Landmark of family owned business on 50 corridor rebuilt after being destroyed in vehicle accident earlier this year.
RANCHO CORDOVA — For more than four decades, a giant wooden waterwheel has turned alongside Folsom Boulevard, becoming a familiar roadside landmark for generations traveling the Highway 50 corridor. After a vehicle crash abruptly brought that history to an end earlier this year, the wheel is turning again.
Naturwood Home Furnishings will celebrate the return of its iconic 16-foot waterwheel Friday, Aug. 14, with a community ribbon cutting and unveiling at its longtime Rancho Cordova showroom, 12125 Folsom Blvd.
The celebration comes six months after a speeding vehicle crashed through the property’s perimeter fence in February and destroyed the approximately 40-year-old wooden structure.
Rather than replace the landmark with something new, the Naturwood family turned to its past.
The original waterwheel was built in 1985 by Robert M. Skamnes, a general contractor and family patriarch of the business owners, as part of the opening of Naturwood’s large Folsom Boulevard showroom. When it came time to rebuild after the February crash, the family retrieved Skamnes’ original blueprints from storage and used them as the basis for recreating the wheel.
The rebuilt wheel was constructed with new redwood, restoring the familiar appearance of the original. Pieces of wood salvaged from the 1985 wheel have also been preserved nearby as a tribute to the landmark’s history.
The original wheel was notable not only for its size but for its engineering. Built entirely of wood, it was carefully balanced so that a remarkably small flow of water could set the 16-foot structure in motion. According to Naturwood’s history of the landmark, approximately a pint of water flowing over the wheel was enough to keep it turning at about five revolutions per minute.
Its location helped make the wheel part of the landscape for far more people than those shopping for furniture. Positioned along Folsom Boulevard near the Highway 50 and Hazel Avenue corridor, the large spinning wheel became a recognizable visual marker for commuters and travelers moving between Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Folsom and communities farther east.
Over the years, the waterwheel and surrounding grounds also became closely associated with Naturwood itself, serving as a physical representation of a business built around wood furniture and craftsmanship.
That made its sudden destruction in February more than simply damage to the property.
The decision to rebuild from the original plans allowed the family to recreate the landmark rather than replace it with a modern interpretation, bringing the wheel back roughly four decades after Skamnes first constructed it.
“This waterwheel has always been more than a feature in front of our store,” the Naturwood family said. “It’s part of our history and part of the community. We’re excited to celebrate its return with everyone who has supported us through the years.”
Friday’s event will formally mark that return.
The community celebration will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and include an official ribbon cutting and unveiling of the rebuilt waterwheel. Naturwood will also display historic photographs of the original wheel, offer light refreshments and giveaways, and give visitors an opportunity to see the restored landmark operating once again.
Guests are invited to bring family and friends and take photographs with the new waterwheel as Naturwood commemorates both the restored landmark and the history behind it.
The Naturwood Home Furnishings waterwheel ribbon cutting and unveiling takes place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, at 12125 Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
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