A Legacy of Service: 1956-1976

For 90 years, People's Energy Cooperative has provided electric service to rural communities and areas around Rochester.  We continue our look back at our rich history with stories from the 60s and 70s.

1960

The Upper Mississippi Valley Power Pool (UMVPP) was created between Dairyland Power Cooperative, other cooperatives, and investor-owned utilities - this was a predecessor to the current day Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO).

1962

The Cooperative's Board of Directors voted to provide water service in the form of underground lines, wells, and water towers in areas southeast of Rochester known as the Rose Harbor and Marvale subdivisions.  This became known as the Cooperative Water System.

1966

Power outages were reported by calling an 'outage reporter' who would then contact the Cooperative.  It eliminated long-distance phone calls and helped prevent traffic jams on rural telephone switchboards.

1968

Pay stations were set up at area banks throughout the service territory to facilitate members paying their bills on time.

1971

The Cooperative moved its headquarters building to a location on Highway 14 East.  The property held special historical significance to the Cooperative as it was the site of the first farm electrified by People's.

1974

The Cooperative experienced significant cost increases in purchased power and supplies due to inflation, a recession, and legislative actions.  During this time, the country experienced the first OPEC / oil crisis which quadrupled the price of oil.