Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park
Encyclopedia
Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park is a historical site located in Folsom
near Sacramento
, California
, in the United States
. Built in the late 19th century by the Natoma Water and Mining Company and prison labor from Folsom Prison, the hydroelelectric powerhouse first delivered power to Sacramento in 1895. The powerplant
remained in operation until 1952. Pacific Gas and Electric donated the plant to the State of California, which designated the site as State Historic Site Number #633. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark
in 1981. It has the original four turbines still in place
A diversion canal took water from the American River
to four 8 feet (2.4 m), 750-kilowatt generators that were manufactured by General Electric Company via four 8 feet (2.4 m) penstocks. Only two of the four generators were operating on July 13, 1895 when the powerhouse provided the first electricity to Sacramento via 22 miles (35.4 km) of transmission lines, making it the first place in the United States to transmit long-distance hydroelectric power. On September 9, 1895 the new power provided by the powerhouse resulted in a "Grand Electric Carnival" celebration by decorating the state capital with thousands of light bulbs.
A second powerhouse was constructed below the original facility in 1897 to house an additional 750-kilowatt generator to meet the growing residential and public transit electricity demands of Sacramento. By the early 20th century the demand for electricity in Sacramento had out paced the capacity of the expanded Folsom Powerhouse, thus larger powerplants were built along the Yuba
, Feather
, and Tuolumne
Rivers in order to provide power for Northern California. The San Francisco-based California Gas and Electric Company bought the Folsom Powerhouse by 1902. When the company was reorganized into Pacific Gas and Electric in 1906, it retooled the powerplant and forebay.
The Folsom Powerhouse was the second powerhouse on the American River. Folsom State Prison first harnessed the river to complete its own hydroelectric powerplant in 1893.
Folsom, California
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its famous Folsom Prison. The population was 72,203 at the 2010 census....
near Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Built in the late 19th century by the Natoma Water and Mining Company and prison labor from Folsom Prison, the hydroelelectric powerhouse first delivered power to Sacramento in 1895. The powerplant
PowerPlant
PowerPlant is an object-oriented GUI toolkit, application framework and set of class libraries for Mac OS, created by Metrowerks. The framework was fairly popular at the height of the Classic Mac OS era, and was primarily used with CodeWarrior...
remained in operation until 1952. Pacific Gas and Electric donated the plant to the State of California, which designated the site as State Historic Site Number #633. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1981. It has the original four turbines still in place
A diversion canal took water from the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
to four 8 feet (2.4 m), 750-kilowatt generators that were manufactured by General Electric Company via four 8 feet (2.4 m) penstocks. Only two of the four generators were operating on July 13, 1895 when the powerhouse provided the first electricity to Sacramento via 22 miles (35.4 km) of transmission lines, making it the first place in the United States to transmit long-distance hydroelectric power. On September 9, 1895 the new power provided by the powerhouse resulted in a "Grand Electric Carnival" celebration by decorating the state capital with thousands of light bulbs.
A second powerhouse was constructed below the original facility in 1897 to house an additional 750-kilowatt generator to meet the growing residential and public transit electricity demands of Sacramento. By the early 20th century the demand for electricity in Sacramento had out paced the capacity of the expanded Folsom Powerhouse, thus larger powerplants were built along the Yuba
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
, Feather
Feather River
The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...
, and Tuolumne
Tuolumne River
The Tuolumne River is a California river that flows nearly from the central Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley...
Rivers in order to provide power for Northern California. The San Francisco-based California Gas and Electric Company bought the Folsom Powerhouse by 1902. When the company was reorganized into Pacific Gas and Electric in 1906, it retooled the powerplant and forebay.
The Folsom Powerhouse was the second powerhouse on the American River. Folsom State Prison first harnessed the river to complete its own hydroelectric powerplant in 1893.
Additional materials
- National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
- List of historic civil engineering landmarks