Hydroelectric dam and power plant, Chippewa Falls, WI, circa 1920
- Card type
- Real photo
About this postcard
The view shows a concrete dam and brick powerhouse on the Chippewa River, with water spilling through the gates in the foreground. A rooftop sign identifies the Chippewa Falls hydro plant of the Northern States Power Company, and wooded hills and scattered buildings rise behind the dam. Chippewa Falls grew as a lumber town on the Chippewa River, and the dam reflects the early 20th-century shift from sawmill waterpower to centralized hydroelectric service. Northern States Power Company consolidated electric utilities across the upper Midwest in the same period, and its sign marks the plant as part of that expanding system.
Postcard Details
No address detected
Postcard record
| Condition | Very good |
|---|---|
| Place depicted | Chippewa Falls, WI |
| Stamp | none printed stamp box inscription (PLACE STAMP HERE), imperforate |
| Notes | Black-and-white glossy real photo print; rooftop sign lettering appears reversed in the negative, reading 'CHIPPEWA FALLS HYDRO PLANT / NORTHERN STATES POWER COMPANY' when corrected. No white border or divided back visible on the picture side. No postmark. Divided-back card with printed 'POST CARD / CORRESPONDENCE / ADDRESS' and a dashed stamp box reading 'PLACE STAMP HERE' with D O P S corner letters. Dealer pencil notation 'Rm LS / # 3.00' at upper left; no message, address, or stamp. Front is a real-photo view of Chippewa Falls, Wis., captioned 'CHIPPEWA FALLS, WIS.' |
Cite this card
Hydroelectric dam and power plant, Chippewa Falls, WI, circa 1920, postcard, c. 1920. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/hydroelectric-dam-and-power-plant-chippewa-falls-wi-circa-19. Accessed November 2, 2026.