He Switched On Power Company
When turn-of-the-century San Francisco businessman H. H. Noble saw the mines of Shasta County, he got an idea with far-reaching ramifications--cheap electric power to run the mines.
Noble visited the area in 1899 and quickly realized that electricity was the way to go for mining. He contacted Lord Keswick, principal owner of the Keswick copper mines and smelters, and proposed replacing the steam boilers supplying power to the mines with hydroelectric power.
Keswick bought the idea, Noble signed a long-term contract to provide power to the Mountain Copper Co., and a site for the power plant was selected on Battle Creek. The Keswick Electric Co. was born.
The powerhouse was dubbed “Volta” and the first generating unit, weighing 56,000 pounds, was hauled to the site.
Two lakes, named Lake Nora and Lake Grace after Noble’s daughters, were formed by damming nearby waterways, and the powerhouse began turning out electricity on Nov. 28, 1901.
After reorganization, Keswick became Northern California Power Co., which later merged with then-tiny Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
The Volta generators have long been cold and idle, but the pioneering stone power plant can still be seen at its original site.
