Greetings,
The saga of getting electricity to Eagle Bluff Lighthouse continues. However, we are making progress and power is about to become a reality. After 156 years EBLH will have electricity. Although the lighthouse wouldn’t have had electricity in 1868, because wasn’t available in Door County until sometime in the 1930’s.
Side note From the Wisconsin Historical Society Website:
How Wisconsin Became an Electrical Pioneer: No one had access to electricity until the 1880s. Few Wisconsin farms had electricity until the 1930s. It was too expensive for most farmers to install power lines and pay for electricity. It was more profitable for companies to supply power to cities than the country. The New Deal’s Rural Electrification Administration helped farmers meet the growing need for electricity.
In April Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) flagged the route for the underground power feed from Welker’s Point Campground to Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. We originally expected WPS to start the more than 4000 foot power feed at the end of May. That did not happen because approvals were needed for an easement along the Shoreline Road right of way. It wasn’t until early August that we received all the necessary paperwork and approvals. It took another 2 weeks to schedule the contractors.
On our end, we were ready for the WPS hookup when on May 22 Baylake Electric completed the meter pedestal and circuit breaker panel installation.
On August 14 WPS trimmed trees along the edge of Shoreline that were in the way of the underground trenching.
On August 22 the contractor doing the work for WPS delivered the materials for the power feed. That afternoon they started trenching but did not get too far before they had to pull the trencher off our job to be used at another job. They assured us they would be back on Monday to resume work.
Ed