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Public and private interests throughout Minnesota eagerly followed Edison's lead, many taking
<br /> advantage of the state's bountiful waterpower to produce hydroelectricity. By 1882,Minneapolis
<br /> investors had established the state's first hydroelectric power plant, which was located on the
<br /> west bank of the Mississippi River. This single turbine operation shared a power canal with
<br /> massive flour mills, whose equipment was directly driven by the water's flow. Subsequently,
<br /> hydromechanical and hydroelectric generation were commonly paired: more than half of the
<br /> hydroelectric power plants built before 1914 utilized dams originally built for manufacturing
<br /> purposes. Like many grist mills and sawmills, early hydroelectric facilities were typically"small,
<br /> locally owned manufactories providing a staple product for a local market."8
<br /> While most early power plants were developed privately,precedent was set for municipal
<br /> ownership of electric utilities in the late nineteenth century. Brainerd opened a plant in 1887,
<br /> followed by Litchfield in 1890. Charter cities with populations over 10,000 had authority to
<br /> create independent utilities. This privilege was extended to smaller communities by state
<br /> legislation passed in 1907.9
<br /> Elk River did not rush into the electric age. On the eve of the First World War, the town's streets,
<br /> homes, and most businesses were illuminated by acetylene gas or oil lamps. Only the Blanchett
<br /> Hotel and the opera house had electricity,provided by privately-owned, gasoline-powered
<br /> electric generators. The lack of electricity did not seem to hinder the community's prosperity.
<br /> Businesses along Main Street in 1915 included a confectionery, two barbers, a millinery shop, a
<br /> billiard hall, the fire department, an auto repair shop, a bank, a furniture store, the opera house, a
<br /> grocery store, an agricultural implements dealer, a hardware store, a creamery, a printer, and a
<br /> hotel. Grain elevators were located near the rail lines.1°
<br /> Despite this economic activity,however,the local newspaper concluded that"the lack of electric
<br /> light and power is one thing that has held Elk River back for many years."11 It painted a picture
<br /> of life that seemed increasingly primitive in that era:
<br /> As yet, Elk River has not entered the ranks of progress,but continues to drub along
<br /> without electricity in any form. Its street lighting costs a good sum of money every year,
<br /> but is little better than a joke. The town has no power to offer and cannot hope to induce
<br /> manufacturing concerns to come here under the circumstances. In the homes of the
<br /> village,the citizens must lug primitive oil lamps around, with all the discomfort that
<br /> includes.12
<br /> s Jeffrey A.Hess,"Hydroelectric Generating Facilities in Minnesota, 1881-1928,"Multiple Property Documentation
<br /> Form prepared for the State Historic Preservation Office,Minnesota Historical Society,Saint Paul,October 1989,
<br /> E2,E5,E6.
<br /> 9 Hollenstein,Power Development in Minnesota,5;Nicholas Kroska,Serving the Community: The History of
<br /> Rochester Public Utilities(Rochester,Minn.:The Company, 1988),5;James G. Coke,"Public Utilities
<br /> Commissions in Minnesota Villages,"M.A.thesis,University of Minnesota,August 1952,3.
<br /> 10 Sanborn Map Company,Elk River, Minn.September 1915,Sheets 1 and 2;"Private Electric Plant,"Sherburne
<br /> County Star News,March 12, 1914.
<br /> 11"Ready to Install an Electric Plant,"Sherburne County Star News,February 12, 1914.
<br /> 12"Electricity,"Sherburne County Star News,July 2, 1914.
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