Town History
The Post Falls Development of the Washington Water Power Company
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Feb 23, 2005, 18:06

Ten miles from the outlet of Lake Coeur d'Alene on the Spokane River, is the town of Post Falls, Idaho, where is located one of the hydro-electric plants of the Washington Water Power Company. Lake Coeur d'Alene is a body of water some 45sq. miles in area, situated among the foothills of the Bitter Root Mountains in the western part of Idaho.

The lake is 2120 feet above sea level and receives the drainage of a large part of the Bitter Root Mountains, being fed principally by the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe Rivers, and is in turn the source of the Spokane River. In the low-water season there is fall of about 9 inches between the outlet of the lake and the headwaters at Post Falls, while in flood seasons the difference has been over 8.25 feet, the lake itself having risen over 18 feet above the low-water mark.

In the design of the Post Falls development two principal objects were sought: (1) The erection of a hydro-electric plant to be operated in parallel with the Spokane hydraulic and steam plants, and (2) the building of a controlling works for the storage of water for use in the low-water seasons, while at the same time permitting a free passage of water during the season of flood.

Before the commencement of actual development, work was started on the construction of one of the permanent 60,000 volt transmission lines, which was later to be used as a tie line between the Post Falls and Spokane plants. A temporary step-down substation was erected and electric energy furnished from the Spokane station for operating rock crushers, concrete mixers, cableways, cofferdam pumps, as well as for lighting, providing of great value in the elimination of troubles incidental to the operation of numerous small engines and boilers and long lines of steam piping during freezing weather. <!--page-->

The Post Falls plant is connected to the Spokane plants by two entirely separate 60,000 volt transmission circuits, one a direct tie line, and the other having branches, one to the Coeur d'Alene silver mining district in Idaho, 100 miles away, furnishing energy to all the principal mines and mills, and the other to the "Palouse Country," in southeastern Washington, where energy is used for operating flour mills and for municipal and commercial lighting, etc. An additional 60,000 volt line, 117 miles in length, which is now under construction, will furnish energy in the territory to the west of Spokane, lying in the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River.

In Spokane energy is distributed for the operation of more than 200 miles of interurban electric railways and 90 miles of city lines; for the operation of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railways shop, to iron works and factories of all sorts, as well as for municipal and commercial lighting.

The Post Falls development, with the exception of the controlling works in the North Channel, was designed in its entirety by the engineering staff of the company in Spokane, under the immediate direction of Mr. C. S. MacCalla, who was also in charge of construction. The North Channel works were designed by Mr. A. O. Powell, late of the U.S. Engineer Office, St. Paul, Minn. With the exception of the rock excavation and a small amount of concrete work, which was done under contract, the entire development was made by the construction forces of the company under the immediate direction of W.C. Weeks.

Electrical World, New York, May 23-30, 1908

Photographs provided by Washington Water Power