For over 75 years Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative has been proudly serving the "driftless" area of southwest Wisconsin, a beautiful region left untouched by the glaciers. With our combination of scenery, rich farmland, and a hard-working population available for commercial and industrial businesses, we have a combination of assets that can't be beat anywhere else.
As a member-owned electric cooperative, our employees deliver the power of human connections every day, providing a one source solution for a wide range of energy management needs that maximize value, simplify life, and enhance our local communities.
History of Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative
REA (Rural Electrification Administration)
May 1938 – President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7037, creating the Rural Electrification Administration (REA).
Grant County Cooperative
On Wednesday afternoon, June 15, 1938, the first energy substation in south Lancaster was energized, sending the first electricity surging through the wires of the Grant County Cooperative which allowed their first customer, the Clinton Baker family, to flip that switch for the first time!
Lafayette Electric Cooperative
July 1938 - Lafayette Electric Cooperative was energized with just 26 members.
Crawford Electric Cooperative
September 1939 – Crawford Electric Cooperative was energized with 179 members and 116 miles of line.
Dairyland Power Cooperative
December 1941- Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) was formed and serves as our Generation and Transmission source to this date.
1944
By 1944 there were 2,061 members on 908 miles of line with an average power consumption per member of 108 kWh per month.
EJ Stoneman Plant in Cassville was energized
July 1951 – The EJ Stoneman Plant in Cassville was energized, while a part of DPC, the state-of-the-art Steam Electric Generating Station provided power to our region until it was sold in 1993 and eventually retired in 2015.
Presidential Candidates Visit Area
March 1960 – Presidential candidates, John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey visited our area during the Grant Electric Annual Meeting while both were campaigning.
Lafayette and Grant Electric Cooperatives merge
Rural Utilities Services (RUS)
Congress reorganized and the REA was replaced by the Rural Utilities Services (RUS).
Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative Forms
Grant, Lafayette and Crawford Electric Cooperatives merge into Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative.
2020
There are now 11,466 members and 3,501 miles of line both underground and overhead covering over 2,000 square miles of service territory.