When the lights come on in Maple Creek

As the 20th century dawned, the advent of electricity was sweeping through the world and communities were ready to launch themselves into the electric world.

Maple Creek was no different and the first electric power was provided by the Maple Creek Light, Power and Milling Company soon after the turn of the century. The first plant superintendent was Joe Douey.

Around the end of the First World War, Maple Creek town council asked the power company to extend their power lines in order to provide service to customers on the south side of the community. A power line was constructed and soon after the gasoline and kerosene lamps of the community were taken down.

With the population of Maple Creek rising to 900 people by the middle of the 1920s, the need for another power generating unit was needed. The new plant was built, providing a total capacity to customers of 160 kilowatts. At the time, thanks to the system’s $40,000 price tag, it was one of the largest privately-owned utilities in Saskatchewan.

One of the first 24-hour service agreements in the province came about in Maple Creek when the Saskatchewan Power Commission obtained a franchise to operate the Maple Creek system. This new service helped usher in the age of cooling units that ran on electricity at the meat plant.

Now under the umbrella of the commission, a power plant was built and two new engines that generated 250 kilowatts were created. This system served 150 customers across the area. Once the army camp was established during the Second World War, load capacity on the system increased to 500 kilowatts.

By 1949, there were 300 electrical customers in the community and the Saskatchewan Power Corporation took over the electrical system of the province. Under the direction of the new corporation, many rural customers began to receive power at their homes. This new increase in demand resulted in the need for an addition to the power plant. In 1955, a 13,200-volt transmission line was built into Cypress Hills Provincial Park and soon after a 25,000-volt line was built from the Maple Creek sub-station to Maple Creek Itself.

The era of Maple Creek running its own power ended in 1958 when a 72,000-kilowatt line was built to Maple Creek from Swift Current. While the power plant was lost, that year was a big year for the community when natural gas arrived. That first year, 600 people signed up for the service in the summer.

Suggestions for columns or questions? E-mail Craig at crwbaird@gmail.com. Listen to his podcast by searching for “Canadian History Ehx” on your podcast form. Find his show on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/CanadianHistoryEhx

Information, and all quotes, for this column comes from Maple Creek and area: Where Past Is Present Volume 1.