This waymarked water wheel is located at the corner of the US 83/Ellis Street and Canal Street, along Menard's Ditch Walk. The canals are dry for most months of the year, but are still in use in the spring and summer. The waymarked waterwheel is set well above the level of the water, provided as part of a historical display.
A state historic marker nearby reads as follows:
"THE DITCH
The Vaughn Agricultural and Mechanical Canal Company was chartered in 1874 by William J. Vaughn, President; William Tipton, Director; and James H. Comstock, Director and Secretary. Major H.M. Holmes was appointed attorney.
Irrigation for 2,000 acres of valley land and power for grist mills are furnished by gravity flow from San Saba River. Use of "The Ditch," running from 5 miles above town to 5 below, began in 1876. Vaughn sold his controlling interest to Gus Noyes in 1886.
Since 1905 "The Ditch" has been operated by Menard Irrigation Company, using the original dam. (1972)"
The first irrigation ditches in Menard were acequias built by the Spaniards in 1757 during the Mission San Saba and Presidio San Saba days. The mission, abandoned after an Indian attack killed the Friars and scattered the Indians who lived in the mission, lasted less than 2 years, and Presidio not much longer, but the remains of some of those old acequias are still in use today, bringing water to farms along the San Saba River.
In the 1870s, early settlers in Menard wanted to divert water from the San Saba River to irrigate farmlands and power a gristmill. The resulting project is still in operation today providing water power and air gauge and to citizens of Menard. The historic hand dug stone-lined canals of the 1870s have been cleared out, restored, and are part of a historic Ditch Walk, a 1 mile walking path through Menard.
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"THE PRETTIEST DITCH IN TOWN
In 1874, businessmen in Menard, located along the banks of the San Saba River, had a dilemma – how to provide irrigation to 2000 acres of nearby fields and power to local gristmills under one united project. William Vaughn, William Tipton, and James H. Comstock set out to accomplish the task by chartering the Vaughn Agricultural and Mechanical Canal Company that year and, by 1876, water from the San Saba was flowing, via gravity, from 5 miles above Menard to 5 miles below, providing irrigation for farmland and water to turn the gristmill wheels. In 1905, the Menard Irrigation Company took over the canal and has continued to provide irrigation water for over one hundred years. Today, visitors to Menard are able to meander along a segment of this historic rock-lined canal, a route known as the “Ditch Walk”, although the pastoral beauty of the flowing water beneath shady branches, the strategically-placed benches, and the decorative water wheel along the route creates a much prettier stroll than the name implies."