Roots of Motive Power, Willits

About Roots of Motive Power

Roots of Motive Power preserves and restores steam- and diesel-powered equipment from the California north coast logging industry spanning from the 1850s to the present. The all-volunteer organization, founded in 1982, maintains a collection that includes antique logging and railroad equipment, a complete blacksmith shop, period machine shop tools, and a research library focused on early steam and logging engineering. Visitors can tour the collection during monthly work days held on the first and third Saturdays, when the grounds are open to the public. The organization brings its equipment to life several times yearly during special public events, with the largest being the annual Steamup. The collection's centerpiece includes historically significant pieces like the Murray Brothers spool donkey, an early mechanical logging device built on John Dolbeer's 1880s patents. Located in Willits, California, Roots of Motive Power operates as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization run entirely by volunteers who restore and maintain the equipment, lay track, and serve as docents and historians.