When a River Helped Light a Town
On September 30, 1882, a power station beside the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, began producing electricity. The river had long helped power local industry. Now its moving water could also help light electric lamps.
The station, known as the Vulcan Street Plant, was an early hydroelectric power plant. The word hydroelectric describes electricity produced using the energy of moving water. According to the Library of Congress, the Appleton plant supplied electricity to the home of paper manufacturer H. J. Rogers and to nearby paper mills.
From moving water to electric light
The plant brought together several pieces of equipment. Moving water turned a waterwheel, which provided mechanical energy—the energy of motion. The turning equipment drove a generator, a machine that changed mechanical energy into electrical energy. Wires then carried the electricity to lamps.
An electric lamp could produce light when electricity passed through a thin filament inside its bulb. The filament became hot enough to glow. Although the glowing filament made the light, the energy that started the process came from the moving water.
- industry:
- Businesses that make goods or provide services.
- resource:
- Something useful that people can draw on.
- machinery:
- Machines used together to do work.
- installed:
- Put equipment in place so it can be used.
- supplied:
- Provided something that was needed.
- facilities:
- Places with equipment used for a particular purpose.
- flow:
- The movement of a liquid in a steady stream.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How did the Appleton plant combine an old energy source with newer technology?
- 2Trace the energy from the Fox River to the light in a lamp.
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“When a River Helped Light a Town” is a explanatory article reading passage about Hydroelectric power, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (533 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.