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Electrifying Eureka: Four Tales of the Illumination of Eureka

6/22/2019

5 Comments

 
Originally, this post was going to only be on the arrival of streetlights to Eureka- however, once I started looking, there were some fascinating stories that came up about the arrival of the electric light and electricity to Eureka. Check out these four stories about the illumination and electrification of Eureka!

“Electric Fever”: Streetlights Come to Eureka

Electricity and the arrival of the electric streetlight proved to be revolutionary developments across the country, and the electric light in Eureka was no exception to that.
“Last evening about 6 o’clock, everything being in readiness, the electric machine in Vance’s mill was started up and immediately Second Street, in the vicinity of the Vance House, was lit up almost as bright as if Old Sol had not yet gone to rest below the horizon… large crowds turned out to view the illumination, the main point of attraction being Vance’s mill, where three lights were burning, completely lighting up the whole upper floor of that structure, and showing up everything almost as plain as daylight” Oct 24, 1885
Picture
A log to be milled at Vance Mill
Humboldt County has its fair share of mills burning down due to equipment malfunctions and oil lamps breaking, which would catch the rampant sawdust, oil, and other materials present in the mill on fire. In Humboldt County at this time, the lumber companies were the ones with enough money and more than adequate reason to invest in the infrastructure for bringing electricity to town- the electric light would hopefully reduce the likelihood of a mill burning down, having to be rebuilt, and the loss of productivity while the mill was being reconstructed.
The electric machine in Vance’s mill was a steam turbine that burned scraps and sawdust from the mill to heat water into steam, which powered a turbine and generate electricity. The Vance Mill had founded the Humboldt Light and Power Company on the waterfront at G Street, where the turbine was located and with time, the number of electric lights being powered in the mill and around town began to grow as ‘electric fever’ caught on.
Additionally, streetlights were also new to the US. The first electric streetlights were installed in Wabash, Indiana, in 1880, only five years before Eureka got their lights. It was an exciting event to view the illumination of nighttime streets, generally something we don’t notice nowadays.
PictureFrom Steve Lazar's Jesse A. Meiser Scanned Postcard collection.
Once the first lights were lit, and plans were made to add lights out F Street. Photographer Jesse A. Meiser took a photo of strings of early string lights illuminating F Street like a carnival scene.

Picture
F Street looking towards the Bay. Note the electrical lines on both sides of the street.
The newspaper report on the illumination of Vance Mill ends its celebration of the electric light with an interesting quote: “The movement [of adding electricity throughout Eureka] should guarantee a perpetual light on the monument of sawdust and slabs which Mr. Vance once said, in a public speech, he hoped would be erected to his memory.”

We’ll Leave a Light on For You: Electricity in the Homes of Eureka Residents

Oil lamps hung from the ceilings of many a Eureka home, and they carried similar risks to the usage of oil lamps in industrial settings- they could malfunction, break, and burn a house down. Mrs. Harriet Tracy, a Eureka resident, was a quick convert to installing electric lights in her home as soon as the option was available.
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In the fall of 1893, 14 year old Joe Tracy recorded in his diary that electric power lines had reached the Tracy family home at the corner of 13th and J In Eureka. The power came from a power plant at 1st and C streets called the Eureka Steamlight Plant (which accidentally burned down some years later). He notes that the early wires in the house “suspends the light and consists of about 20 fine copper wires insulated with a very thin covering of gutta percha. This (is) covered with cloth woven around it. Two strands of this are twisted together.” The family could afford the expensive lights in multiple rooms in their house: the kitchen, parlor, dining room, sitting room, and hall. Each light was 16 candle power and the whole setup cost between $0.25 and $0.60 cents per month to operate (between $20 and $30 per month in today’s money).

Once the lights were installed though, they didn’t always function without a hitch. The wires were thin, and Joe mentions a few months later that a wire had broken and had to be replaced. About a year later, the family’s supply of light bulbs ran out and Joe had to walk out to the electric works in search of bulbs- but he found that the offices where their bulbs originally had come from had closed. The only other shop with the proper light bulbs had run out of stock, so the family had to take back out their old oil lamps until a new shipment came in.  

Expanding the Reach of Electricity: A Tale of Two Electrical Companies

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An offshoot electrical company, organized by many of the same men that established the first electrical service in Eureka like John Vance and William Carson, was formed in 1902, called the North Mountain Power Company to specifically power the Humboldt Transit Company Streetcar system. This company also came up with an idea to construct an electric railroad connecting Eureka’s timber mills to Sacramento to improve their lumber transportation system, which relied on ships at the time. It would take a lot of electricity to operate, so the first step was to create a hydroelectric system near Weaverville. In 1904 when construction began, work was very slow due to the waterlogged roads between Redding, where the needed generator equipment was located, and Weaverville.

The same company, North Mountain Power Company, devised a project to build the electric railroad was abandoned temporarily due to the slow pace of construction. One way or another, the generator plant in Weaverville was completed with lines extending out to Eureka.
The power line connecting Eureka and the power plant went over some of the most rugged, hilly, and difficult to traverse land in this part of California due to not only the terrain but the heavily forested nature of the land. “To give you an idea of the ruggedness of the terrain,” William H. Wonderly in a Humboldt Historian Article from 1985 titled “1885-1985 Notable Anniversaries” states “the total rise and fall measured vertically, not including minor gulches, was 44,900 feet (eight and one half miles), equivalent to a climb from sea level to the top of the highest peaks in the Andes and back again.”
Picture
Crossing landscapes covered with giant trees like this one to lay a power line was no easy feat.
In the end, the transit system decided to built their own power plant since the cost of electricity from the Junction City power plant was too expensive. The North Mountain Power Company went back to their electric railroad idea- which was then abandoned for good when progress on the steam railroad from the Bay Area began to pick up.
The North Mountain Power Company and Eureka Lighting Company merged after a period of intense competition and low profits. The North Mountain Power Company was trying to find enough customers to operate the Junction City power plant at a profit rather than a loss and offered incredible incentives like free light bulbs and electrical wiring work in homes to increase their customer base. After the merger between the two companies, there was enough of a demand to use the Junction City plant at a profit.
Like the problems facing early Humboldt County, the solutions to providing electricity to the growing area were monumental- and significant. The power system constructed at the turn of the century was used to power Eureka until 1966. In 1964, huge storms hitting Humboldt County washed out a diversion dam that channeled water into the Junction City power plant, and the cost to reconstruct the dam was too high. It was officially deconstructed in 1966.

Powering the Shipyards

 In 1917, Bonds and Mortgages magazine from Chicago, Illinois, mentions that “The Eureka, California division of the Western States Gas & Electric Company [which was later purchased by what became Pacific Gas and Electric] has completed laying its 11,000 volt cable across Humboldt Bay to supply electricity to shipyards and other industries in that district. The shipyards are exceptionally active not, and eight keels for new boats have recently been laid. Two new bank buildings are being erected in Eureka”
Picture
These shipyards included the Hammond Mill, which was commissioned by the US government to construct 7 ships for government use in World War 1 shortly before the electrical cable was laid to power the shipyards in Samoa. The Hammond Mill briefly served as the Hammond Engineering Company until the Armistice in 1919, since the mill had the land needed to construct a temporary shipyard. After the Armistice, the shipyard was converted into a timber storage area.
5 Comments
Garret Root
8/19/2019 04:59:22 pm

Nothing beats the story of the Donbass.

Reply
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8/17/2024 05:06:21 am

The arrival of electric streetlights in Eureka marked a transformative moment in the city's history, ushering in a new era of illumination and technological advancement. In October 1885, the debut of electric lighting at Vance’s Mill brought a sense of wonder and excitement to Eureka. The sight of Second Street brightly lit by electric lights was a striking contrast to the dimly lit streets of the past. The installation of these lights not only provided a dramatic visual impact but also addressed practical concerns, such as reducing the risk of fires caused by oil lamps in the mill’s flammable environment. As the electric fever spread, Eureka began to see a significant increase in both the number of streetlights and the adoption of electric power across various sectors, reflecting a broader trend of technological progress sweeping through the United States at that time. The excitement surrounding these innovations was captured vividly by contemporary reports, highlighting the profound impact that this new form of illumination had on the local community.

The expansion of electricity in Eureka went beyond just street lighting, impacting residential life and local industries. By 1893, residents like Harriet Tracy were among the early adopters of electric lighting in their homes, replacing oil lamps with electric lights. Despite the initial high costs and occasional technical issues, such as broken wires and shortages of light bulbs, the shift to electricity represented a significant upgrade in convenience and safety. Moreover, the development of electrical infrastructure extended to ambitious projects like the North Mountain Power Company’s efforts to power streetcar systems and propose electric railroads. These endeavors, although eventually complicated by logistical challenges and economic factors, underscore the bold vision and determination of Eureka’s early pioneers in harnessing electricity. The eventual merger of local power companies and the expansion to power shipyards during World War I further illustrate how electricity became integral to Eureka's growth and modernization.

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Reply
Rusty Moore
7/3/2022 06:53:26 am

Not mentioned in this story is that the North Mountain Power Co. building at the foot of X st. was a power distribution point taking the electricity generated at the Junction City hydro plant and lowering the voltage for street car use.

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10/10/2024 12:48:44 pm

I have some history of Western States Gas and Electric from a person that worked for them in the 1920's and P.G.and E. later.

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