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 New Paint Job For Old Steam Engine Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 47° 40.494 W 116° 47.238
11T E 515965 N 5280189
In front of the Museum of North Idaho, this engine makes an excellent sign, indicating to passersby that there is a museum near.
Waymark Code: WMX3TT
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 11/22/2017
Views: 0
Originally used to drive a generator providing electricity to the city of Butte, Montana, this engine, built by Allis-Chalmers, labored there from 1900 to 1916. From Butte it travelled to northern Idaho where it powered the Edward Rutledge Timber Company, later the Potlatch Corporation's, sawmill there from 1916 until 1963.
Capable of producing 1,000 horsepower, this behemoth weighs 80,000 pounds and has a drive wheel of about 12 feet in diameter.
After receiving a $1,669 grant from the Idaho Heritage Trust, the Museum of North Idaho used the money to give their flagship display a new coat of paint, the total cost of which was $4,660. The Spokane Spokesman Review then issued forth with a short news article on the event. Read it below.
New Paint Job
For Old Steam Engine
Thu., May 22, 2014, 1:45 p.m. - Keith Erickson
Workers re-paint the old Rutledge Mill steam engine near the entrance to the North Idaho Museum.
(Coeur d'Alene Today photo: Keith Erickson)
The 75-ton Corliss steam engine in front of the Museum of North Idaho recently received a fresh coat of paint thanks in part to a matching grant from the Idaho Heritage Trust. This engine represents the history of the timber industry in our region, according the Museum Director Dorothy Dahlgren. For close to 50 years it was the heart of the Edward Rutledge Timber Company. In 1910 Kootenai, Benewah and Shoshone counties had 77 mills operating. In 1961 there were 70 sawmills and by 1965 there were 46 and today there are about eight mills operating in the 3 counties. Selecting the color to paint the engine was not an easy task, according to Dahlgren. Museum volunteer Dick Whitney contacted several museums and visited engine sites. In his research he found the Allis-Chalmers Company, the builder of Corliss steam engines, painted the engines a variety of colors such as blue-gray, red, green, black and yellow. The Museum chose to use green and a rust color for the accents.
The painting project cost is $4,660. The Idaho Heritage Trust grant provided $1,669. Jim Popp, owner of Sharky’s Custom Painting, donated a portion of the costs of the project and Rodda Paint donated the paint. Donations from the community of $1,669 are needed to match for the grant. To donate, contact Dahlgren at the Museum of North Idaho, PO Box 812, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-0812 or 208-664-3448.
The steam engine is owned by the Museum of North Idaho. It was moved to its existing location in May, 1988.
From the Spokane Spokesman Review
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 05/22/2014
Publication: Spokane Spokesman Review
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: regional
News Category: Arts/Culture
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