Public Utility District No. 1 of Wahkiakum County
Serving Wahkiakum County since 1937
In 1916 James and John West installed the first electric light plant in Wahkiakum County. By 1926, the Peoples West Coast Hydro-Electric Corp. purchased the West brothers’ distribution system and by 1927, a cable was laid from Westport, Or. to Puget Island. A line was then constructed across Puget Island and a cable laid to Cathlamet. Conversion of the West’s direct current system to alternating current was completed and expansion into rural areas began. About this time West Coast built a transmission line from South Bend to Ilwaco with a leg to Naselle and Grays River.
On December 30, 1935, County Commissioners Theodore Swanson, Charles Foster and Andrew Shold passed a resolution directing a proposition be submitted to the voters on the November 1936 ballot to decide whether or not to create a Public Utility District. The measure passed 625 to 445 and three PUD Commissioners were chosen: G.J. Jaspers of Puget Island; J.I. Maki of Skamokawa and C.R Worrel of Grays River.
The Wahkiakum PUD board of commissioners were officially organized on January 7, 1937.
On March 1, 1940, Wahkiakum PUD acquired all electrical properties from the private utility West Coast Power. All West Coast employees remained with the new PUD, including John Dickson our first General Manager. Mr. Dickson held this position for 18 1/2 years. Wahkiakum PUD was eventually to become the first in the northwest to serve electrical customers county wide.
In1974, BPA completed construction of the transmission line we currently use, from Oregon across Puget Island to Cathlamet. They also built a new substation in Rosedale. The original submarine cable was then abandoned and a second substation was later added at the site in 2012.
At the November 1974 election, after serving 15 years as our Auditor, Myna A. (Peggy) Martin was elected and became the first woman to serve as a PUD Commissioner in the state of Washington.
Credit: Most of the information contained in this article is from accounts written by Myna A. (Peggy) Martin.