Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
Wisconsin waterways spell the future of electric power, 1918
The White Coal of Wisconsin
Organized in 1914 by a group of public utilities in northwestern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company sought to harness the power of the Chippewa River and its tributaries to produce electric power. In 1915, the company began construction on the Wissota Hydro Project, a large concrete dam across the Chippewa River. The project was so large and required so many workers that the company built a small town to house workers and their families. Evocatively called "white coal" for the color of the waves on a rushing river, water-power was touted as the future of electric power in the Midwest. The Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company produced this book in 1918, soon after the dam was completed, to sing the praises and hail the future of hydro-electric power.
| Related Topics: |
Industrialization and Urbanization The Introduction of Electrical Power |
| Creator: | Russell, John A. |
| Pub Data: | Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kelsey, Brewer, and Co., 1918. (pamphlet 93-571) |
| Citation: | Russell, John A. The White coal of Wisconsin: Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company. (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Kelsey, Brewer & Co., 1918); online facsimile at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1283 Online facsimile at: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1283; Visited on: 5/11/2024 |
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