The Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company was formed in 1905 by Josephus C. Guild, Charles E. James and Anthony N. Brady to produce

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

and improving the navigation of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

. Josephus Guild, a young engineer from

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, became interested in a plan drawn by Major Dan C. Kingman, the head of the local office of the Army Corps of Engineers. The plan was originally developed to control the turbulent waters below Chattanooga in the

Tennessee River Gorge The Tennessee River Gorge is a canyon formed by the Tennessee River known locally as Cash Canyon. It is the fourth largest river gorge in the Eastern United States. The gorge is cut into the Cumberland Plateau as the river winds its way into Alab ...

known as the Suck, the Pot and the Skillet. These river features, long feared by riverboat navigators, impeded trade along the waterway Rep. John A. Moon, a Democrat first elected in 1896, introduced a bill in 1904 that enabled the project. The bill said the construction cost would be borne by the recipient of the power franchise to be operated for 99 years and the government would hold title to the Dam. After the city of Chattanooga failed to exercise its option on the project, Josephus Guild sought financial help from Charles James, a prominent Chattanooga businessman who was always eager to help promote the city's interests. James approached Anthony Brady, a New York financier with large interests in electrical utilities, who agreed to participate in the venture. The

Hales Bar Dam Hales Bar Dam was a hydroelectric dam once located on the Tennessee River in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company began building the dam on October 17, 1905, and completed it on November 11t ...

was built after Congressional action, on January 7, 1905, changed the site of the dam from Scott's Point. The cost of the dam was over $10,000,000. Josephus Guild died during the construction of the dam; his son,

Jo Conn Guild Josephus Conn Guild, Jr. (December 15, 1887–June 26, 1969) was an American businessman and engineer from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As president of the Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO), he became one of the staunchest and most outspoke ...

, took an active role in the project. The dam was completed in 1913. In the 1920s, the company merged with the Chattanooga Railway and Light Company and Drexel and Company, which had a competing project on the

Ocoee River The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk Coun ...

, to form the Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO). In 1933, Congress established the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...

(TVA) to develop the economy by a series of flood control

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

s on the Tennessee River and to sell the electricity generated from the dams. After the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in 1939 dismissed a challenge to the authority of the TVA to sell electricity in the service territory of the company, TEPCO's electric system was purchased for $78,425,095 by the

and other participating municipal

public utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

and

electric cooperative A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members. Profits are either reinvested for infrastructure or distributed to members in ...

s. TEPCO continued to operate as a street car company in Chattanooga and was reorganized in 1941 as Southern Coach Lines. The company operated street cars until 1946, when it focused on bus travel. The company was purchased by the

Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is the mass transit provider for Chattanooga, Tennessee and its vicinity. Public transportation first appeared on the streets of Chattanooga in 1875, utilizing horse-drawn trollies ...

in 1973.

References

Sources

*Govan, Gilbert F. and Livingood, James W. (1952). ''The Chattanooga County 1540-1951 From Tomahawks to TVA''. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chattanooga And Tennessee Electric Power Company Public utilities established in 1905 Defunct companies based in Tennessee Electric power companies of the United States Companies disestablished in the 1920s Hydroelectric power companies of the United States 1905 establishments in Tennessee 1920s disestablishments in Tennessee American companies disestablished in 1925 American companies established in 1905

See also

References

Sources