Seattle City Light Facility Maintenance and Operations Records, 1911-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle City Light
Title
Seattle City Light Facility Maintenance and Operations Records
Dates
1911-1984 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 cubic foot, (1 box)
Collection Number
1209-02
Summary
Power plant maintenance records.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

City Light provides electricity and electrical and conservation services to its public and private customers. It is the largest public utility in the Pacific Northwest. Public responsibility for electrical energy dates to 1890 with creation of the Department of Lighting and Water Works. In 1902, Seattle voters passed a bond issue to develop hydroelectric power on the Cedar River under the administration of the Water Department. Electricity from this development began to serve Seattle in 1905. A City Charter amendment in 1910 created the Lighting Department. Under the leadership of Superintendent James D. Ross, the department developed the Skagit River hydroelectric project which began supplying power in 1924. Both public and private power was supplied to Seattle until 1951 when the City purchased the private electrical power supply operations, making the Lighting Department the sole supplier. The Boundary Project in northeastern Washington began operations in 1967 and supplied over half of City Light's power generation. By the early 21st century, approximately ten percent of City Light's income came from the sale of surplus energy to customers in the Northwest and Southwest with the remainder of City Light's financial support coming from customer revenue. The current name of the agency was adopted in 1978 when the Department was reorganized.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Maintenance logs, equipment instructions and catalogs, photographs, and drawings related to maintenance of the Lake Union and Georgetown Steam Plants. Also included are specifications, bids and correspondence of the Chief Electrical Engineer concerning the Duwamish substation.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle City Light Facility Maintenance and Operations Records , Record Series 1209-02. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

1209-02:  Facility Maintenance and Operations Records , 1911-1984Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Duwamish Substation
1949-1953
1/2
Duwamish Substation
1948-1954
1/3
Duwamish Substation
1954-1957
1/4
Georgetown Steam Plant and Lake Union Steam Plant Operating Instructions
1956-1965
1/5
Georgetown Steam Plant and Lake Union Steam Plant Boiler Permits
1916-1960
1/6
Lake Union Steam Plant Boiler Inspector's File
1982-1983
1/7
Lake Union Steam Plant Inspection Report
1949
1/8
Lake Union Steam Plant - 1500 KW Hydroelectric Generating Unit
1961
1/9
Lake Union Steam Plant Unit No. 3 Test
1921
1/10
Lake Union Steam Plant Operating Costs
1934-1973
1/11
Air Compressor Log
1947-1980
1/12
Boiler Maintenance Log
1936-1947
1/13
Boiler Log
1947-1964
1/14
Boiler Log
1947-1964
1/15
Feed Pumps, Feed Heaters, Stacks Log
1947-1972
1/16
Fuel Oil Logbook
1965-1984
1/17
Fuel Oil Data
undated
1/18
Maintenance Logbook - Georgetown Steam Plant
1952-1953
1/19
Maintenance Logbooks
1947-1949
1/20
Maintenance Logbook
1949-1951
1/21
Turbine, Pumps, Condenser, Line, etc. Maintenance Log
1936-1947
1/22
Equipment Catalogs and Instructions
undated
1/23
Equipment Catalogs and Instructions
undated
1/24
Catalogs and Instructions - De Laval
1924
1/25
Catalogs and Instructions - Ingersoll-Rand Company
1917-1945
1/26
Drawings and Instructions - Electric Cranes
1920-1922
1/27
Drawings - Ingersoll-Rand
1911-1915
1/28
Drawings - Piping and Pumps
1948
1/29
Photograph - H.V. Strandberg, Eugene R. Hoffman, Olsen
undated
1/30
Photograph - Georgetown Pumphouse
undated
1/31
Photographs - Georgetown and Lake Union Steam Plants
undated
1/32
Photographs - Mostly Lake Union Steam Plant
1950-1976
1/33
Photographs - Turbine Overhaul
1950-1954
1/34
Newsletters, Clippings
1953-1977

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Electric substations--Washington--Seattle
  • Lake Union Steam Plant (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Steam power plants--Washington--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Seattle City Light
  • Seattle (Wash.). Lighting Dept.

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographic prints