Gas and Power Line Through Cisco

: Cisco, UT Sep. 11, 2014

Cisco was truly a railroad town. It relied on the Rio Grande for its establishment and survival: I wrote before about how the town relied on the railroad for the water. But utilities other than the railroad also made some contribution to the survival of Cisco. Here is the chronological story of how other utilities reached this remote tiny town in the desert.

Oil and natural gas were once produced in the vicinity of Cisco. They made some contributions to the town's survival: Cisco was the first town in eastern Utah to have natural gas service at home.

Gas Line was installed throughout the town in 1923 by Arizona-Utah Oil & Gas Company to provide natural gas extracted from a gas well located the north of town in Cisco Townsite-Cisco Wash Fields[1]. Arizona-Utah Oil & Gas Company drilled the gas well to fuel oil well drilling at Cisco Dome Field the company started in 1921[2].

Arizona-Utah's natural gas was also provided at Cisco Landing to run the D&RGW pump produced by A. S. Cameron Steam Pump Works[1]. Before the arrival of the power line, some of the private generating plants set up at Cisco also burned natural gas[3].

As early as 1925, G L Emil Klingbeil(1863 –1930) of German-American Life Insurance Company resumed the Arizona-Utah's well operations[4].

Today, both the well operations and the gas service at Cisco are faded out. But the oil and gas interests from these fields included in Greater Cisco Field seem still held by Reno, NV based Pacific Energy & Mining Company.

: Nov. 11, 1918 Salt lake Herald


Power Line didn't arrive at Cisco until the town has declined.

Nearby Moab had its first electric light in 1915 provided by Moab Light & Power Company[5]. Utah Power & Light Company, who in 1926, took over the Moab Light & Power Company, completed 100,000 volts power line between Helper and Moab in 1955[6]. The company expanded it to 345,000 volts in 1971[7].

In 1962, San Miguel Power Association’s 120-mile power line from La Sal Junction to Harley Dome oil field 20 miles north of Cisco finally dropped in at the town[8]. In short, the Cisco hook-up was just an addition. San Miguel merged into Utah Power & Light Company in 1972.

: Feb. 2, 1955 Vernal Express
: Sep. 29, 1955 Green River Journal

Today, it seems no line but the power line survives. On the other hand, Emery Telecom started providing DSL from the station at the former D&RGW depot site. The fiber optic cable is buried along the former Rio Grande main[9].

[1] Nov. 15, 1923 Times-Independent;
[2] Jul. 28, 1921 Times-Independent;
[3] Dec. 9, 1954 Times-Independent;
[4] Apr. 23, 1925 Times-Independent;
[5] Feb. 12, 1915 Times-Independent;
[6] Sep. 15, 1955 Green River Journal;
[7] Dec. 17, 1970 Times-Independent;
[8] May 24, 1962 Times-Independent;
[9] Patterson, Steve (1993) Remarks & Notes, RailPictures.Net;

　
電話回線の次にCiscoに進展したインフラストラクチャーは都市ガスである。1921年からCiscoで掘削探査を行っていたArizona-Utah Oil & Gas Companyという会社によって、1923年に町中にガス管が設置された。コロラド川岸にあったD&RGWの給水ポンプにも、それまでの石炭に換わって用いられたという。

最後にCiscoに進展したインフラストラクチャーが電力である。随分時代が下って1962年のことだ。San Miguel Power Associationという会社が、Cisco近くのHarley Domeで開発が進んでいた石油掘削現場まで電力線を引く際に、手前にあるCiscoの町に、ついでに供給を始めたという次第。1962年といえば、もう町が衰退に向かいだしたころだから皮肉なものだ。それまで住人は、前述のガスを燃料とする発電機を自前で設け運転していた。

これらインフラストラクチャーのうち、今も生きているのは電力のみのようだ。一方で、駅舎が建っていた場所に近年光回線の中継施設が設けられた。回線は線路に沿って埋設されているらしい。