The Western Edison Light Company established the Vulcan Street Plant in September 1882 along the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. It was the first Edison hydroelectric station in North America to serve private and commercial customers with electricity, producing enough power to light an equivalent of 250 candles at 100 volts. H. J. Rogers was the driving force behind its realization. As the president of the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company, he created the Western Edison Light Company, which bought and installed generators along the Fox River in 1882. Once operational, the Vulcan Street Plant paved the way for future installations.
Contributed by Aaron Felhofer
Course: Modern Global Environmental History
Instructor: Dr. Wilko Graf von Hardenberg
University of Wisconsin–Madison, US