Decade of the 50's

1958

Harriet Christie, Home Service Director for the Company since 1935 when the department was developed, was honored in August of 1958 when she received a letter from a utility company in Lisbon, Portugal, asking her for suggestions and information on organizing a modern efficient home service department. Mrs. Christie's program was recommended to the foreign utility by the Edison Electric Institute. She also received a letter from the Southern Nevada Power Company asking her advice in setting up a new Home Service Program. Black Hills Power and Light Company was a leader in that innovative program.

During the baseball season the Reddy Kilowatt Knothole gang was organized. More than 300 boys and girls were registered for the club. Membership entitled the child to attend all home games of the Rapid City Chiefs, a semi-pro team. During the summer, meetings were held with the members. The meetings featured films and talks on electricity, baseball, and safety.

The Company participated in Chamber of Commerce sponsored Business Education and Business/Agriculture Days, playing host to groups of teachers, farmers, and ranchers. Better understanding between these groups and the Company resulted.
Employees were identified as active members of the community. They participated in civic and social welfare work, volunteering their time and money to worthy projects. Employees have held many key positions of leadership in almost every community organization in the service area. The Company has tried in every possible way to sustain the goodwill and public understanding through an effective program of public relations.

Departing from the customary company-wide dinner dance, family Christmas parties were held throughout the property on December 22, 1957, for all employees and their families. The parties were held on the same day, between 2 and 4 p.m. Refreshments were served and each child under 19 years of age received a gift from the Company and each employee received a box of assorted fruit and other Christmas food. Parties were held in all local offices.

The transmission line to serve the Butte Pipe Line pumping station 18 miles west of Alzada, Montana, was completed January 7, 1957.

The Engineering Department laid the plans for the new triple circuit 69 kV line on the newly completed Rapid City 69 kV switching station to tie in with the North 69 kV loop. They also worked out arrangements with the State Highway Department in Rapid City for the location of the Bureau tie line on Omaha Street.

On February 10, 1958, the Company announced a general rate adjustment, the first since 1947. It affected all classes of service in South Dakota and Wyoming and provided an overall increase in revenue of approximately five percent. It also modernized and simplified the rate structure.

The Board of Directors declared a 2 percent stock dividend on the common stock, one share for each fifty shares outstanding, payable March 1, 1959. The stock dividend was declared because the Board felt that the common stockholders were entitled to have stock certificates issued to them representing the capitalization of a part of the accumulated earnings not distributed as cash dividends.

The Company decided to begin the installation of a 22 megawatt generating unit at Rapid City. The plant, to be named the Ben French Station, was to be completed in 1961 at an estimated cost of $5.25 million.

The Wyoming Public Service Commission sent a comment to the Company that the South Dakota State Cement Plant at Rapid City enjoyed a very favorable rate which the Commission thought approached "the realm of discrimination". While the Wyoming Commission has no jurisdiction over South Dakota rates, it was decided to take advantage of a two-year cancellation clause in the contract with the Cement Plant and on January 24, 1958, the Company gave notice of cancellation. The Cement Plant's power requirements could possibly be supplied by the Bureau of Reclamation because of their "preference clause" status. That possibility was not likely because the Bureau Power was not considered a firm source of power. It was quite likely that an arrangement could be made whereby the Company would supply the plant's critical load and the Bureau would supply the noncritical load.

A service award program to recognize employees for their years of employment was announced in April of 1958. The announcement culminated many months of work and planning to decide on a suitable award design and have it manufactured. The award selected was a triangular shaped shield with the numeral mounted on top indicating the years of service. The first recognition dinner was held recognizing 197 active and 21 retired employees. At the same time, a new company Safety Awards Program was initiated. The highest award was known as the President's Gold Award. It went to employees without an accident of any kind. The second award was the President's Silver Award for those employees without a lost time accident.

Court action against Butte Electric Cooperative, in Newell, was started by the Company on September 30, 1958. The suit came about as a result of the cooperative's attempt to serve three customers at new locations within the city limits of Belle Fourche. The area in which the three customers were building or expected to build was brought into the city on November 25, 1957. On November 26, 1957, BEC signed up the three customers and began construction of lines to provide electric service. The lines were completed on December 5, 1957. The Company tried hard to negotiate in an attempt to settle the matter without having to resort to legal action. Efforts were continued, without success, even after the suit was started.

A Rapid City serviceman, Gene Wethor, was the center of a humanitarian drama that unfolded around an orange cat named Tiger, five children, and a distribution pole in November 1958.

It all started on a Tuesday evening when the Max Richards family, 834 East Iowa Street, Rapid City, let Tiger out of the house for his evening stroll. At about 8:30p.m. some of the younger children asked for the cat for he usually slept with one of them. A search failed to locate Tiger. The next morning he was found, sitting on top of a pole about a half block away. He had apparently been frightened by dogs. Coaxing and other methods of entreaty failed to budge him from his pole-top retreat. He was still active and vocal, but not about to come down.

On Thursday morning, with Tiger still on his perch, the Richards called the police and fire departments. When the firemen looked at the pole, the wires, and the cat, they discreetly suggested that a call be placed to Black Hills Power and Light Company. The rest of the drama is history. About 10:30 a.m. Wethor dug his hooks into the pole and in a matter of seconds was belted off at the top. Reaching cautiously around the cat, he placed a gloved hand over it and the capture was made. After a few minutes of soothing talk and petting, he placed Tiger inside his shirt and descended.

The cat was taken a short distance to the Richards home. There it was received joyously by Kathy, age five, and Marilyn, age two. Nervous as a "cat on a hot tin roof', the feline headed for the welcome door, food, and warmth. Replying to the thanks of the Richards', Wethor said, "Glad to do it. These things are all in a day's work."

An account of the cat rescue and pictures appeared in the Rapid City Daily Journal on November 13, 1958. Later Wethor received a letter from a lady in Hot Springs which read:

"Dear Mr. Wethor:
Read about you and saw your picture in last night's paper. Just felt I must drop you a note just to say 'thank you'. I once lost a beautiful yellow tiger-striped cat and I still miss him so. No other cat can take his place. Thank you again for those children. I know just how they feel."

The Company safety program training paid off for two Newell servicemen, Larry Jarnecke and Ray Eichler. The two men were working at the Newell school building when a 13 year-old girl, Wanda Tompkins, was seriously injured.

The young lady had just left band practice at the school auditorium about 9:45 a.m. and started to run toward the high school. Apparently not thinking, she crashed through a pane of plate glass which serves as a wall between the outside and inside entrances to the auditorium. The Newell servicemen administered first aid, and the young lady was rushed to the Belle Fourche hospital by the Newell band leader. More than 50 stitches were necessary to close the cuts in her left arm above the elbow and left leg and hip above the knee. She also suffered other cuts and severe shock.

These are just a couple of the human interest episodes that go on in the Company from time to time, and it is good to see that sometimes employees get proper recognition.

1959

The awarding of contracts and the beginning of construction of the 22,000 kW Ben French generating station was a highlight of 1959.

In April of that year, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Wyodak Resources Development Corp., was the successful bidder on a lease of 240 acres of federal coal reserves containing an estimated 24,000 tons of sub-bituminous coal. The federal reserves are contiguous to Wyodak's present reserves. The new federal lease runs for 20 years, is renewable, and more than doubles the coal reserves under lease.

The Company is fortunate to be serving a well diversified area with a growing population. The people are vigorous and friendly, the area's resources bountiful, its scenery magnificent, and its history colorful. The relative isolation of the area was becoming less of a problem by this time with the development of modern highways and airline service to metropolitan areas. In 1959 about 2.75 million people visited the Black Hills and spent an estimated $80 million. Substantial additions were made by the cement and the oil production and refining industries. Pulp wood shipments from the Black Hills to Wisconsin paper mills were being made in quantity for the first time. The award of contracts for the construction of a new intercontinental $50 million Titan Missile Base established the Black Hills as an important military defense area.

The first total electric home was completed, utilizing electricity for all its space heating and cooling requirements. The first major commercial space heating customer was added.

The first total electric home was completed, utilizing electricity for all its space heating and cooling requirements. The first major commercial space heating customer was added.

For the second time in three years, The Lamplighter received an award in a national contest. In May of 1959 the paper won third place in its class in the 1959 Better Copy Contest by the Public Utilities Advertising Association. Over 2,000 entries in 19 classifications from electric, gas, and water companies were judged. In 1957 The Lamplighter won second place in its class.
In August of 1959, line and appliance servicemen started wearing Company uniforms. The Company paid one-half of the cost of the uniform, and the employee paid the other half. The color, Forest Green, was selected at a meeting of managers and servicemen. The program was instituted so the public could identify Company employees.

On Tuesday, September 8, 1959, shortly after noon a forest fire broke out near Deadwood. With a high temperature, low humidity and a gusty, 40 to 50 mile wind, conditions were perfect for a disastrous forest fire. Spreading rapidly, the fire swept toward the town of Deadwood, threatening to engulf the entire city. It roared up the canyons and burned the length of the ridges to the west of town. About four o'clock in the afternoon the wind switched to the northwest, further threatening the town. It was at this point that all residents were evacuated. The fire jumped the highway northwest of Deadwood and burned its way into the southern part of town, including McGovern Hill. All Company crews and servicemen from outside districts were sent into the area. Many lines were burned but service was restored within minutes by switching and isolating the trouble spots. The city's water supply, essential for fighting the fire, was never in jeopardy for lack of power. Employees performed magnificently, and the Company received many letters of praise from officials.

Management and stockholders celebrated Ben French's 30th anniversary with the Company and its predecessors on April 29, 1959, by conducting the ground breaking ceremony for the new Ben French Station. It was a fitting tribute to the man who guided the affairs of the Company throughout its early history. Following are some Company statistics which indicate the growth during Mr. French's 30 years of service.

The Company was enthusiastic about its rate of growth because kilowatt-hour sales for the quarter ended July 31, 1959, were up 18.1 percent over the previous year. The increase came from increased use per customer and a substantial increase in the number of new customers. During the twelve months ended July 31, 1959, customers increased by 3.63 percent, well above the national rate of growth. Air conditioning also started to gain acceptance in the Company's service area, changing the load pattern. The net effect was an improved annual load factor which resulted in more efficient use of the generation and transmission investment.

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