The Dalby Waterwheel

I have always wanted my own waterwheel. Since I have never owned any property with flowing water, the next best thing is to visit the Dalby Waterwheel (see photo) whenever a day trip takes me along Hood Canal’s South Shore Road. The old waterwheel, now an historic landmark, is located on State Route 106 near mile post 7 just east of the Alderbrook Resort. Water from Dalby Creek has been turning the old waterwheel for almost 90 years.

The Dalby Waterwheel has ties to Seattle’s early history. The wheel itself was used in one of the city’s cable car systems. The dredge buckets mounted on it were used in the regrade of Seattle’s Denny Hill. Ed Dalby brought the wheel and the rest of the parts to Dalby Creek by boat from Seattle in 1924. After it was assembled and mounted, the waterwheel produced electricity for the Dalby home and several other cabins until the 1940’s.

When State Route 106 was realigned in 2003, the Dalby Waterwheel was no longer in public view. The Dalby family donated the waterwheel and the land for its new site to the Hood Canal Improvement Club. With some hard work by volunteers, the waterwheel was moved in 2005 and is once again visible from the highway. As part of the job, the Hood Canal Improvement Club installed a large sign that summarizes the waterwheel’s history.

Only a small portion of Dalby Creek is diverted to turn the waterwheel so it runs year round, even in the summer when the creek flow is much lower. Although it no longer provides electricity, the Dalby Waterwheel is still an important symbol of the source of green power in the Pacific Northwest.