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.)
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