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Rock Creek Power Plant
Once A Source Of Power - Now A Source Of History
Local entrepreneurs, with financing from a seasoned
hydropower developer, constructed the power plant that was
economically designed using locally acquired construction materials
and hydroelectric equipment manufactured in California and the East.
Several people contributed to the development of the
plant including John J. Henry, a western hydropower industrialist
and William Shoemaker, owner of the Rock Creek Flourmill. Shoemaker,
William H. Gilbert, co-owner of the flourmill and Shoemakerıs
father-in-law, Arnst Loennig, obtained the water right to generate
power from Rock Creek. Three months later, these local residents,
along with Al Welch, previous manager of the Baker Gas and Electric
Company steam plant, incorporated the Rock Creek Power &
Transmission Company. Shortly after the organization of the company, Henry
sold his investment in the plant and in addition to Welch, Shoemaker
and Gilbert, the owners of the Rock Creek company included Col.
William Butcher, a former stockholder in the Baker City electric
plant, John Donnelly, cashier of the first National Bank and A.
Lennox, a prosperous rancher from Haines. In the early phases of building the plant, the Sumpter
Blue Mountain American newspaper reported in 1903 that the
Cyclone Mine would be the first mine in the entire district to
obtain power from a "custom plant." The article said the "mine is a
pioneer in a movement that is destined to be immense next year." And
the prediction was correct, the use of hydroelectric power in mining
continued to expand for several decades. Although the Rock Creek project received much publicity
from local newspapers, it received little attention from an
engineering standpoint. The Electrical World and Engineer regarded the
plant as most noteworthy for its expression of its developer's
resourcefulness reporting that, "The installation is not
particularly notable for any new features of engineering involved,
but for the reason that it shows what can be done by local men with
push in building up a power business in the thinly-settled districts
of the West and in the utilization of small streams of water." Work began on the new plant, which included a
powerhouse, penstock (riveted steel pipeline), water conveyance
system (flume), and transmission lines during the summer of 1903.
The complexity of the project required skilled hydroelectric
engineers from urban areas in addition to local laborers.
The powerhouse walls were built with rough-cut native stone measuring 24 inches
thick. A San Francisco based manufacturer specially designed the two 50-inch
water wheels for the powerhouse, which could produce 750 hp when turned with
2.45-inch nozzle under 960-foot head of pressure.
Although it was hoped to complete the project by October of 1903, working in
steep terrain and procuring state-of-the-art equipment delayed completion of the
plant. By the end of May of 1904 the Rock Creek Power & Transmission Company
turned the water into the flume and soon after hydroelectric power was being
dispersed to local mining operations.
The Elkhorn, Cracker Creek (near Bourne), and Cyclone mining districts were all
early recipients of power from the Rock Creek Plant. Substations were installed
in each of these areas, as well as one in Baker City that received and
distributed power from the main Rock Creek Plant.
As the mining industry faded, due to World War II and the declining value of
gold, local communities instead became the main recipients of power from the
small hydroelectric plant and its substations.
Early in the project, in anticipation, Baker City had hired a large number of
electric workers to overhaul its system of electrical lights, installing a
three-phase system, which enabled the Rock Creek Power & Transmission Company to
provide electrical users access to power during scheduled periods. In addition
to domestic and commercial use, the plant also powered the then new Baker City
streetcar line and streetlights.
The power supplied by the plant became so critical to local residents that
during the fall and winter months when the water in the flume would freeze
stopping power generation, local farmers assisted in chopping ice to keep it
flowing. Small sheds with wood stoves were located at points along the flume to
provide shelter for ³flume tenders.²
The operation of the plant required a chief operator, two additional operators
and a flume tender each working 12-hour shifts. To house the staff the power
plant complex included two small operatorıs houses, a slightly larger chief
operatorıs house and a fourth small house for the flume tender. Later, in 1938,
to stay in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, which implemented
eight-hour shifts, a fifth employee house was built.
Historical data was unclear as to the exact date, but a forebay (pond), water
storage facility, was also added perhaps around 1926 when the then deteriorated
and inoperative flume had to be replaced with creosote-treated wood.
As power producers struggled to establish dominance, the Rock Creek Power &
Transmission Company changed ownership several times. And as the grid of
available electrical providers like Idaho Power expanded, the Rock Creek Plant
played a less important role and was used only to ³top off² the power during
peak hours of use.
Oregon Trail Electric Co-op acquired the plant in 1988, and continued its use
until March 1, 1995, when it was decided that the expense of operating it and
its lack of efficiency could no longer justify its use as a limited source of
power. The plant was officially decommissioned August 2003.
To commemorate the power plant, OTEC will contribute $4,500 to the U.S. Forest
Service for the development of an interpretive sign or exhibit, and provide the
Baker County Library and Eastern Oregon Museum with historical data.
The following people and business made this article
possible"
Oregon Trail Electric Co-op Additional Information on Power Plant
Eastern Oregon Light and Power (Historic Site) |
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