The Washburn Plant

The Washburn Plant. . , In the early 1920s, most North Dakota towns were served by small local power plants producing direct current (DC) electric power. In 1926, Otter Tail Power Company of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was one of several companies building a series of power stations generating alternating current (AC) power connected by a network of highlines across the state. , Otter Tail's 1926 building program included a highline west from Carrington to Washburn, where it would be served by a new, lignite-coal-burning power plant with a generating capacity of 3,000 kilowatts. The brick and steel plant was built on the bank of the Missouri River west of Washburn. It was completed and went into operation on October 12, 1926. The Washburn Plant was considered the first sizeable power plant to burn lignite coal in North Dakota. , The Washburn power plant initially burned lignite coal mined near Wilton by the Washburn Lignite Coal Co., and delivered by the Soo Line railroad. In 1928, Otter Tail took over operation of the mine. Then in 1930, the mine was leased by the Truax-Traer Coal Company which began surface mining. The mine was finally closed in 1946. For about a year, lignite was hauled from Truax-Traer's Dakota Star Mine near Hazen. Then a new surface mine, the Custer Mine near Garrison, became the source of coal for the Washburn Plant. , The Otter Tail Plant at Washburn operated at full capacity until hydroelectric power from the Garrison Dam became available in 1956. Thereafter, it was on standby service until the end of 1969 when it was shut down and the plant was demolished.