A quaint pair of elderly donkey steam engines used to build Lake Arrowhead dam, are seen here in 1929, a quarter century after duty. The engines, said to be over 60 years old, are "nose-to-nose" as an unidentified woman poses on one of them. The steam donkey, or "donkey engine" acquired its name from the animals they replaced, and was a term originally applied to a little steam engine of less than one horsepower. This portable power unit was usually mounted on skids and equipped with winch drums and cables. John Dolbeer invented the donkey engine in August of 1881.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
