Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative was incorporated in 1940 by a small but dedicated group of people committed to bringing power to rural central Minnesota and improving the lives of their friends and neighbors.
The cooperative’s story began in the late 1930s, during the Great Depression. At the time, many rural Americans did not have access to electricity. This was a major obstacle to economic development and quality of life. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act (REA) into law. The REA provided loans to rural cooperatives to help them build electrical infrastructure.
During the drought of the late 1930s, the task of soliciting memberships in the Todd-Wadena area began. The cooperative’s early years were challenging. Membership fees were $5—a sizable investment at a time of such uncertainty. The cost to wire a house or barn was simply out of reach for many. While some farmers viewed the coming of electric power as a saving grace, others considered it just a “pipe dream.”
Former Wadena County Extension Agent Miles Rowe said he often wished he had a tape recorder along to preserve some of the conversations in those days. “I recall one meeting held at a farmhouse where the discussion centered on the dangerous aspects of electricity,” Rowe shares. “Yet I remember how the heat from the kerosene lamp was so intense it was blistering the varnish on the woodwork.” In the end, the cooperative’s founders persevered, and by 1941, the first members were receiving electricity.
Over the next few decades, Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative grew rapidly. The cooperative expanded its service territory and built new power lines to reach more and more rural residents. Today, the cooperative serves over 9,000 member services in Todd, Wadena, and surrounding counties.
Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative is proud of its rich history of service and cooperation. The cooperative’s founders were visionaries who saw the potential of electricity to transform rural life. Today, the cooperative continues to build on their legacy by providing its members with the reliable and affordable electricity they need to thrive.
