With the approval from the REA (Rural Electrification Administration), the formation of a permanent electric cooperative began. On October 6, 1937, the Articles of Incorporation were signed and filed with the Secretary of State by five farmers near Alma Center to form a farmer cooperative to construct electric lines to rural areas. This farmer cooperative was later named Jackson Electric Cooperative.
On June 17, 1938, a contract with Snyder and Johnson of Humbolt, IA was signed for the construction of the first rural electric lines. Electricity was turned on December 1, 1938. Electricity came from Wisconsin Power Cooperative at Chippewa Falls which later joined with Tri-State Power Cooperative, now known as Dairyland Power Cooperative. Dairyland Power is headquartered on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis.
Jackson Electric Cooperative continues to provide electricity to more than 6,200 homes and businesses with more than 1,400 miles of distribution line, nine substations, and nearly 8,500 services.
Jackson Electric Cooperative has a proud history of creating opportunities to meet the real needs of real people. When for-profit businesses were not interested in serving rural areas, people banded together and formed cooperatives to deliver electricity, provide insurance, and make farm supplies and other goods more affordable. Electric cooperatives in Wisconsin and elsewhere are not-for-profit corporations, and cooperative philosophy dictates that services must be provided to members based on what it actually costs to provide them the service. The members own the cooperative; the cooperative is operated on sound principles.
In 2012, Jackson Electric Cooperative celebrated 75 years of services to its membership. Contact our office to request your copy of "A Promising Future Secured by Past Inspiration" and learn how your cooperative was built with more than poles and wire.