Sterling Hydraulic Co.

Everything changed when the water was put to work.

In the mid-1800s, the Sterling Hydraulic Company transformed the Rock River into a source of reliable power by constructing a dam and raceway system. That steady flow of water fueled the rise of industry along its banks—and with it, the rapid growth of Sterling itself.

This mural captures that early industrial corridor, where water power drove the machinery of progress. The buildings represented here include some of the city’s foundational businesses: Spies, Zendt & Co. Implement Works (1872), Williams & Orton (1861), G.T. Elliot, Church & Patterson Union Pacific  & Sterling Flour Mills, Sterling Pump Co. (1863), Empire Feed Mill Mfg. Co. (1870) and Novelty Iron Works (Sterling Furniture Co. )(1869). 

Together, these industries helped establish Sterling as a manufacturing center, producing goods that reached far beyond the local community.

What you’re seeing is more than a collection of factories—it’s the moment when natural resources, innovation, and ambition came together to shape the city’s future.