Olmsted Station Powerhouse, commercieel gebouw in Utah, Verenigde Staten van Amerika
Olmsted Station Powerhouse is a brick hydroelectric plant built in 1904 in Orem, Utah, designed to generate electricity from water flowing downhill through pipes and tunnels. The main building houses original General Electric generators, transformers, governors, and water-driven exciters that powered the region for over a century.
The powerhouse opened in 1904 as one of the first long-distance high-voltage electricity transmission systems, sending power to mining operations and towns across the region. After more than a century of continuous operation, it was decommissioned in 2015, though water rights tied to the facility remain critical to the area's supply.
The powerhouse served as a meeting point between local mining interests and pioneering engineers working on new energy solutions. The naming of the station honors Fay Olmsted and reflects how the community valued the technical skills that brought reliable power to farms, homes, and businesses throughout the region.
The site sits beside U.S. Highway 189 in Orem and is straightforward to locate, with parking areas and walking paths nearby. The grounds are accessible for visitors interested in seeing the historic building and learning about its machinery and role in the region's power supply.
The powerhouse was tied to the Telluride Institute, a school for electrical engineering founded by its creators that later influenced engineering programs at Cornell University. This link between hands-on power generation and formal engineering education was uncommon for its time and shows how the site served as more than just a facility producing electricity.
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