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Puget Sound Power and Light Company Records, 1888-1990

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Puget Sound Power and Light Company
Title
Puget Sound Power and Light Company Records
Dates
1888-1990 (inclusive)
1888-1932 (bulk)
Quantity
159 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0004puget (collection)
Summary
The Puget Sound Power & Light Company Records document the emergence and early operations of one of the leading private power and transportation operations in Washington State. The collection reflects the history of Puget Sound Power and Light's predecessor and subsidiary companies from around 1888 to 1932 and in particular the development of rail transit systems in the Puget Sound area from the late nineteenth century through the 1930s. Records include administrative, financial, operational, legal, and property material documenting the interests and activities of over fifty of the “Puget Power” companies, and their role in the provision of utility and transportation services in Western Washington.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The Puget Sound Power & Light Company’s history began with Massachusetts-based Stone & Webster Engineering Consulting Corporation’s acquisition of streetcar and power company holdings in Seattle and the Puget Sound region. In 1900, Stone & Webster’s newly created Seattle Electric Company consolidated property and rights of small privately-owned transportation and utility businesses including Madison Street Cable Railway, Union Trunk Line, and Third Street & Suburban Railway. Stone & Webster acquired West End & North End Railway and Seattle Railway in 1901, and Seattle Central Railway in 1902. With the formation of Seattle City Light in 1904, Stone & Webster became a major provider of electricity and street lighting to Seattle. Its achievements continued with the 1908 formation of Pacific Coast Power Company (a subsidiary of Seattle Electric Company), which established control over the land and operations of the Tacoma Power Company, including pending construction of a hydro-electric plant at White River. In the same year, acquisition of Seattle Tacoma Power Company provided access to property and assets of Charles Hinckley Baker – including power plants at Snoqualmie Falls and electricity distribution rights in Seattle and Tacoma.

In 1902, incorporation of the Whatcom County Railway & Light Company marked the start of Puget Power’s domination of public transportation and power systems in the City of Bellingham. Whatcom County Railway & Light acquired the former interests of the Whatcom-Fairhaven Gas and Northern Railway & Improvement Companies. These companies themselves comprised earlier consolidations of local rail and utility services: Fairhaven Street Railway Company, Lake Whatcom Electric Street Railway Company, Fairhaven Electric Light, Power & Motor Company, Fairhaven & New Whatcom Railway Company, Bellingham Bay Electric Street Railway, and Bellingham Bay Gas Company. In 1906, Whatcom County Railway & Light Company expanded control over distribution of gas, electricity and lighting in Bellingham through acquisition of the utility holdings of Columbia Improvement Society (previously owned by Bellingham Bay Improvement Company), and a forty-year contract to supply power in the City.

In 1901, Seattle Electric Company assumed responsibility for financing and construction of the Seattle-Tacoma Interurban, forming the subsidiary Puget Sound Electric Railway to control and operate both interurban and street railway interests in Seattle. The final stages of interurban construction occurred in 1910-1912 with completion of the Seattle-Everett Interurban Burlington line and construction of the lines between Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley by Bellingham-Skagit Railway Company. In January 1912, the newly incorporated Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company merged Bellingham-Skagit Railway and Seattle-Everett Interurban as Pacific Northwest Traction Company, responsible for the operation of several Puget Sound interurban railway lines. Whatcom County Railway & Light reorganized as the Bellingham Division of Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company. In addition to their passenger lines, Puget Power provided freight services to regional businesses and industries such as the Renton coal-mines owned by Puget Sound Electric Railway.

As automobiles became more prevalent during the 1920s, the company – reincorporated in 1919 as Puget Sound Power & Light Company – had to respond to the gradual demise of the railroad passenger industry. Subsidiary company Pacific Northwest Traction offered bus services between Seattle and Bellingham from 1925 onwards, while the Seattle Interurban Motor Company provided services to Vancouver, British Columbia as early as 1921. The various interurban rail and bus services ultimately integrated as North Coast Lines in 1927, as use of the railway interurban gradually declined and were disbanded between 1928 and 1939. “Puget Power” increasingly focused its interests on the distribution of power in the Puget Sound region, divesting its railway interests, and stepping-up acquisition of Washington utility companies. Despite involvement in some major development projects (such as the construction of transmission lines across the Cascades range in 1922), support for municipal ownership forced Stone & Webster’s subsidiaries to compete for increasingly limited property and distribution rights. Puget Sound Power & Light faced increasing competition and legal challenges from Washington State Public Utility Districts, losing power distribution rights in Seattle and Tacoma by 1930. These conflicts continued through the 1960s, despite its 1943 restructuring as a Washington-based corporation. In 1997, Puget Sound Power & Light merged with the Seattle gas distributor, Washington Energy Company to form Puget Sound Energy.

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Content Description

The Puget Sound Power & Light Company Records document the emergence and early activities of one of the leading private power and transportation operations in Washington State. Records reflect the incorporation, property and operations of around fifty Stone & Webster, or “Puget Power” companies involved in the provision of utility and transit services in Western Washington and in particular the Puget Sound region. Materials span the period 1888-1990, with the bulk of records dated 1888-1932. The collection is divided into fifty-three series, each reflecting activities of specific predecessors or subsidiaries of Puget Sound Power & Light. Company records include administrative and corporate records, financial records, operational records and some property and legal records.

The collection contains a small volume of material documenting the existence and operations of early Seattle-based street railway systems including those of First Avenue Electric Railway Company, Front Street Cable Railway Company, and Madison Street Cable Railway Company. Record and minute books document the gradual acquisition of their interests and property by Stone & Webster – initially through Seattle Traction and Seattle-Everett Traction Companies, and by Seattle Electric Company in 1900. The collection also contains a small number of administrative and financial records relating to early street railway and power companies in the City of Bellingham, including Fairhaven & New Whatcom Railway, Lake Whatcom Electric Railway, Bellingham Bay Gas and Whatcom Fairhaven Gas Companies. Whatcom County Railway and Light Company records contain significant information about street railway and power service in Bellingham after 1902, with the bulk of material dated 1903-1915.

Records for the Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway, Bellingham-Skagit Railway Company and Pacific Northwest Traction document the construction and operation of the interurban railway systems in the Puget Sound region, and in particular, the line connecting Bellingham with Sedro-Woolley and Mt. Vernon. Stone and Webster’s interests and operations in the Everett area are reflected in the records of Everett Railway Light and Water Company and Puget Sound International Railway Company. Materials generated by Pacific Traction Company and Tacoma Railway and Power Company pertain to “Puget Power’s” interests and activities in Tacoma, while operations of the Seattle-Tacoma interurban railway are documented in the records of the Puget Sound Electric Railway Company. Puget Sound Electric Railway’s coal-mine holdings are documented in the financial and operational records of the Renton Cooperative Coal Company and Renton Coal Company. Puget Sound Power and Light’s increasing acceptance and use of automobile transportation is reflected in the records of the Puget Sound Bus Company and Seattle Tacoma Union Stage Lines. The collection also includes aerial photographs generated by Puget Sound Power & Light Company and its real estate department between 1986 and 1990.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Puget Sound Power and Light Company Records, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Puget Sound Power & Light Company Records are arranged in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series 1. Baker Estates, 1903-1907
  • Series 2. Bellingham and Skagit Railway Company, 1910-1912
  • Series 3. Bellingham Bay & Eastern Railroad Company 1892-1899
  • Series 4. Bellingham Bay Electric Street Railway Company, 1890-1912
  • Series 5. Bellingham Bay Gas Company, 1890-1902
  • Series 6. Bellingham Bay Gas and Railway Company, 1890-1891; 1896
  • Series 7. City Transport Company, 1922-1926
  • Series 8. Columbia Improvement Company, 1903-1905
  • Series 9. Edison General Electric Company, undated
  • Series 10. Everett Railway and Electric Company/ Everett Railway and Light Company, 1893-1907
  • Series 11. Everett Railway, Light and Water Company, 1896-1924
  • Series 12. Fairhaven and New Whatcom Railway Company, 1891-1897
  • Series 13. Fairhaven and Southern Railroad Company, 1890-1891
  • Series 14. Fairhaven Electric Light Power and Motor Company, 1891; 1900-1901
  • Series 15. First Avenue Railway Company, 1898-1901
  • Series 16. Front Street Cable Railway Company, 1888-1898
  • Series 17. Grant Street Electric Railway Company, 1891-1900
  • Series 18. Green Lake Electric Railway Company, 1889-1902
  • Series 19. Lake Whatcom Electric Railway Company, 1892
  • Series 20. Lynden Electric Railway and Improvement Company, 1901-1906; 1917
  • Series 21. Madison Street Cable Railway Company, 1889-1900
  • Series 22. Northern Railway and Improvement Company, 1898-1903
  • Series 23. North Seattle Cable Railway Company, 1889-1899
  • Series 24. Pacific Coast Power Company, 1904; 1910-1911
  • Series 25. Pacific Northwest Traction Company, 1911-1930
  • Series 26. Pacific Traction Company, 1909-1929
  • Series 27. Puget Sound Bus Company, 1915-1923
  • Series 28. Puget Sound Electric Railway Company, 1903-circa 1960s (1903-1929)
  • Series 29. Puget Sound International Railway and Power Company, 1907-1930
  • Series 30. Puget Sound Power and Light Company, 1986-1990
  • Series 31. Renton Coal Company, 1901-1924
  • Series 32. Renton Co-operative Coal Company, 1895-1901
  • Series 33. Renton Mine and Renton Mines Association, 1902-1919
  • Series 34. Seattle Central Railway Company, 1899-1903
  • Series 35. Seattle Consolidated Street Railway Company, 1888-1899
  • Series 36. Seattle Electric Company, 1894-1922
  • Series 37. Seattle Motor Livery Company, 1902-1912
  • Series 38. Seattle Railway and Seattle City Railway Company, 1890-1922
  • Series 39. Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway & Seattle-Tacoma Railway Co., 1899-1912
  • Series 40. Seattle Tacoma Power Company, 1905-1906
  • Series 41. Seattle-Tacoma Union Stage Lines, 1921-1923
  • Series 42. Seattle Traction Company & Seattle-Everett Traction Company, 1897-1911
  • Series 43. South Seattle Cable Railway Company, 1889-1897
  • Series 44. Stone & Webster Engineering Consulting Corporation, 1910-1912
  • Series 45. Tacoma Railway and Power Company, 1903-1929
  • Series 46. Third Street and Suburban Railway Company, 1895-1901
  • Series 47. Union Trunk Line, 1890-1900
  • Series 48. Vancouver Traction Company, 1908-1911
  • Series 49. Washington-Oregon Power Company 1898-1921
  • Series 50. Washington Railway and Power Company, 1907
  • Series 51. West Street and North End Railway Company, 1890-1901
  • Series 52. Whatcom County Railway & Light Company, 1903-1938 (1903-1915)
  • Series 53. Whatcom-Fairhaven Gas Company, 1902-1922
  • Series 54. Other Regional Land, Power and Transportation Companies, 1883-1951

Acquisition Information

The bulk of the Puget Sound Power & Light Company records were transferred from the company’s Bellingham office in 1972. The initial donation included papers and bound volumes generated by approximately forty predecessors and subsidiaries of the parent company. In 1994, CPNWS received additional records documenting the property interests of various companies from Puget Power’s Real Estate office in Bellevue, Washington.

Processing Note

Curt Ryser initiated work on the Puget Sound Power & Light Company Records in 1987, inventorying oversized volumes and creating a box level inventory. Daniel E. Turbeville III contributed an introduction to this initial finding aid. Initial processing included a 1 in 20 sampling of certain journal entries, vouchers and receipts created by ten of Puget Power’s subsidiary companies (the remainder were destroyed). All sampled records are identified in the current container list for the collection. In 2001, Ruth Steele merged unprocessed material into the main collection, established consistent series and sub-series arrangement and created a comprehensive guide to the Puget Sound Power & Light Company Records. Records relating to the Lake Whatcom Improvement Society and Puget Sound Freight Lines (unrelated to the Puget Sound Power and Light Company) were removed from the collection and are cataloged as separate CPNWS collections. In 2003, Ruth Steele and Amber Raney re-engineered the collection. In June 2004, Michal Walden merged records created by Puget Sound Power and Light Company, and the Washington Oregon Corporation into the main collection. Joshua Zimmerman merged additional Puget Sound Power and Light Company materials in July 2005. In April 2006 Roz Koester merged additional materials into the collection.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Bibliography

Turbeville III, Daniel E. The Electric Railway Era in Northwest Washington, 1890-1930. Occasional Paper #12: Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Washington University,1978.

Wing, Robert C. (ed.). A Century of Service: The Puget Power Story Bellevue, Washington: Puget Sound Power & Light Company, 1987.

Related Materials

CPNWS also houses the Daniel E. Turbeville photograph collection which contains historical images of street railways and interurban systems in and around Bellingham, WA. The Northwest Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives, located in the same building as CPNWS, houses "Nuclear Power Plant Rezone" files which were transferred from Puget Power to the Skagit County Planning Department. The branch also houses Puget Power acquisition records from the Snohomish County Public Utility District.

The Manuscripts, Special Collections, and University Archives division of the University of Washington Libraries has records from the Bellingham office of Puget Sound Traction Light & Power, which was responsible for the management and operation of the remaining Bellingham street railway systems following the company's incorporation in 1912. The UW also houses records from numerous other companies that were involved in regional power distribution.

Additionally, the King County Archives and the Seattle Municipal Archives have records related to the Puget Sound Power & Light Company.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Finding aid prepared by Ruth Steele
2003

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

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