Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

92 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org I am honored and very proud to represent and hopefully do justice in telling the story of three very fine families and their impact on the community of Great Falls during their 100+ years of ownership and management of Cascade Electric Company. The history of Cascade Electric is closely tied to the history of Great Falls and north central Montana. The birth of the electrical construction industry was spreading throughout the entire United States and Montana was no exception, especially in the growing communities of Anaconda, Bozeman, Billing, Butte, Helena, Great Falls, and Missoula. The period of the early 1900s was marked by many notable electrical firsts a few of which included the first trans-Atlantic wireless radio signal, the first arc generator, the first main-line locomotive powered by a single-phase alternating current, the first true radio broadcast, the first single phase alternating current motor for variable-speed operations, and the first continuous-filament tungsten lamp. The Cascade Electric Company was established in 1917 by Mr. Cyrus Donald Smith. The company's focus during this time was electrical service, installation, and retail sales concerning light fixtures and small household appliances. The company consisted of Mr. Smith, his wife Mabel, a salesman, and one or two journeyman electricians. One of the many challenges in the electrical industry at this time was finding qualified men with the basic knowledge and proper mechanical skills to carry out the work and willingness to take on the risks associated with this new and dangerous technology. My grandfather was one of these pioneering men, William McKinley Wilson attended Great Falls High School. Subsequently he worked as an electrician's apprentice in Shelby and in time rose to superintendent of distribution for the company. In 1925, he resigned to go the West Coast where he worked on various electrical projects. In 1928, he returned to Great Falls and went to work for the Smith's at Cascade Electric Company. In 1934, William Wilson was placed in charge of the crew and in 1944, he was promoted to manager. When the company was incorporated in 1947, he was elected president. Another individual known for his pioneering spirit, hard work and entrepreneurial skills was Mr. Leo B. Lewis, who was a graduate of LaSalle University Law School in Arkansas. Leo moved to Montana in 1938 and purchased the Cascade Electric Company from the Smith family. Mr. Lewis retained William CASCADE ELECTRIC CHAMBER MEMBER FEATURE B U S I N E S S F E AT U R E

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