The Significance Behind Colorado’s Brooks Water Wheel

Many sites throughout Colorado give glimpses back into the Centennial State's storied past. Certain places, such as worn-down saloons and abandoned schoolhouses, historic cemeteries, and vintage hotels, all of which are still standing throughout the state, immediately transport people back in time.

Another significant example of Colorado's past can be found in the tiny town of McCoy. Along the scenic Colorado River sits the beautiful Brooks Water Wheel. This historic device was built in 1922 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1977.

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A western rancher named Earl Brooks crafted the impressive wheel from jackpine logs using just hand tools. Its purpose was to push water from the Colorado River up to his ranch. Water scooped by the wheel fills irrigation ditches back at the ranch - 600 gallons at a time! The wooden buckets have openings that collect the water, which goes around to the top. From there, water travels into troughs and through underground pipes that lead up to the ranch. This process is still used today.

The Brooks Water Wheel is 46 feet high, 6 feet wide, and weighs 5,962 pounds. According to 9News, it takes one minute for the wheel to spin a full revolution. Over the years, high water has damaged the wheel, and thousands of dollars went into repairing the device each time this happened.

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This wooden structure is historically significant because it's the last surviving water wheel on the Colorado River. More than a hundred years after it was built, the Brooks Water Wheel now showcases simpler times in the Centennial State.