Kingman Powerhouse to mark its centennial

The Powerhouse in Kingman, Ariz., once called the Desert Power & Water Co., will be celebrating its centennial next month, reported the Kingman Daily Miner.

Here’s a brief history:

One hundred years ago, the Powerhouse (Desert Power & Water Company) first lit up the mines in Goldroad, Oatman and Chloride. By October, most businesses downtown had transmission lines carrying juice through thick copper lines into their establishments, revolutionizing the industry of business.

After sitting idle 58 years, a group led by Toby Orr revitalized the structure. In 1997, the Powerhouse was re-opened as an official state visitor center and the home of the Arizona Historic Route 66 Association. The Route 66 Museum soon followed, making the site a living historic landmark and roadside attraction.

To mark the centennial, the Kingman Downtown Merchants Association will hold a parade and Walk-in-the-Park Fall Festival at the Powerhouse and adjacent Locomotive Park on Oct. 17-18 that will include food and arts vendors, live music, talent show and gold-panning demonstrations by the local prospectors association. The annual Route 66 Rotary Oktoberfest also will be held at the same time, with beer, bratwurst and live entertainment served.

I went to the Route 66 museum in the Powerhouse earlier this summer, and enjoyed it quite a lot. It contained a homespun appeal, but a lot of thought was put into the displays, too. Especially striking is the long excerpt from John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” about driving Route 66 from a Dust Bowl refugee’s point of view.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.