Light across the prairies : an illustrated history of Northwestern Public Service Company

Electricity and natural gas are so much a part of our lives these days, it’s easy to forget the blood, sweat, and tears that went into perfecting the system which now supplies heat and light 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This book depicts some of the people, challenges, and successes that propelled Northwestern Public Service Company from a small, isolated utility serving four towns to a corporation with a sophisticated system designed to serve electricity to customers in 108 communities and natural gas to consumers in 31 cities and towns. Not all of the stories included on these pages demonstrate our successes - a few illustrate painful learning experiences. All of them, however, prove the loyalty and dedication of the NWPS employees to our customers, our communities, and our company. For years, various Northwestern employees have discussed the need for a formal history of the company, but the South Dakota Centennial celebration in 1989 provided us with the needed incentive. We were fortunate to find published historian and former utility employee Bill Beck to study and analyze our files and records. His insight into national and regional events helps put Northwestern’s history into perspective, and his conversational writing style makes the reading enjoyable. [From the Foreword by Albert D. Schmidt, Chairman of the Board and CEO]