May 1938: Big day approaching
By May 20, 1938, there were 131 homes wired with the remainder of 300 to be wired and officially inspected. Light fixtures hung with bulbs in place long before the energizing set for June 25. San Luis Valley REC is the second oldest cooperative in Colorado; the first organized was Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, with offices in Grand Junction. (San Luis Valley Historian, Volume XXVI #3, 1994)   

Electric system growing
At the regular board meeting on April 10, 1948 Manager Ray Villyard (pictured) recommended securing a
“two-way radio emergency station” to the board. With the completion of the “D” section, the cooperative
now had over 1,000 miles of line. (Newsboy, March 2004) 

‘C,’ ‘D’ and ‘E’ sections added
The REC system continued to grow; the “C” section was built, and power was obtained from Public Service lines at a point west of Blanca extending south to the New Mexico state line in 1939.
 “D” section was to extend to the farthest outlying areas— Saguache, Moffat, Villa Grove and taps off existing lines. It was delayed by World War II— put on hold until supplies (poles, wires, transformers, hardware, motors, etc.) were stockpiled after the war.
“E” section was instigated around 1943-44 to add extra wires for large irrigation pumps (three phase) for the central agricultural areas. This was a war production measure. The Zinzer substation was enlarged, voltage regulation and oil circuit breakers installed and many miles of single phase were changed to three phase for irrigation. When the contractor was finished, there were approximately 200 irrigation pumps.
One summer during this time (1944 or 1945) Public Service Company couldn’t supply the power needed to drive the many irrigation pumps. The overload tripped the breakers  in the Alamosa plant, stopping all pumps, and the farmers had to return to the fields to restart their wells. A plan of rationing was worked out, and pumps were only run five days per week. This was a bit frustrating and dangerous for the farmers who were trying to water their crops during the height of the growing season. Continued expansion of REC lines eventually corrected this.
(San Luis Valley Historian, Volume XXVI #3, 1994)  
 

March 1941— A new location
In March 1941, SLVREC Superintendent Willard Johnson broached the subject of needing more office space. At the time, the office was located on Washington Street at the rear of a building. Johnson had located a larger facility on Adams owned by Roy David. The following month, the coopera­tive moved to the new facility with a rent of $40 per month.

SUMMER 1952— NEW LINE TRUCK

1950s— SLVREC pioneers honored
This photograph, probably taken in the 1950s, honored SLVREC’s pioneers. On the left, Director John R. Wright, hands a testimonial to the first REC At­torney, Ray Moses. Also pictured (con­tinuing left to right) are J. V. Edgmand; Herbert Bowers; Mac Sutley; Frank McGee; Clyde Helms, Sr. and Arthur Robertson. Edgmand, Bowers, Sutley, Helms and Robertson were among the 14 incorporators. Edgmand, Sutley and Robert also served on the board of directors. McGee was Saguache County agent at the time of SLVREC’s founding and helped in its organization.
Courtesy Photo: Don Denney, Monte Vista

Creede substation updated

Every year, SLVREC repairs or replaces system components to keep up with increasing demand and to improve service. Some projects are more extensive than others. In 1969 the old transformer was pulled out of the Creede substation and replaced with a larger, more modern transformer.

1970s.... photos courtesy of the Frank Rowe family

1978 Annual Meeting held at Elks Lodge

At the 41st Annual Meeting on June 6, 1978, members voted on a director for a six-year term for Costilla County.
Today, the terms are four years. Jerry Lorenz won that election. That year, members also voted for a bylaw change and they agreed to delete a clause that stipulated a mandatory retirement age of 64 for directors.

March 1979: Trekking up to Wolf Creek

In March 1979, SLVREC crews made several trips to an AT&T tower at the top of Wolf Creek. Lee Stehwien (above left) and the crew (center) bundled up for a trip to the top. That year was an exceptional year for snowfall. The rotary plow (above right) stayed busy keeping Highway 160 clear.

Center pivot installations increasing

Farmers began installing center pivot irrigation systems. In 1973, there were 262 center pivot irrigation sys­tems in the Valley. The following year, that number surged to 430. By 1980, there were 1,541 center pivots in the Valley. Most relied upon electricity.
SLVREC began to experience problems with voltage collapse dur­ing irrigation season. Voltage collapse occurs when power demand exceeds power supply at any point in time. The transmission system could not keep up. The Valley needed more power than the existing lines could supply.
By the mid-80s, plans for a third transmission line to serve the Valley were in place. By the end of that decade, a 230 kV line, jointly owned by Xcel Energy and Tri-State, also followed a route to the  Valley over Poncha Pass. When this line was built, engineers anticipated it would meet Valley needs for several decades. In part, they were right. This line served the Valley well for almost two decades. However, the Valley’s growth exceeded every­one’s expectations.

March 1985

Work on the 115 kV Hooper transmission line was completed by Larry Jones, Gary Fine, Eddie Pacheco, Dale Clare, Keith Mullenix, Ronnie Spencer and Jim Clare in March 1985.
Photos courtesy of Jim Clare

During a break in the ceremonies at the SLVREC Annual Employee Christmas Party, these six service pin recipients consented to a solemn picture. From left to right: Larry Gonzales, 5 years; Keith Mullenix, 5 years; Dale Clark, 20 years; Rod Golden, 25 years; Director David Holland, 5 years and Ronnie Spencer, 5 years. The Christmas party was held at the Movie Manor in Monte Vista and very well planned and carried out by REC employees Tom Magness, Glen Marquez, Ronnie Spencer and Bonnie Denney.

Incumbents prevailed in this year’s SLVREC Board of Directors’ election with Jerry Lorenz again chosen to represent District #2, Costilla County and David Holland, District #4, Alamosa County. Pictured above: Jerry and his wife, Joan (top); David and his wife, Barbara (below)

Work on the system continues unabated, January 1996

TSI, an independent contractor, working for REC, adds a three-phase line west of Del Norte as part of the Co-op’s two-year work plan, i.e., system improvement to provide greater capacity and ensure power quality. The old poles carrying the power lines are tilted to allow new poles to be placed without interrupting power.

REC employees serving the community

SLVREC is well represented on the Monte Vista Volunteer Fire Department with the fire chief, assistant fire chief and a 15-year member all REC employees. The Monte Vista Fire Department’s territory covers about 200 square miles ranging from brush to three-story senior citizen centers to the Monte Vista Airport; the department has 13 vehicles and a relatively new warehouse. Volunteers average 20-30 hours per month, fighting fires, extricating traffic victims, search­ing, training, educating the public and keeping their equip­ment ready.
 
Pictured above, Fire Chief and REC General Manager Chuck Archer, Meter Technician Scott Deacon, and Assistant Fire Chief and REC Operations Manager Jim Clare pause during a meeting.
From the October 1996 Newsboy