Built by A.D. Foote in 1895, the North Star Powerhouse was the first complete water-powered compressed air transmission plant of its kind. Compressed air generated by Pelton Water Wheels furnished power for the entire mine operation, and its 30 foot Pelton Wheel, the largest in the world, remained in continuous use for more than 30 years. The Pelton Wheel produces power from the momentum of a water jet striking buckets attached to the rim of a wheel. It developed from the primitive "Hurdy Gurdy" wheel used in the California gold fields in the nineteenth century. Various inventors contributed to this type of water turbine, including Lester A. Pelton, who patented the characteristic split bucket form in 1880, and W. A. Doble, who made later important contributions to Pelton-Wheel technology.