Raising a power pole during construction of the line to Perris in 1912.

1901: John Barnes Miller assumes the presidency of Edison and inaugurates a period of aggressive expansion and marketing with his "Good Service, Square Dealing, and Courteous Treatment" motto. Miller believes the utility industry will overcome its reputation as a high-risk investment if small, inefficient, and financially-weak companies are joined to form a large, stable regional system that owns a good deal of mortgagable property.

1902: Miller gets financial backing for his plan when eastern banks recapitalize Edison Electric to the tune of $10 million.

1902-1905: Backed by Pacific Light & Power Corporation, John Eastwood surveys the Big Creek area, submitting an ambitious plan for a huge hydroelectric power project.

Construction of Big Creek Powerhouse No.1 in April 1913, at the junction of Pitman Creek and Big Creek.

1902-1909: Edison grows exponentially by:

July 6, 1909: To celebrate Edison's growth from a small Los Angeles utility to an electric company serving 600,000 people in five counties, the company changes its name to Southern California Edison.

Big Creek's "penstock pipe" was built in Germany by the famed Krupp Works, which used metallurgy similar to that needed for cannon barrels.

1911: The Public Utilities Act regulates rates and assumes wide powers over corporate finance, quality of service, consolidation, and franchising. Boundaries between utility systems are formalized through geographic "spheres of influence," prohibiting the invasion of existing companies' service territories.

1911-1914: Edison builds the Long Beach power plant, which features three huge steam turbines that generate a total of 47,500 kilowatts. Edison also builds a new network of 66,000-volt steel tower transmission lines that extend from Los Angeles No. 3 switching station to Colton in the east, Santa Ana in the southeast, Long Beach Steam Plant in the south, Santa Monica in the west, and Pasadena in the north.

November 8, 1913: Edison's rival, Pacific Light & Power, under the control of Henry Huntington, builds the huge $12-million hydroelectric plant at Big Creek to power the Pacific Electric Railway and the Los Angeles Railway, known as the Big Red Trolleys.

Miss Vera Ebert, Edison's first Home Economist, conducts a demonstration at the Redlands office in 1916.

1914: Edison's New Business Department expands usage by selling directly to the public. New electrical appliances include vacuum cleaners and stoves. Advances in technology lead to better irrigation pumps for farming and artificial daylight floodlighting for the budding film industry.


NEXT:1917-1947

Edison appliance technicians deliver a new electric range in 1941.