Fall River Hydro Interpretive Center

A little off the beaten track and perhaps not a «destination» museum (it’s on the small side), if you’re already in Estes Park this is well worth a visit.
The hydroelectric power station was installed to power the Stanley Hotel in 1908 and carried on generating electricity until the dam was destroyed in the 1982 flood!
The original Pelton wheel and generator are in immaculate condition and you can see the cast iron pipe which carried the water down the 400ft drop.
There’s also an entertaining video by Jay Leno (who really loves his cars!) about the Stanley Steamer a steam powered car invented by the Stanley Brothers — who built the Stanley hotel and were instrumental in developing Estes park. And of course had the foresight to install this new way of generating electricity.

What a fun, historical interesting relic of a bygone era (that only ended in 1982!). In 1908, FO Stanley (of the Stanley Steamer and the Stanley Hotel) wanted to bring electricity to his hotel down the road aways. So, they build a damn at cascade lake and routed a pipe of water to this Pelton Wheel hydroelectric generator. The electricity generated field the hotel and Estes Park until 1982, when he Lake Lawn flood occurred (and blew out the cascade lake damn).
At this little self-​guided center, you can see the Pelton Wheel, a big Diesel generator, and the pipeline and hook-​ups for the water coming from the old damn. It is an enginerd’s dream: Bring your dad, uncle, or geeky aunt here — It only takes about 45 minutes to do it fully and is FREE of charge! But be sweet, sign the register (so they can keep getting grants to stay open) and make a teeny donation– the light will light up for you! Enjoy!