HISTORY: Community Topics | POWERLINE

The story of power coming to Joe Rich is explained very well in the article How Power Came to Joe Rich by Ann Morrison and Families Build Own Power Line (Oct. 5 1965). Mrs. Gerry Demitor has saved a fascinating pile of letters starting from 1961 requesting power and telephone service from the BC Government, the Public Utilities Commission, West Kootenay Power, and Okanagan Telephone Company. She also has the replies from these institutions, negative at first and then reluctantly positive after 1964, when they learned that Joe Rich residents were prepared to put the poles in themselves. Then in 1965, there are all the letters regarding customers in Joe Rich who will agree to sign on for power and telephone and more importantly to pay $1100 each. Then, there are the lists of all those Joe Rich residents who worked putting in the line. Finally, there are letters from 1973 and 1975 requesting a lowering of rates because more customers have moved into Joe Rich and so the power and telephone companies are able to spread their costs over a larger number of billings.

Some lists of the people involved are interesting. Those requesting power in 1964 were: Howard Demitor, Michael Feniak, E.R. Christianson, T.R. Prior, C.H. Philpott, C.E. Philpott, L.C. Fazan, Mary M. Weddell, Jas. Henderson, R.V. McKenzie, C. Serwa, J.A. Olinger, Olinger Lumber Co., Carmi, Barbara Elsdon, S.L. Swart, R.C. Parkes.

Those who were signed on by April 1965 were: R.A. Philpott, Cecil E. Philpott, Charles Philpott, James Weddell, H. Demitor, Edgar Christianson, W. Anderson, Veronica McKenzie, Terry Fazan, K. Hathaway, J. Henderson, E. Ritchey, Mrs. Parkin, Kelowna Ranches: House Irrigation, O. Folz, L.C. Fazan