Wandering Lizard
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The Folsom Power Plant |
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In 1850 Horatio G. Livermore came to California in search of gold, but he soon turned his attention to other pursuits than gold mining. In 1861, he purchased the controlling interest in the Natoma Water and Mining company with operations centered around present day Folsom. He traded land to the government so that Folsom Prison could be constructed and in exchange was permitted to use convict labor to dam the river. By 1885 Horatio was providing the State Capitol and four city streets in Sacramento with power generated by steam-powered electric generators which were coal fired. |
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A few years later Horatio's son H.P. Livermore succeeded his father in the family power enterprise and set about to transform the power generation business in California. Livermore gave up the use of coal in favor of less expensive hydraulic power and modernized his generators. He also tackled the transmission challenge and for the first time in history established a system capable of moving power successfully over long distances. In 1892 he formed the Sacramento Power and Light Company and commenced construction of the Folsom Power House. |
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