To be re-centered on the axle.
3. To be modified to prevent future sideways movement.
4. To be powerwashed.
5. To have rust issues addressed and be repainted.
6. To have a fence installed around it.
7. Some landscaping and slope reinforcement.

The Wheelhouse needs:
1. To be leveled.
2.  Roof replacement. (The ferns and moss growing on the roof are causing rot).

Some work has been done already. Two feet of silt from a creek washout have been removed from the large concrete slab that supports the wheel. Some boulders have been donated, and will be placed when landscaping is done. A local contractor who feels that he can do much of the work has been working at getting materials donated, but that has slowed.

My goal is to have the water wheel fully restored and running by early spring 2018. I am hoping to raise the funds needed over the next few months. I believe that there would be enough support for this project that it can be done with small donations.

I am undertaking this (I am the owner, by the way) more for the community than for myself. Highway 22 is a very busy highway. Many people routinely stop to look at the wheel or photograph it. It is a part of their lives. Every time I converse with someone about the wheel, I always hear "I really wish it was running again", or "I remember seeing it when I was a kid!"

Speaking for those folks, I know how thankful they would be to have this happen.