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Hillsboro in Traill County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

 
 
Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Marker<br>(<i>top tablet</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 27, 2022
1. Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Marker
(top tablet)
Inscription.
Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., during North Dakota’s Centennial year, commemorates the pioneers of rural electrification and the community leaders who dared dream of a better way of life in the stark days of 1935 to 1940.

As the State of North Dakota celebrates its centennial year in 1989, the rural people of this region record 50 years of electrification. During the year 1939, four individual projects struggled to obtain a secure source of power and to build power lines in the rural areas of northeastern North Dakota. These projects included the Walsh Project in the Walsh County area, the Five Star Project in the Ramsey and Nelson County area, the Red River project in the Traill County area, and the Forks Project in the Grand Forks County area.

Because of the difficulty of obtaining a firm source of power, these four projects were merged to form Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, which was incorporated on January 17, 1940. Later that year, Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative became one of several cooperatives in North Dakota and Minnesota who would jointly own and purchase all power requirements from Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Financing for the construction of power generation and distribution lines was furnished by the Rural Electrification Administration
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in accordance with the Rural Electrification Act as signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 11, 1935.

World War II virtually brought line construction to a halt due to lack of materials and manpower. Following the war, Nodak embarked on a rapid expansion program to provide complete area coverage. In the year of this centennial, Nodak provides power to over 11,000 consumer members in the North Dakota Counties of Pembina, Walsh, Ramsey, Nelson, Steele, Grand Forks, and Traill.

This period of rural electrification can be remembered as a time when the farmers found themselves in the “dark”, and neighbors joined with neighbors to organize their own business and provide themselves with electric power. This is private enterprise at its best.
 
Erected 1989 by Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceWar, World II. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #32 Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Rural Electrification 💡 series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is January 17, 1940.
 
Location. 47° 24.173′ N, 97° 3.663′ W. Marker is in Hillsboro, North Dakota, in Traill County. Marker is on South Main Street just south of West Caledonia Avenue, on the left when traveling
Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Marker<br>(<i>bottom tablet</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 27, 2022
2. Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Marker
(bottom tablet)
south. Marker is located at the center of Hillsboro Railroad Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hillsboro ND 58045, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within walking distance of this marker. Traill County Courthouse (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line).
 
Also see . . .
1. The Rural Electrification Act of 1936.
On May 11, 1935, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 7037, which created the Rural Electrification Administration. In 1936, the Congress endorsed Roosevelt's action by passing the Rural Electrification Act. At the time the Rural Electrification Act was passed, electricity was commonplace in cities but largely unavailable in farms, ranches, and other rural places. It provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States.

The funding was channeled through cooperative electric power companies, hundreds of which still exist today. These member-owned cooperatives purchased power on a wholesale basis and distributed it using their own network of transmission and distribution lines. The Rural Electrification Act was one of many New Deal proposals by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to remedy high unemployment during the Great Depression.

(Submitted on November 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 27, 2022
3. Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Marker
(looking east from South Main Street • Railroad Park in background)
 

2. About Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative.
The board of directors of both Nodak and Sheyenne Valley Cooperative voted on March 28, 2000, to approve a merger plan between the two cooperatives. On July 11, 2000, at Nodak’s annual meeting, members voted to merge with Sheyenne Valley Electric. At Sheyenne Valley’s annual meeting, their customers also voted in favor of the merger.

As of January 1, 2001, Sheyenne Valley officially became a part of Nodak. Merging the two systems eliminated redundancies and reduced the overall cost of providing electricity to its customers. As one system, it was able to operate with less personnel, use fewer facilities and eliminate one governing board of directors.

Today, Nodak provides power to over 14,000 members. Nodak’s service territory covers all or parts of Pembina, Walsh, Ramsey, Nelson, Steele, Grand Forks, Griggs, Benson, Eddy, Traill and Cass counties in North Dakota.

(Submitted on November 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 334 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on November 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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Mar. 29, 2024