Knight's Foundry and Shops
historic place
In Sutter Creek, Amador County, stands Knight's Foundry and Shops. Established in 1873 by Samuel Knight, this site served the Mother Lode's gold mining and timber industries. It produced heavy equipment, including stamp mills and street lights. Knight's Foundry is notable as America's last water-powered foundry and machine shop. The foundry's machinery is driven by water falling over 400 feet, supplied by the Amador Canal system. Samuel Knight invented the Knight Water Wheel, an impulse turbine used in early Western U.S. hydroelectric plants. A 42-inch Knight Wheel still powers the main line shaft. Knight's Foundry operated commercially for over a century, until 1991 or 1996. It is recognized as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and a California Registered Historical Landmark. The site is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This foundry offers a direct link to the industrial technologies of the California Gold Rush era.