A Century of Service: Rural Electrification 1916-1929

[geomodelrailroader]

This is a great story. In 1916 Idaho Power was founded. What started as 50 power companies struggling to survive merged together to become one and have one goal "to keep Idaho's lights on". The 1900s was a good time for Idaho Power to get started despite the First World War the state of Idaho was born the once barren desert became farmland and Idaho's first towns start to appear. But in order for these towns to survive they needed electricity. Power plants were built in Sun Valley Idaho and at Swan Falls on the Snake River and then Idaho Power started to grow and 6 new power plants were built on the Snake. American Falls Reservoir, Brownlee, Oxbow, Swan Falls, Shoshone Falls, and Lower Salmon. These and the rest of the plants that were built in this area supply power to a growing state. But that all changed when the Great Depression happened Idaho Power had to rethink its plan to survive its first few years of life.