February 18, 2004 - City Donates Antique Wooden Water Pipe to the Gilpin Historical Society...read more

Thanks to the efforts of Black Hawk Water Department employee, Darrell E. Presley and several other Public Works employees, the City has donated a section of 24-inch wooden water pipe dating from the late 19th or early 20th century. This wooden stave pipe served the City of Black Hawk as part of the water delivery system for residents and businesses alike. This 11 foot section of pipe has rested peacefully under the trees outside the Dory Hill Water Plant for many years. Knowing the history of this type of pipe, Darrell felt it was important that this piece of history was preserved. Gaining the necessary permissions from his supervisors and City Council, Darrell presented a packet of information to the Gilpin Historical Society and the request that the pipe be preserved and placed on display at their museum. Presley expressed his desire to help people “get a perspective of the World of Water before plastic and ductile iron pipe.”

Wooden stave pipes were pipes made out of wooden slats placed together and bound with steel. These differed from wooden log pipes (a log bored through and used as a water pipe) as log pipe size was limited to the size of the tree it came from. Wooden stave pipes had no such limitations and some of the largest of these were known to be as much as 9 feet in diameter! Wooden pipes were mostly phased out and replaced with more modern materials by the mid-20th century, but a handful of these old wooden pipes are still functioning today. In 2004, an archeological team in the United Kingdom dug up wooden pipes at the site of an old Roman fort. While around 2,000 years old, these pipes were still in serviceable condition and still carried water from a nearby spring. Our historic section of water pipe may not be as large or as old as some of these examples, but it is still worthy of preservation and deserves to take up a place of honor in the Gilpin Historical Society Museum.

Sources: BBC Online 2/18/2004, No Tech Magazine Online 9/3/2010, Portland’s Wooden Water Pipes: Portland State University