Interviewer
Merri Ann Hartse
Files
Description
Eugene Pike discusses the history of the Missoula Electric Cooperative from 1946 to 1976. He describes his involvement with rural electrification through his job with the Missoula County Water Board and how he was offered the job of manager of Missoula Electric Cooperative. Pike talks about the complicated network of agreements and laws established in the Rural Electrification Act of 1937 under which the cooperative operated. Pike also discusses the series of court cases in which the Montana Power Company sought and often succeeded in limiting electric cooperatives’ business across the state of Montana. Pike tells stories about fallen power lines and discusses the equipment used to build new lines. He also talks about the social impact that rural electrification had on rural populations.
The audio quality for this interview is poor, and it’s difficult to hear the interviewee.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Missoula Electric Cooperative; Electric utilities, Montana Missoula County; Rural electrification, Montana Missoula County; Bonneville Power Administration; Montana Power Company
Original Date
11-1979
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Rural Electric Cooperative Oral History Project, OH 050, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 050-003
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 sound cassette (01:00:00 min.) analog + 1 transcript (14 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
01:00:03 minutes
Local Filename
OH_050_003.mp3; OH_050_003.pdf
Citation
Pike, Eugene, "Eugene Pike Interview, circa November 1979" (1979). Rural Electrification Oral History Project. 3.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/ruralelectrification_oralhistory/3