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Seattle City Light Central Files, 1988-1992

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle City Light
Title
Seattle City Light Central Files
Dates
1988-1992 (inclusive)
Quantity
10 cubic feet, (10 boxes)
Collection Number
1200-16
Summary
Records of Superintendent Randall W. Hardy and other staff of Seattle City Light .
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.
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Historical Note

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.

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Content Description

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, hydrological and load data, surveys and agreements relating to Seattle City Light activities and power projects. Includes material on Lake Union Steam Plant, Boundary Dam, Cedar Falls Dam, Skagit operations, facility maintenance and construction, health and safety issues, power generation, regulation, licensing, energy conservation, public relations, appliance service, research, electrical rates, environmental issues, substations, electrical transmission and distribution. The central filing system was short-lived, but it partially fills a gap, 1984-1992, in the Superintendents’ records.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle City Light Central Files, Record Series 1200-16. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by alpha-numerical code.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Boundary Dam (Wash.)
  • Cedar Falls Power Plant (Wash.)
  • Electric power--Washington--Seattle
  • Electric utilities--Washington--Seattle
  • Electric power Conservation--Washington--Seattle
  • Electric power transmission--Washington
  • Hydroelectric power plants--Washington (State)
  • Lake Union Steam Plant (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Lucky Peak Dam (Idaho)
  • Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
  • Street lighting--Washington--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Hardy, Randall W.

Corporate Names

  • Seattle City Light
  • United States. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)

Finding aid prepared by Janet Ness
2010

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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