Mid-July 1937:
The SLV rural electric project began as two separate projects— Alamosa Rural Electric Company, which included the southern part of Alamosa County, part of Conejos County and the Bowen Community in Rio Grande County and the REA, which included most of Rio Grande County (those not with Public Service), the southern part of Saguache County and the northwest part of Alamosa County.
In mid-July 1937 it was approved as one joint San Luis Valley project to be named San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. $150,000 was approved for the project to include construction of approximately 225 miles of power lines in Rio Grande and Saguache counties with 586 customers plus 100 miles of line and 200 customers in Alamosa and Conejos counties.