Harnessing the Snoqualmie Falls
A new company of Seattle capitalists plans to transmit electrical power from Snoqualmie Falls, aiming to rival the scale of Niagara and spark a regional economic boom.
D. H. Gilman and others have formed a company of Seattle capitalists, with a capital stock of $600,000, to transmit electrical power from the Snoqualmie falls, twenty-three miles from Seattle. This promises to be the second largest plant in the world, being excelled only by that of Niagara. They expect to transmit power so cheaply that all the electric lines of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and adjacent territory will use it. If this proves successful, it means a big boom for Seattle.
“This promises to be the second largest plant in the world, being excelled only by that of Niagara.”
The 1895 vision of Snoqualmie Falls as a regional power engine laid the groundwork for the electrification of the Puget Sound. Today, the site remains a critical piece of regional infrastructure, reflecting the long-standing Pacific Northwest reliance on hydroelectric power.
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