History Mystery Photo By Rodger Nichols of The Chronicle [Text Only] Last week’s History Mystery proved to be a tough one, which yielded only one and a half correct answers. Anita Drake knew that it was the old steam-powered electrical generation plant that once stood between First and Second street [The Dalles]. Terray Harmon picks up a half-correct answer for recognizing it as a power plant but only half because he guessed it was the old one at White River. According to the caption that accompanied the photo, this was the second power plant in The Dalles, the first having been built in 1888 at Seventh and Union streets. D.M. Smith and J.W. French purchased the plant in 1892 and moved the operation to First and Laughlin streets. Slab wood fueled the engine that drove the dynamo. Output was so limited that light bulbs above 10 watts were not permitted. Customers were allowed to burn as many as 10 bulbs each evening for a monthly fee of $1.50. Wasco Warehouse Milling Co., purchased the plant in 1902 and took it out of service after completion of the hydroelectric plant at White River Falls. For photo information contact Rodger Nichols at 541-506-4603; fax 541-298-1365 or e-mail [email protected] Written permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, Oregon Copied and submitted by Earline Wasser Member of Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society c/o The Dalles/Wasco County Public Library 722 Court Street The Dalles, Oregon 97058 http://community.gorge.net/genealogy [Note: new website address] Browse http://historysavers.com/orwasco/ recently updated information regarding Wasco County - Links are at the bottom of page http://searches.rootsweb.com/ "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson _________________________________________________________________ Check out the new MSN 9 Dial-up — fast & reliable Internet access with prime features! http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=dialup/home&ST=1