Paul Whiteman and his orchestra

Music player, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra.

• 1849 Territory of Oregon established by act of Congress.

• 1851 City of Portland incorporated.

• 1857 Lighthouses electrified; the Statue of Liberty is lit.

• 1859 Oregon admitted to the Union on Feb 14 as the 33rd state.

• 1876 Alexander Graham Bell reads soliloquies of Hamlet to demonstrate the telephone at Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

• 1877 Charles Brush introduces the electric arc light system.

• 1879 Portlanders introduced to electric lighting when the S.S. California visits Portland and powers an arc lamp strung above city intersection.

• 1879 Thomas Edison invents the incandescent lamp, opening the door for the practical application of electricity.

• 1880 Steamship "Columbia" shows off incandescent lighting in Portland.  "The S. S. Columbia sailed from New York in the early part of May, 1880, with a cargo of thirteen locomotives, two hundred cars and other railroad supplies. As there was no Panama canal in those days the good ship had to round Cape Horn. She arrived at Portland, Oregon, on July 26.  Oregon Railway and Navigation Company president Henry Villard attended the New Year's Eve demonstration and became an instant Edison enthusiast. (He later became president of Edison General Electric Company.) Villard boldly decided to purchase an Edison lighting system for a new steamship, the S. S. Columbia, then under construction for his company.  Not everyone believed that installing the new technology on the ship was prudent. Edison himself apparently showed some reluctance, wanting to concentrate on his idea of centrally generated power and not "isolated" power plants. Villard persisted however, and Edison came to view the job as an opportunity for promoting the new system. The Columbia installation became the first commercial order for Edison's light bulb.  The ship was launched in February 1880 and sailed to New York where the electrical equipment was installed. In May the ship took on cargo and sailed for Portland, Oregon, a trip of about 10 weeks around South America. The installation proved both technically and promotionally successful: the equipment functioned properly and the press reported the story. Scientific American published an extensive article about the system. article 1, article 2.

• 1880 the nation's first electric trolleys go into service in New York City, Chicago, and Richmond, Virginia.

• 1883 The nation's first night baseball game is played using 17 arc lights.

• 1884 Portland's first electric company, the United States Electric Lighting & Power Co., is incorporated by Portland businessmen George Weidler, Parker Morey, and Fred Holman; long distance phone service first available in the U.S.

• 1888 Parker Morey joins Edward Eastham to incorporate Willamette Falls Electric Company; Nicola Tesla introduces alternating current (AC), which can be transmitted much farther than direct current (DC).

• On the evening of June 3, 1889, the Willamette Falls Electric Co. was responsible for producing the nation's first long-distance transmission of direct-current (DC) electricity from Station A, built by PGE's earliest predecessor ( Willamette Falls Electric Co.) perched atop the falls at Oregon City 14 miles to Portland, OR.  A single generator produced power to light one circuit of streetlights.  turbine deck

• 1892 Portland General Electric (PGE) is incorporated; General Electric (GE) is formed by the merger of two electrical manufacturing giants, the Thomson-Houston Co. and the Edison General Electric Co.

• 1894 Nation's first public showing of motion pictures; swollen Willamette River causes Portland's worst flood in history, putting 250 city blocks underwater.

• 1895 PGE's Station B, now the T.W. Sullivan Plant, is completed on the west side of Willamette Falls, to meet growing load in Portland, including electric railways.

• 1900 The nation's first escalator is displayed.

• 1902 Henry Goode becomes PGE President.

• 1903 Successful flight of the Wright brothers.

• 1905 The Lewis & Clark Exposition is held in northwest Portland, attracting 3 million visitors.  The event is lit by PGE with power from its newest steam plant, Station E.

• 1906 Portland got it's first movie theater.  PGE merges with Portland Railway Company and the Oregon Water Power & Railway Company to become Portland Railway Light & Power Co (PRL&P) - the owner and operator of city and interurban electric railway services; PRL&P purchases tow power companies and takes over electric service to Washington customers in Vancouver and Oregon customers in Salem, Mt. Angel, Silverton, and Woodburn.  Cazadero/Faraday Plant

• 1907 Benage Josselyn becomes PRL&P President; the Company's first hydroelectric plant on the Clackamas River (Cazadero, later renamed Faraday) is completed; Portland City Council passes an ordinance requiring all electric wires within the downtown area to be placed underground; the first modern utility regulating commissions with broad powers are established in New York and Wisconsin; first electric washing machine.

• 1909 PGE's Electric Building opens on Sixth Avenue and Alder Street in Portland.  The building was the first in Portland to feature permanent exterior lighting - 1,100 low wattage light bulbs.

• 1910 The Company's Station L steam plant in Portland is completed; Pacific Power & Light, serving 17 communities scattered throughout Oregon and Washington, is incorporated.  We were selling electric toasters, vacuum cleaners, chafing dishes, razors and curling irons from the Electric Store on the ground floor of our new headquarters -- the Electric Building on Sixth and Alder in Portland. 

• 1911 PGE signs a 15 year contract with North Coast Power Co. to provide electricity to customers in Beaverton and surrounding Washington County; the Company's River Mill Plant is completed on the Clackamas River; Oregon begins regulating electric utilities; air conditioner introduced by Carrier.

• 1912 PRL&P purchases assets of Mt. Hood Railway & Power Co. and takes over franchises to furnish power to Hillsboro, Gresham, Fairview, and Camas, WA; the Company's Bull Run Plant is completed on the Sandy River; Northwestern Electric Company, which becomes part of Pacific Power & Light in 1947, enters the Portland electricity market - the Company's first serious competition; PRL&P lights the Hawthorne Bridge for Rose Festival Week; the Company builds its Hawthorne Shop and Central Market Street Garage in east Portland; Franklin Griffith becomes PRL&P President. Three speed Pole Truck and crew.

• 1914-18 World War I; first fully automatic electric ranges and electric toasters are produced.

• 1919 Prohibition Amendment (18th) passes.

• 1920 Women win the right to vote (19th Constitutional Amendment); nation's first licensed radio broadcasting station begins operating; Federal Power Act gives federal government purview over navigable streams (and their potential power generation).

• 1922 KGW Radio was the first commercial radio station.

• 1924 The Company's name changes to Portland Electric Power Company (PEPCO); the Oak Grove Plant is completed on the Clackamas River; PEPCO starts operating bus lines as it's electric trolley system loses money; the Company provides power to Tigard; the nation's first three-color electric traffic signals appear.

• 1925-26 PEPCO takes over service to Lake Oswego and St. Helens areas, as well as Beaverton and surrounding east Washington County from Banks in the north to Sherwood in the south.

• 1927 First solo flight from New York to Paris by Charles Lindbergh, who dedicates Portland's first airport the same year; talking pictures are demonstrated.

• 1928 Oregon voters defeat a proposal for PEPCO to buy out Northwester, our Portland competitor; electric razor invented by Schick.

• 1929 New York stock market crashes on Oct 23; first automatic waffle iron developed; PEPCO's majority stockholders, the Clark family of Philadelphia, sell out to a New York holding company (Public Utility Holding Co. of America), which in turn turns over its PEPCO stock to Central Public Service Corp. of Chicago in early 1930, PEPCO becomes the Pacific Northwest Public Service Co., with three operating companies; PGE, Portland Traction Co., and Seattle Gas.

• 1930 Electric clock invented by General Electric.

• 1931 Oregon Legislature passes a law allowing voters to create people's utility districts (PUDs); office of Oregon Public Utility Commissioner created; Oregon Public Utility Commissioner succeeds the Public Service Commission to regulate utilities.

• 1932-33 Central Public Service Corp. declares bankruptcy; President Franklin Griffith pulls the Company back under local control; Company name reverts to PEPCO; reflecting the Great Depression, the Company's gross earnings plummet $3 million between 1930 and 1933; Franklin Roosevelt is elected U.S. President; FM radio introduced.

• 1935 U.S. District Court in Portland approves reorganization plan after PEPCO is forced into receivership for defaulting on debenture coupons; IBM introduces the first successful electric typewriter; Congress passes the Rural Electrification Act (REA).

• 1936 Oregon voters defeat a proposal to create a PUD spanning seven counties - including five in the Company's service area.

• 1937 Bonneville Dam - the Northwest's first federal hydroelectric project - is completed on the Columbia River; Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) formed.

• 1938 Molalla Electric Co. and Yamhill Electric Co. merge with PGE; first traffic lights in Portland (Southwest 10th and 11th at Burnside) and in Salem; fluorescent lighting introduced.

• 1939 PGE signs first contract with BPA for purchasing and distributing power generated at Bonneville Dam; R.C.A. demonstrates color television to the Federal Communications Commission; another PEPCO financial reorganization puts two trustees in charg - one of them, Thomas Delzell, who would later become chief executive officer.

• 1940 PGE is first utility in the nation to have two-way radios in line vehicles for more efficient dispatching, Franklin Griffith becomes PEPCO's first Chairman; new President is James Polhemus; voters defeat several proposals to create PUDs throughout the Company's service area, with one exception - a PUD in Columbia County gains approval, but doesn't become operational for 40 yrs.

• 1941 The nation enters World War II; another federal hydroelectric project on the Columbia River, Grand Coulee Dam, is completed.

• 1941-45 During World War II, PEPCO serves several defense plants in its service area.

• 1942 Northwest Power Pool organized to coordinate use of the region's power resources.

• 1945 World War II ends.

• 1946 PEPCO splits into separate power and railway companies, selling the railway operation to a California firm to pay back money owed an Eastern bank; Tekrad (later Tektronix) is started in Portland, leading development of the area's high-tech industry; PEPCO's distribution system in Vancouver is taken over by a PUD, ending the Company's service in Washington stat; first coast-to-coast TV broadcast; Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) is created.

• 1947 Power shortage threatens Northwest, with brownouts occurring in Central Oregon in the winter; transistor invented.

• 1948 PGE begins operating as an independent corporation involved in light and power services only; Thomas Delzell is Chairman; Columbia River floods, affecting Portland and Vancouver.

• 1950-1953 Korean War.

• 1950 Congress passes the River and Harbor and Flood Control Act, empowering Corps of Engineers to proceed with Columbia Basin hydro projects, including Priest Rapids, John Day, and The Dalles dams.

• 1952 Portland's first television broadcast.   Picture courtesy KPTV.  The nation's first ultra-high frequency (UHF) station - KPTV Channel 27 - is powered by PGE.

• 1952-53 Northwest drought causes power shortage, forcing utilities to fire up expensive steam plants.

• 1953 PGE signs a 20 year contract to receive power from BPA.

• 1954 PGE joins with PP&L and two other utilities to form the Pacific Northwest Power Company to pursue joint projects; PGE representatives are paart of a study team observing nuclear-fueled power generation at an Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) installation at Hanford; Timothy Meadows reservoir is developed above the Oak Grove Hydro Plant, adding capacity to PGE's three Clackamas River plants.

• 1955 Frank Warren becomes PGE President.

• 1956 PGE acquires Sandy Electric Co-op, extending its service territory to Government Camp on Mount Hood; natural gas introduced in PGE's service area; PGE's Portland Service Center is built; all-electric homes marketed nationwide (later called Bronze or Gold Medallion homes).

• 1957 PGE representatives observe as the commercial nuclear industry is born in Shippingport, PA., when Duquesne Light Co.'s nuclear plant begins operation; the Soviet Union sends Sputnik into space.

• 1958 PGE's Pelton Plant is completed on the Deschutes River, after a decade-long political struggle that goes to the U.S. Supreme Court; the Company's North Fork Plant is completed on the Clackamas River.  North Fork Plant  I got married.

• 1959 Oregon's centennial; PGE builds a display entitled "Electri-city" for the 100-day Oregon Centennial Exposition; first photocopier introduced by Xerox.

• 1961 The nation's first manned space flight made by Alan Shepard.  Excerpt from the 1961 BULLSEYE.

• 1962 Columbus Day windstorm tears down PGE's electrical system to the tune of $3.95 million in damages; 98 percent of customers are without power; John Glenn orbits the earth; PGE receives the national Edison Award for its leadership in developing parks and conserving natural resources around its dams.

• 1963 President John F.Kennedy assassinated; Martin Luther King shares his "dream".

• 1964 PGE's Round Butte Plant is completed on the Deschutes River; Frank Warren assumes PGE Chairman responsibilities; Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; the nation enters the Vietnam War; Christmas Flood of 1964 affects Oregon rivers and wreaks havoc with PGE's system.

• 1965 Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania-funded by PGE and 51 other utilities goes on-line; power blackouts experienced on the East Coast.

• 1966 PGE begins building its 194 mile section of the Pacific Northwest-Southwest Intertie. 

• 1968 Construction begins on PGE's Trojan Nuclear Plant; PGE stock listed on the New York Stock exchange (PGN); John Day Dam completed; the Pacific Intertie is completed; Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy assassinated.

• 1969 Neil Armstrong is the first man on the moon, courtesy of U.S.Apollo II.

• 1970 PGE's Summit Diesel Plant is completed near Government Camp on Mount Hood; Trojan partnership created:PGE, PP&L, and EWEB (Eugene Water & Electric Board); Earth Day highlights the nation's concern about environmental issues.

• 1971 The nation's voting age is lowered to 18.

• 1972 PGE and PP&L sign a service exchange agreement, ending duplication of services throughout Portland.

• 1973 PGE's Bethel Combustion Plant begins operation near Salem; Watergate scandal; nationwide energy crisis; double-digit inflation.

• 1974 PGE's Beaver Combustion Plant begins operation near Clatskanie.  Governor McCall test-drives an electric van.

• 1975 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) replaces the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

• 1976 PGE's Trojan Nuclear Plant begins commercial operation; employees begin moving into PGE's new headquarters, Willamette Center in Portland; the nation celebrates its bicentennial.

• 1977 Frank Warren officially takes title of PGE Chairman and CEO; Robert Short becomes PGE President; Three Mile Island (TMI) accident on March 28, near Harrisburg, PA, heightens public scrutiny of nuclear power.

• Between 1976 and 1993, PGE operated Trojan, the only nuclear power plant in Oregon.  The Trojan Nuclear Plant was the largest thermal plant in the United States and the third largest in the world when it began operating.

• 1980 Robert Short becomes PGE Chairman and CEO; PGE's Boardman Coal Plant begins operation near Boardman,, OR; Congress passes the Regional Power Act; Mount St. Helens erupts. Boardman Plant

• 1981 Northwest Power Planning Council, a state-appointed body, is formed to formulate policy on future electrical energy demand and resources in the region, and to promote regional cooperation; U.S. hostages in Iran return home; first flight of the nation's space shuttle.

• 1982 PGE cancels plans for its Pebble Springs nuclear project; AT&T is forced to split up.

• 1983 PGE writes off its investment in the Skagit nuclear project.

• 1984 Oregon voters approve creation of a Citizens' Utility Board (CUB).

• 1985 A new PGE subsidiary, Columbia Willamette Development Co., is created to pursue real estate projects.

• 1986 Portland General Corporation is created, with PGE as a subsidiary; Oregon voters defeat Ballot Measure 14, and attempt to shut down PGE's Trojan Nuclear Plant, but approve expanding the Public Utility Commission to include three commissioners; PGE donates Station L to the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) for a new museum complex; the Company writes off its 10 percent investment in a Washington Public Power Supply System nuclear plant; PGE stock hits an all-time high of $36.75; the Soviet Union reports an accident at their Chernobyl Nuclear Plant; the U.S. space shuttle "Challenger" explodes; MAX, the Metropolitan Area Express light rail commuter train, begins service between Portland and Gresham.

• 1987 Portland voters defeat proposals to create two people's utility districts (PUDs); PGE is restructured to create two new divisions-the Energy Services Division and Generating Division; Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood celebrates its 50th anniversary.

• 1988 Ken Harrison succeeds Robert Short as Chairman and CEO of Portland General Corp.; a wholesale power marketing subsidiary, Portland General Exchange (PGX), is created; the Company's headquarters is renamed World Trade Center Portland and a new subsidiary is formed to promote international trade in the Northwest; most of PGE's customer representatives relocate to the Company's new Customer Center in Tualatin.

• 1989 Richard Reiten becomes PGC President; PGE starts the year serving more than 550,000 customers; the Company relights the Hawthorne Bridge as part of its centennial celebration.

• July 1, 1997, Enron Corporation bought PGE for $2 billion in stock and $1.1 billion in assumed debt.

• 2000 Peggy Fowler becomes Portland General Electric's chief executive in April; PGE invests time and money to avoid any problems with Y2K predictions successfully.

• April 3, 2006, the company declared its independence from Enron, becoming a private company. PGE has since distributed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange April 10 and become a locally-based utility. see medallion

• 2006 May 21, Trojan cooling tower implosion VIDEO.  (5 MB); Oct 6, The new 20-mile, 230kv transmission line between Port Westward and Trojan switchyard is energized; Nov 27, PGE announces it will purchase 76 wind turbines from Vestas Wind Systems, of Denmark, for phase one construction of the Biglow Canyon Wind farm; Dec 7, PGE is named one of Oregon's Most Admired Companies in a survey conducted by the Portland Business Journal; Dec 14, a strong windstorm knocks out power to nearly 250, 000 customers around PGE's service territory.  This ranks as PGE's largest storm restoration effort since 1995.

• 2006 Oct 6 - The new 20 mile, 230kv transmission line between Port Westward and Trojan switchyard is energized.  Powered by a new breed of combustion turbine, the 400-megawatt Port Westward Generating Plant was designed and built to be one of the most efficient generators of its type in the United States today.  movie of plant being built

• 2007 Oct 11 - Sandy River's Marmot Dam is now just a memory returning the Sandy to a free-flowing river for the first time in almost 100 years.  Salmon and steelhead will now be able to navigate upsteam without delay.

• 2007 Oct 13 - Marks the official date the Northwest's power grid received power from the new wind project, Biglow Canyon Wind Farm.

• 2007 Dec 21 - Biglow Canyon Wind Farm becomes fully operational with an installed capacity of 125 MW.

• 2008 April 22  For the third year in a row, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory announces PGE has sold more renewable power to residential customers than any other utility in the United States.

• 2009 January Jim Piro takes the helm officially as PGE's new President and CEO.  Piro has been with PGE for 27 years. Before he was CFO, he worked in engineering, regulation and planning. He said there would be few changes in direction with his ascension.

• 2009 February  Peggy announces her retirement.  Peggy Fowler, chief executive of Portland General Electric and the most prominent female executive with an Oregon company.  Chief Financial Officer Jim Piro will succeed her as CEO, and Fowler will remain on PGE's board.  On Jan. 1, Piro will take the title of CEO and for two months PGE will have two chief executives.

• Fowler steps down March 1.  Fowler, 57, began her career at PGE in 1974, working first as a chemist for the utility's analytical lab. She became CEO in 2000, and led PGE as it severed its ties to Enron Corp. and emerged as an independent, public company.  She said her resignation was her own choice after 35 years with the company and eight as chief executive. She said she has been eligible to retire for two years and was looking forward to spending more time with her family and on community projects.

• April 2009  System wide deployment of PGE's smart metering system officially begins.

• April 2009  PGE hits a net metering milestone as the 372nd net metering cutomer is approved for a 29.25KW photovoltaic system, which means PGE surpasses 5 megawatts.

• PGE's Hawthorne Building turn 100 in 2011.  PGE was called Portland Railway LIght & Power.

MORE TO COME

Historical information extracted from PGE's Centennial publication "Bringing Power To Ideas", 1889 - 1989

Under Construction - More to come.

Back to Top

All images and content protected by applicable copyright laws. Copyright © November 30, 2006 pgeretirees.org. All rights reserved. Site owned by PGE Retirees Assn..  Last update: 05/18/11