Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park - Folsom, California

 

Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park - Folsom, California

In the 1850’s Horatio Livermore and later his sons pioneered the building of ditches and dams on the American River to promoted industry and agricultural development in the area.  The Folsom Powerhouse began operation in 1895 delivering 11,000 volts of electricity to Sacramento.  This new achievement in long-distance high-voltage transmission was truly something to celebrate and assisted in the development of the area.

The original generating plant remained in continuous operation until 1952 when the plant was donated to the State of California to preserve its historical values.

The Folsom Powerhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1981) due to the significant impact in the areas of engineering and industry on the national level.

This opportunity to see the massive General Electric transformers, each capable of conducting form 800 to 11,000 volts of electricity, in addition to the forebays and canal system that brought water from the dam.

Location: From Folsom you can reach the recreation area from either Hwy 50 or I-80 (9980 Greenback Lane)

Group tours: available throughout the week by special arrangement - 916-985-4843

Hours: Wed. through Sun. Noon to 4

Telephone: 916-988-0205

Tags: agricultural development, canal system, continuous operation, ditches, electric transformers, folsom california, folsom powerhouse, generating plant, greenback lane, group tours, high voltage, horatio, hwy 50, lane group, national register of historic places, recreation area, rsquo, sun noon, voltage transmission, volts