IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014 - 84

figure 1. A view of the rugged San Juan Mountains, which have several peaks
more than 12,000-ft (3,658-m) high (photo courtesy of the Northwest Lineman
College photo collection).

America," a region of "unparalleled ruggedness and sublimity more awful than
beautiful." The description holds true
today (see figure 1).
The gem of the mountains is the
Telluride area, a breathtaking visit for
people today. Telluride was originally
named Columbia, but due to confusion
with Columbia, California, the name
was changed by the postal department
in 1887. The name Telluride is taken
from an ore (a combination of the ele-

ment tellurium with high gold content
and some silver).
The mining of precious metals began in the Telluride area in the 1870s.
As it did in other areas of the west, the
mining boom brought railroads, stagecoaches, freight wagons, and adventurers seeking to make a fortune. The construction of narrow-gauge railroads and
toll roads in this area by otto Mears
and the Rio Grande Southern Railroad
was nothing short of spectacular.

L.L. Nunn
AIEE Past President Lewis B. Stillwell recalled L.L. Nunn in a speech presenting the
1929 AIEE Edison Medal to AIEE Past President Charles F. Scott:
"In 1890 a man [L.L. Nunn] from the west came east with a definite power
transmission problem. His company was operating a stamp mill in the mountains
of Colorado. Fuel was expensive, and three miles from the mill was adequate
water power. The man from the west wanted to know whether electricity could
transmit one hundred horsepower a distance of three miles and replace the steam
plant he was using. After investigating the possibilities of 220-volt direct current
transmission and satisfying himself that the amount of copper required would
be prohibitive, he visited Pittsburgh. The officers of the Westinghouse Company
were induced to authorize a contract, and early in 1891, near Telluride, Colorado,
the first alternating power transmission plant in America began operation."

ieee power & energy magazine

In the late 1890s, while the so-called
"battle of the currents" between the proponents of direct current (dc) power and
those favoring alternating current (ac)
power was in progress, George Westinghouse was presented an opportunity
to deploy his ac system over 1,000 mi
(1,609 km) away in this historic area
of southwestern Colorado. Several significant electrical engineers would be
involved with the Telluride system,
including Nikola Tesla, V.G. Converse;
and the following three men who served
as American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) president in the years
shown: Lewis B. Stillwell (1909-1910),
Charles f. Scott (1902-1903), and Ralph
D. Mershon (1912-1913).
This article focuses on the beginning of the Telluride Power Company
and the challenges it faced, including
the historic Ames hydroelectric plant
and its first line to the Gold King Mine.
of particular interest are the pioneering real-time experiments evaluating
the performance of ac lines at various
high voltages. The initial expansion of
the power system, including the challenge of constructing and maintaining
power lines over mountains as high as
13,000 ft (3,962 m), will be discussed
as well. The aim is to provide a good
understanding of the significant contributions made to the power industry by
the Telluride Power Company.
In 2003, accompanied by my wife
Kathi, I had the opportunity to explore
some origins of the Telluride Power
Company, which included a hike along
the route of the original power line
from the Ames power plant to the Gold
King Mine. This exploration significantly heightened my admiration for
how these pioneers addressed the challenges of constructing and maintaining
a power system in this environment.
The complete story of this entrepreneurial company (and its ultimate
contributions to the industry) is beyond the scope of this article. I hope to
follow up with a sequel, so a complete
documentation of these contributions
can be realized.
Here, then, is the story of the beginning of the Telluride Power Company.
january/february 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014