Near Vermilion in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lester Allan Pelton

By Dale K. Benington, July 23, 2014

1. Lester Allan Pelton Marker

Inscription. Lester Allan Pelton, "the Father of Hydroelectric Power," was born on September 5, 1829, a quarter of a mile northwest of this site. He spent his childhood on a farm a mile south of this site and received his early education in a one-room schoolhouse that once sat north of this site. In the spring of 1850, he and about twenty local boys, left for California during the great gold rush west. Pelton did not find gold, but instead invented what was commonly known as "the Pelton Water-Wheel," which produced the first hydroelectric power in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California in 1887. The Water-Wheel was patented on August 27, 1889. Currently variations of it are still commonly used to generate electric power throughout the world. Pelton died in California on March 14, 1908. He is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Vermilion.

Erected 2009 by Vermilion Area Archival Society and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 27-22.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection marker series.

Location. 41° 24.41′ N, 82° 24.406′ W. Marker is near Vermilion, Ohio, in Erie County. Marker is at the intersection of West Lake Road (U.S. 6) and

By Dale K. Benington, July 23, 2014

2. Lester Allan Pelton Marker

A close-up view of the picture of Lester Allan Pelton that is displayed on this historical marker.

Risden Road (County Route 143), on the right when traveling east on West Lake Road. Touch for map. This historical marker is located in Vermilion Township, in the northeast corner of Cuddeback Cemetery. Marker is in this post office area: Vermilion OH 44089, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lake Shore Electric Railway (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Wright House and the Underground Railroad/Old Main Street (approx. 7.7 miles away); Sandstone Center of the World (approx. 9.3 miles away); Historic Roadway (approx. 10.1 miles away); First Cedar Point Road (approx. 10.1 miles away); Camp Avery / County Seat (approx. 10.2 miles away); Great Kipton Train Wreck (approx. 11 miles away); Charles M. Hall and Frank M. Jewett (approx. 12.6 miles away).

Categories. • Notable Persons •

By Dale K. Benington, July 23, 2014

3. Lester Allan Pelton Marker

View, looking south along Risden Road, of the historical marker.

By Dale K. Benington, July 23, 2014

4. Lester Allan Pelton Marker

View of the historical marker looking north towards the West Lake and Risden Road intersection.

By Dale K. Benington, July 23, 2014

5. Lester Allan Pelton Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on July 23, 2014, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 332 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 23, 2014, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.