The Early Years
By 1916, the distribution system of the Consolidated Company consisted of 24,000 volt, 3 phase, single circuit, high tension lines; 11,000 volt, 3 phase, single circuit distribution lines to the mines; and 2,300 volt single circuit lighting distribution lines with 230/115 volt three-wire secondary distribution.
The Redwater to Pluma line was a 24,000 volt line, built in 1907 from Redwater to Pluma to tie the two plants together. This line was 19.9 miles long and consisted of three #4 Bamp;S medium hard drawn bare copper wires mounted on 45,000 volt brown porcelain insulators. The cross arms were fir and the poles were western cedar, all 35 feet or more in length. A #4 copper ground wire was mounted on ridge irons on the top of the poles. It was said that this proved to be successful in eliminating troubles caused by lightning. The ground wire was grounded at every tenth pole and at additional favorable locations. A telephone line was also mounted on brackets and extended the entire length of the line.
This line was extended to Spearfish in 1915 when Consolidated Power and Light Company bought Spearfish Electric Light and Power Company.
The Belle Fourche Line was a 24,000 volt line, built in 1912, that served the town of Belle Fourche. The line was six miles long with #6 Bamp;S connected to the Redwater switch house with a substation in Belle Fourche. A telephone line was also attached
The Whitewood Line was a 24,000 volt line that extended from Pluma to Whitewood, a distance of eleven miles. The wire size was #4 and carried a telephone line from Pluma to a junction with the Rapid line. The line was built in 1911.
The Rapid City line was a 24,000 volt line which took off from a point on the Whitewood line about three miles south of Whitewood and extended on to Rapid City, about 35 miles. The wire size was #3 and the line also carried a telephone circuit. The line was built in 1912.
The Sturgis line extended about 1.6 miles off of the 24,000 volt Rapid City line with #4 wire. It was built at the same time as the Rapid City Line.
The 11,000 volt lines were constructed substantially the same as the 24,000 volt lines except for wire spacing and insulator size. The insulators used were 15,000 volt. There were four of these lines: Pluma to Golden Reward Mill, Pluma to Homestake Sub-station, Pluma to Galena, and Pluma to Bald Mountain.
The distribution systems of all the municipalities served by Consolidated Power and Light Company was 2,300 volts on the primary with 115/230 volts on the secondaries.
The Company had two generating stations, a steam plant located at Pluma, and a hydro-electric plant located on the Redwater River. In addition to the General Office at Deadwood, local offices were maintained at Lead, Belle Fourche, Spearfish and Sturgis. Each of the offices had showrooms for display and sale of electrical merchandise. The Company did electrical contracting and wiring throughout the entire district in which it operated.
By this time the Company had also entered into profitable contracts in mining companies. It was conservatively estimated that the total amount of power used by the combined mines and the local power in Deadwood and Lead, with a population of between 16 and 17 thousand people, was about 15,000 horsepower. Following is a list of mines and the number of horsepower they used:
| Wasp No. 2 Mine | 150 hp |
| Echo Mining Co. | 15 hp |
| Imperial Gold Mining & Milling Co. | 115 hp |
| North Homestake Mining Co. | 132 hp |
| Globe Mining Co. | 122 hp |
| Golden Placer Mining Co. | 94 hp |
| Dakota Hoist | 75 hp |
| Minnesota Mining Co. | 150 hp |
In the 1920's, losses from non-payment of power bills was almost nothing. The so-called Lien Law of South Dakota included "electrical power or energy or compressed air or other force or power of any kind for lighting or operation or development" in addition to the usual material clause. The law enabled the power company to file a lien on a property for power furnished and this lien was prior to all other liens except the lien of the state and the United States. These liens carried 7 percent interest from date of filing.
By 1912, railways and transportation facilities entering the Black Hills were quite extensive. They included the Chicago amp; Northwestern Railway Company; Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway Company; Chicago, Milwaukee amp; St. Paul Railroad; Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad; and the Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad.
Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company
The Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company entered the Hills at Rapid City running northwest through Black Hawk, Piedmont, Tilford, Sturgis and Whitewood to Deadwood. From Deadwood to Lead the road was both narrow and standard gauge and throughout the mining area narrow gauge roads were built to collect the gold ore from the mines.
Passenger service between Lead and Deadwood was by narrow gauge trains operated with a crude-oil fired steam locomotive. Hourly service was maintained during the day between Deadwood and Lead by way of Central City. From Whitewood the line extended through St. Onge to Belle Fourche to Fruitdale, Nisland and Newell.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway Company's branch to Deadwood leaves the main line at Edgemont and runs north through Custer, Hill City, Mystic, Englewood and Pluma to Deadwood. From Deadwood to Lead, through Pluma, narrow gauge trolly cars were operated at 45 minute intervals during the day. Electric power was purchased from Consolidated Power and Light Company to operate this service. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad terminated at Rapid City. The Wyoming & Missouri River Railroad extended from Belle Fourche to the coal mining town of Alladin, Wyoming, a distance of 20 miles. The Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad ran from Mystic where it connects with the Burlington system east through Pactola to Rapid City where it connects with the Chicago and Northwestern and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul roads. Passenger service was given with steam trains and gasoline motor cars.