Document - Historical information/data - George Trapp overview of electricy arriving to Eagan farms - 11/2/1984`r' I C Cr li
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To the best of my knowledge, the material attached to this form
is accurate. I hereby give my permission to use this material
as presented in the history book for the City of Eagan.
Date
Name r (,; C' rI)4F ry
Please Print
Address -. .�---tip---
Signature
ELECTRICITY
Most of the Eagan farms did not have electricity in their homes
until the mid-1930s. Some had small gasoline- or wind -powered
generators, but electric power was not available to the whole
community.
George Trapp's parents bought a refrigerator in Mendota in
1935 and wired their house for electricity, expecting the power
to reach them soon. Unfortunately, the hand -digging of holes for
poles and powerlines was a slow process; the new refrigerator was
three years old before it first operated.
Brooker Electric had a generating plant at Wescott for years that provided power
to customers between Wescott and Mendota in north Eagan. When the REA was
established in 1935, fewer than 11 of every 100 farms in the United States had
electricity. The high cost kept power from the rest of Eagan until a
cooperative was established in 1937.
The Dakota Electric Cooperative was organized mainly through the
efforts of C.H. Gelder of Farmington, who was its first manager, line man
and meter reader as well. The system was built at a cost of $1,000 per mile
by Langford Electric of Minneapolis. The holes for the power line poles were
all dug in by hand.
During World War II a training airport was established near
the corner of Lexington and Diffley Roads. An electric line east
one mile from Lexington had to be buried because of low -flying
planes; it was Dakota Electric's first underground high -voltage line.
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Electricity and Telephones
Most of the Eagan farmers did not have electricity in their homes until
the mid-1930s. Some had small gasoline or wind -powered generators, but electric
power was not available to the whole community.
George Trapp's parents bought a refrigerator in Mendota in 1935 and wired
their house for electricity in 1936, expecting the power to reach them soon.
Unfortunately, the hand -digging of holes for poles and powerlines was a slow
process; the new refrigerator was three years old before it first operated.
Brook er Electric had a generating plant at Wescott for years that provided power
to customers between Wescott and Mendota in north Eagan. When the REA was
established in 1935, fewer than 11 of every 100 farms in the United States had
electricity. The high cost kept power from the rest of Eagan until a
cooperative was established in 1937.
The Dakota Electric Cooperative was organized mainly through the
efforts of C.H. Gelde r of Farmington,
and meter reader as. well. The system
by Langford Electric of Minneapolis.
all dug in by hand.
During World War II there was a training airport near the corner
of Lexington and Diffley Roads. An electric line east one mile from
Lexington had to be buried because of low -flying planes; it was Dakota Electric's
first underground high -Voltage line.
who was its first manager, line man
was built at a cost of $1,000 per mile
The holes for the power line poles were
Telephones first came to Eagan around 1910, but relatively few
people had them. Lifelong
resident Arn Carlson remembered neighbors
walking down the road to use
farms with telephones had to
Their use eventually revived,
of the farms in the United St
others'. During the Depression, many
drop the service because of its cost.
but even in 1950 only about a third
ates had them.
courtesy Elmer Perron
1932--This is a natural gas ;pipeline crew, laying pipe in the
nlackhawk and Cliff Roads area. The horses are Perch“Dns and are
owned by r1mer Perron, wro is standing at the extreme right. �l;ner
and the horses and wa3on were paid °?.rn a day. The welder Jot
�1.25 ner hour.
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