WILLIAMS, ARIZONA AND THE SAGINAW; THE QUEST FOR ELECTRICITY

 WILLIAMS, ARIZONA AND THE SAGINAW AND MANISTEE LUMBER COMPANY;

 THE QUEST FOR ELECTRICITY

COPYRIGHT; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (5/10/22)

(Williams Electric Light and Power Company; Saginaw Power Company Corporation)

 

    In 1897 or 1898 C.E. Boyce and J.C. Brown established The Williams Electric Light and Power Company. J.C. Brown was the Manager at the Saginaw Mill; C.E. Boyce was known as the "Builder of Williams." The plant was sold on November 1, 1899, to Prince A. Mellick and John Walsh, renaming it the Grand Canyon Electric Light and Power Company (Fuchs, 129, 130.) 

     The powerplant was located on Bill Williams Avenue, just south of 6th Street.  The company pump house and well were located on Sheridan Avenue, between 5th and 6th Streets. 

    When, in 1917, the town's powerplant burned, the Saginaw and Manistee proposed providing electricity from their plant. The Company also re-asserted its alleged water rights to the Saginaw Canyon (identified as Saginaw Draw on early maps), headwaters of the Cataract Creek on the north slope of Bill Williams Mountain. The water was needed for the mill's operation, and the on-site powerplant. The company graciously offered what water was left over, after the mills needs were met. The water rights issue was not settled until 1924, when Federal Courts ruled the town owned the water rights in the canyon (Fuchs, 209.)

    Arrangements were made to use electricity from the mill at night, using the Planer and Box Factory powerplant. During the daytime the town's citizens were left to their own devising.  Kerosene lamps were filled, and gasoline engines were fired up to replace the kilowatt. At a later date, none too soon for the residents, the plant was rebuilt and back in operation. Nevertheless, despite the obvious lessons that were so painfully learned, the plant once again burned in 1928. This precipitated another crisis.

     The Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company once again stepped into the fray. On December 21, 1929, The Saginaw Power Company Corporation, a subsidiary of the Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company, entered an agreement with the town of Williams, Arizona.  A Powerplant was to be completed on or before February 1, 1930. The plant was to be a modern steam-driven electric plant, generating at 60 cycles, 3-phase Alternating Current (AC) at approximately 2300 volts, 24-hours a day. The electricity would to be provided to the main switchboard in town, thus using the pre-existing power lines throughout the community. 

    The town would still own the distribution system; the company owned the powerplant.  According to the agreement, the town of Williams would have exclusive rights to sell power within the township, with the exception of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. It was also understood that the plant would provide free electricity to the Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company mill, and all company housing. After all, the Company built the plant out of their funds, and the Corporation was a wholly owned subsidiary.

    Fuel for the boilers was to be provided by the Lumber Company. "Hog fuel" consisting of mill ends and cuttings, and possibly sawdust, were delivered by a "hog blower" system.   

    The plant was owned by the mill; however, the operation was originally proposed to be contracted-out and built by contractors. W.B. Foshay Company submitted an operational plan on November 13, 1928, followed by Arizona Edison (8/27/28), and Arizona Power Company (8/27/28.) Each plan proposed residential and commercial electrical rates, and water rates. Water rates were to be established, as the water provided steam, which in turn powered the turbines that spun the generators.

    As of 12/31/29 the total cost of the plant was estimated at $159,359.78. This included the contract to purchase a three-boiler plant at $27,000.00. Ever so frugal, the Saginaw and Manistee looked to purchase a used plant in good working order. The equipment was located at West Columbia, Texas, owned and operated by the Houston Lighting and Power Company. This would be disassembled, shipped, and re-assembled on-site. 

     With the introduction of a reliable source of electricity, the township of Williams was able to provide electricity to the businesses and residents of the community. Streetlights were installed. A new lighted Chamber of Commerce sign glowed brightly over the business district. 

    The construction of the powerplant enabled the mill to completely modernize to electric motors. Modern electric lighting was installed throughout the site, reducing the potential for fire from kerosene lanterns. This further advanced production as hours of operation could be extended past the setting of the sun. Although built at the onset of the Great Depression, the power plant played an integral part in the future of the Williams mill and town. Judging by the yearly reports and other documents, the powerplant generated more than just electricity; it provided a tidy profit for the owners. 

     Along with the modernization of the powerplant in 1935, two 12000-gallon oil tanks were to be installed. Mill output fluctuated during the Depression years, and the power plant needed a steady source of fuel, other than the use of hog fuel from the mill.   

    On February 13, 1936, the assets of the Saginaw Power Company Corporation were absorbed by the parent company, 

     In 1937, the contract was renegotiated and extended for three years. It was during this time a great deal of equivocating and handwringing manifested itself on the part of the city council. The city had to decide whether to create a municipal power company, or contract out. Rumors abounded that the mill would soon be closing. Additional timber holdings were acquired with the hope of extending the life of the mill. The mill eventually closed forever in 1942.

    The need for uninterrupted power for Williams would not be satisfied until 1947, when the Northern Arizona Light and Power Company became the wholesaler and distributer to the local customers.

(References: NAU Special Collections, Saginaw and Manistee, Box 12, folder 128; Memorandum of Agreement; Proposals; Fuchs, James R. A History of Williams, Arizona 1876-1951; University of Arizona, 1953.) 

    The location of the Saginaw Power Company Corporation powerplant has been shrouded in mystery, or rather the fog of time upon our collective memory, until research indicated that the plant was part of the expansion of the Planing and Box Mill plant. 

(1934 Map; Images from Williams, Ariona, Sanford Insurance Maps: 

Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division)

    The Sanford Insurance Map shows a significant increase to the size of the powerplant at the Planing and Box Factory, as well as the addition of second planing mill. The powerplant drawing clearly shows three boilers, which was the number purchased in 1930, and a blower providing hog fuel to the structure. 

    This would also be the source of the temporary power provided to the city in 1918. Early photographs show power lines strung from this structure to other parts of the mill. The plant was located on mill property, outside of the city limits.

Who says history and research aren't fun?