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By Phyllis Badgley
Directly across from Baker
Garage in the 1700 block of Washington Street, al alley
extends about 200 feet south. In former years, a brick
building and a huge round metal tank (above ground) were
located there.
Longtime Baker City resident Virgil Wunder recalled the
red brick building being part of a coal-gas operation
with the huge cistern storage tank nearby at ground
level.
Roland Campbell, retired city recorder, concurred with
that theory. He at one time lived near the facility.
Campbell stated that the Eastern Oregon Light and Power
Co. used the facility to generate gas for heat and
power. Coal with gas removed produced a by product
"coke" which was used as fuel in some homes. |
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Shown is Ray
Comstock, employee of Eastern Oregon Light and Power Co.
As mechanic of the 1030's era, he serviced the fleet of
cars for the power company. Note the auto's hard
rubber tires, spot lights and radiator cap that
contained the heat thermometer. This building was
located west of the alley in the 1700 block of
Washington Street. later Comstock was the foreman
for 20 years at the power company's auxiliary steam
plant in South Baker, located of Highway 7 near Powder
River |
The gas
storage tank was in close proximity to the brick
building that housed control gauges. An operator kept
watch on gas pressure output from the above ground steel
tank. The mechanically designed tank had steel balls on
a track that allowed the structure to gain or decrease
height.
Manufactured gas from the facility served some of the
Main Street businesses, lines also extended north on
First and Second Streets and a short way south on Dewey
Street. Campbell stated that City Hall had early day gas
light fixtures before converting to electricity. The
manufactured gas cistern was dismantled in the mid-30s
by McKim Foundry and Machine Shop.
Glen Bates, board director for Oregon Trail Electric
Co., told me of discussions he had with former Eastern
Oregon Light and Power Co. officials Leon Gray and Bill
Riordan. In the late 1920s and early 30s the coal-gas
operation was not showing large financial returns for
the company. Consequently, these two men were given the
task of convincing Main Street merchants to convert to
electricity. Touting that electricity was definitely the
key to the future, Gray and Riordan successfully pushed
sales of electric stoves and water heaters. Longtime
Baker City residents will recall, as I do, officers and
department heads of E.O.L. & P. during the 30s and 40s.
In addition to those mentioned, familiar names were
Lottridge, King, Wiggins, Lyman, Lanning, Enright,
Reider and Comstock. |
Bates explained to me that
power sources were originally designed to aid the mining
industry. When excess occurred, lines were built to
carry electricity to additional customers. Water-powered
electric plants were established by E.O.L. & P. Co. as a
network between Rock Creek, Bourne, and Fremont. One
former power plant operator, Henry "Hank" Potts, still
lives in La Grande.
With unlimited electric power available, homes of the
1930s began to accumulate numerous appliances. Heating
pads gained popularity, electric curling iron enabled
made-moiselle to obtain a "marcell" at home.Electric
mixers provided ease in preparing cakes, mashed potatoes
and juices. Farmers utilized electricity for pumps and
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The Eastern Oregon Light and
Power Co plant. The birck building at left stood
south of Washington Street, near where the Baker Garage
lot is today. The two structures in this
photograph were built up against the Powder River |
| milking
machines. My aunt in that era had a modern appliance
that fascinated me. It was an ironing mangle. This
device allowed the operator to iron while seated.
Clothing was fed through a heated roller to diffuse
wrinkles. Definitely a step ahead of commonplace
hand-held irons.
During the Depression years, economy was stressed in our
home. We were taught to turn off the lights when not in
use - a habit still ingrained.
As a marketing tool, the power company sponsored cooking
schools to teach housewives to cook more effectively
with electricity. After many years of service, E.O.L. &
P. Co. sold to Calif-Pacific Utilities.
Loy Wisdom, early day E.O.L.& P.employee, maintained
volumes of history of the power company. Unfortunately,
these historic documents were lost in a disastrous fire,
when power company headquarters in the Rand building at
First and Washington streets was consumed by fire in the
mid-1980s. Presently our locally owned utility OTEC
serves us from 4005 23rd St.
Today with endless uses of electricity we cannot imagine
our world without this convenience. Thank you, Thomas
Edison! |
Printed here with the permission of
Baker City Herald
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