Rice Lake in Barron County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lentz Steam Engine

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018

1. Lentz Steam Engine Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The steam engine was a unique part of the industrial history of America’s heartland. Engines, such as this one, provided the power to generate electricity and run machines in hundreds of factories and municipalities throughout the world.

This Lentz steam engine was built by the Erie City Iron Works, Erie, Pennsylvania in 1925. It provided power to generate electricity for the Municipal Light of Denver, Colorado, until it was purchased in 1946 by the American Excelsior Company of Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Once installed at American Excelsior the steam engine generated power for all the plant’s lights, and small motors, and, by the means of a line shaft, also ran all the production machinery. The boiler that produced the steam to operate the engine was fueled by wood scrap making the operation very efficient. The mill operated 20 hours a day 5 days a week, making excelsior, which was bailed and shipped by mail all over the U.S. The unit was taken out of service in 1976. This Lentz balanced poppet valve steam engine weighs 16 tons and is 19 ft. wide, and 21 ft. long. The flywheel has a diameter of 12 ft. It is a single cylinder engine with

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a 19 inch bore and a 21 inch stroke. It created 350 horsepower and operated at 200 RPM.

The engine has been restored meticulously by several local groups using original blueprints and plans.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location. 45° 29.989′ N, 91° 43.969′ W. Marker is in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, in Barron County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of South Main Street (County Road SS) and Water Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located within Knapp-Stout Park, beside the Lentz Steam Engine exhibit. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 South Main Street, Rice Lake WI 54868, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Rice Lake, a City Built of Lumber (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Logging and Lumbering in the Rice Lake Area (about 700 feet away); The Mystery of the Concrete Pillars (about 700 feet away); Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (approx. 4½ miles away); The Tuscobia Trail (approx. 5.1 miles away).

Also see . . . Paxman-Lentz Steam Engines. Designed by Dr Hugo Lenz, the first Lentz engine was shown at the Como Exhibition of 1899

Lentz Steam Engine Marker (<i>wide view; steam engine exhibit on right</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018

2. Lentz Steam Engine Marker (wide view; steam engine exhibit on right)

where it won first prize. The following year, at the Paris Exhibition, it was awarded the Grand Prix and its inventor the Gold Medal. Although there was no 't' in Lenz's surname, his engines and patents were always called 'Lentz' as this was thought easier for English-speaking people to pronounce. Key features of the engine developed by Lenz were its great economy in steam consumption, due to its suitability for operating with high-pressure superheated steam, and its ability to run continuously and quietly at high piston and crankshaft speeds. These characteristics were derived from Lenz's patent valve gear, using poppet valves and positive valve gear, which provided greater control over the operation of the steam inlet valves. The engine embodied two other patents: the 'inertia' type governor, which enabled the engine to maintain a steady, constant speed under varying loads, and frictionless metallic packing. (Submitted on March 10, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Lentz Steam Engine image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018

3. Lentz Steam Engine

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018

4. Lentz Steam Engine

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2018

5. Lentz Steam Engine

Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 507 times since then and 132 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 10, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.