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STEELE CREEK NEWS

It All Started with a Single Dam

Duke opened its first dam along the Catawba River in York, S.C., sending the power to the Victoria Cotton Mills in Rock Hill, 18 miles away, along a single line. The power started moving at 6 a.m. and shut off at 6:30 p.m.
                                                    Charlotte Observer, April 24, 2004

(April 24,  2004) On March 30, 1904, W. Gil Wylie's Catawba Power Company opened the gates on its first hydroelectric station on the Catawba River. In 1925 a larger dam replaced this first station and created a 12,000 acre lake, which was named Lake Wylie in 1960.

The Catawba Power Company became Duke Power Company, the largest supplier of electricity in the Carolinas and a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corporation, which has operations around the world.

Learn more about the history of Duke Power and the role of W. Gil Wylie on the Duke Power web site 100th Anniversary page.

See also the Charlotte Observer's article on 100 Years of Power and links to the Observer's 2004 Lake Guide.

(You will need to register with the Observer to view these items. Links should remain active for at least a year.)