OSCODA, Mich., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers Energy and
Michigan Historical Commission officials today unveiled State Historical
Markers at the utility's Cooke and Mio hydroelectric generating dams and at
the Five Channels dam workers camp. All three sites are located on the Au
Sable River.
"Electricity from the dams was an important part of the development of
Consumers Energy and Michigan's energy infrastructure early in the 20th
century," said William A. Schoenlein, Consumers Energy's director of hydro
generation. "The renewable electricity produced by the dams remains an
important part of our electric generation mix today."
"Consumers Energy was a true pioneer in the development of
hydroelectricity early in the twentieth century, transmitting electricity long
distances from the dams to the population centers of Flint and Grand Rapids,
where businesses and homes were beginning to utilize electricity," said Thomas
Truscott, of the Michigan Historical Commission.
The Cooke Historical Marker is located in an area overlooking Cooke Dam at
the end of Cooke Dam Road, off the River Road National Scenic Byway. The
Cooke Hydroelectric Generating Dam began operation in 1911. Its 140,000-volt
transmission line leading to Flint was the highest voltage transmission line
in the world at that time. Cooke Dam is capable of generating 9,000 kilowatts
of electricity, enough to serve a community of about 4,900 people. The plant,
which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, is
located in Iosco County's Oscoda Township.
The Mio Hydroelectric Generating Dam began operation in 1916. It is
capable of generating 4,960 kilowatts of electricity, enough to serve a
community of 2,700 people. The Mio plant was the first to use a conduit,
under-sluice spillway instead of a massive above-ground spillway. Mio Dam is
located near the town of Mio in central Oscoda County.
The Five Channels workers camp was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 2002. It was started in 1911 and dismantled in 1913 after
the dam was built. Five Channels camp was very modern for its day, utilizing
lessons learned during construction of the Panama Canal aimed at improving
worker health and living conditions to ensure successful project construction.
The camp structures no longer are present, but the site is well protected, its
surface largely undisturbed. The site is located in the western part of
Oscoda Township in Iosco County where Michigan 65 crosses the Au Sable River.
Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural
gas and electricity to more than six million of Michigan's 10 million
residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at
http://www.consumersenergy.com .
SOURCE Consumers Energy
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CONTACT:
Consumers Energy Hydro Dams Media Contact:
Kelly Farr, +1-989-891-3451
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