TAPCO: The Arizona Power Company in the Verde Valley

Curatorial Statement

This TAPCO exhibit is intended to share the history of the iconic structure that rests on the banks of the Verde River today. The photographs and historical events are laid out in chronological order that are relevant to the building of TAPCO, and how it aided in the expansion of the Verde Valley by greatly expanding electricity production. The items in this exhibit were donated by Jim Coons to the Cottonwood Public Library. Mr. Coons worked for APS and was an active historian of power plants in the region. The subject of TAPCO is a topic of interest to locals, tourists, and new members of the community. Thereby, it is my goal to share the resources gifted by Mr. Coons, with the hope that this digital exhibit will help spark an interest in the vast and exciting history of the Verde Valley. The Omeka-S platform offers an engaging way for the public to digitally explore the history that played a role in building the vibrant and productive community we are today. The growing pains of industrialization moved the community from the fuel options of oil, coal, coke, and wood, to the stream line experience of an electrical grid. Not only were natural resources utilized to generate steam power at TAPCO, for the first time electricity became constant and reliable. It is important to take note of life in the early 20^th century and how many things were uncertain. Native Americans were displaced from their native lands, and the political challenges as Arizona transitioned from territory to statehood. Once TAPCO was completed in 1917, the Spanish Flu pandemic swept through by 1918, Wall Street fell in 1929, followed by the Great Depression, labor wars, and many other uncertainties ensued. It is because of TAPCO that electricity was no longer an uncertainty in uncertain times. Yet, it is important to note some of the other major changes that followed after the wealthy titans brought the Industrial Revolution to Arizona. Such as, the Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919, the Arizona portion of Route 66 was completed in 1926, and in 1930 Pluto was discovered from the Lowell Observatory located in Flagstaff. In the mid 1950’s, TAPCO and several Arizona electric companies combined. Thereby, creating Arizona public Service, otherwise known as APS. TAPCO operated for the last time in 1958. I hope this exhibit inspires further interest in our local history, or at least a moment of reflection of how much has changed in just over a hundred years. 

Greta A. Schiegg (Curator, Author)

Biography of Greta A. Schiegg

Greta moved to the Verde Valley in the early 1980’s from Libertyville, Illinois. As a teenager, she explored TAPCO with school mates who lived on the property. She also worked the local cattle ranch that made a living by grazing cattle and harvesting the alfalfa fields around the power plant. Currently, she is finishing her bachelors in humanities at NAU.