Happy Birthday to… a Powerhouse?

Zakary Adams, State Park Interpreter I, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area / Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park

This year marks the 130th anniversary since the Folsom Powerhouse first transmitted power 22 miles from Folsom to Sacramento, and bathed the city in electric light. On September 13, 2025, the Folsom Powerhouse’s interpretation team undertook celebrating that milestone with a party thrown in the powerhouse’s honor. The old generating facility has lived a long life, serving 57 years making power for (and starting) the local grid, and 67 years as a state park with a remarkable legacy for changing the world as we know it.

Back in 1895, the Folsom Powerhouse opened as the first 3-phase, 60 cycle powerplant to distribute power commercially over a long distance. This technical jargon boils down to our powerhouse being the first modern generating facility to serve as a framework for how electricity production and distribution occurs today. For its achievements, the powerhouse has been recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and several other prominent engineering and historical groups for its role in the electrification of the U.S. and beyond. The team at the Folsom Powerhouse brought a few special things together to celebrate 130 years of powerhouse history.

Happy Birthday to… a Powerhouse?

In celebration of this milestone, our staff set to work developing new programming and exhibits to take the public through both the history and natural wonders our state park has to offer. We offered a running slideshow filled with photographs from the Grand Electric Carnival, an 1895 celebration of electricity in Sacramento where many attendees would have witnessed electricity for the first time in their lives.

We also unveiled two new exhibits: signage on our gas-powered Mudge company railcar, and an aerial photograph from the 1950’s donated by one of our docents. Both of these pieces provide new perspectives to this state park, and how the local area has changed over the life of the powerhouse. No longer are there railroads running to Folsom Prison, but there used to be! Our Mudge car is just like the ones that traveled back and forth along the rails in the early 1900’s, and our specific example may be one that served here in Folsom. The aerial photograph shows water rushing through the powerhouse and out its tailrace into the American River, before Folsom Dam was built cutting off the powerhouse’s water. The aerial photograph gives visitors a unique view rarely seen of this site.

Gas-powered Mudge railcar, possibly the very one P.G.&E. employees used to travel the line from the old Folsom dam to the powerhouse.

On the nature side of our park, we also held a bioblitz and scavenger hunt so kids could become Junior Rangers, and explore the park’s flora and fauna as part of California Biodiversity Week. Each of our team members worked together to highlight the different aspects of our little park, joined by partners from two local cooperating associations for this event. The first were the powerhouse’s own Friends of the Folsom Powerhouse Association, who spent the day doing STEM demos designed for kids, and showing off their 1927 Ford Model A. Visitors enjoyed honking the old-timey horn and sitting behind the wheel of a truck coming up on its own 100th birthday. We also had the Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma, who shared information about the local wildlife and the surrounding Folsom State Recreation Area where visitors can find all kinds of neat natural neighbors, including our resident nesting bald eagles. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), a local energy company and partner for the yearly Electricity Fair, joined us and gave demonstrations for attendees, including solar powered toy cars. We’re grateful to our community partners’ support for our park and their help in spreading the word on how folks can get involved with the State Parks community.

We were also supported from within parks by several other teams at Folsom Powerhouse SHP and Folsom Lake SRA. We received support from the maintenance staff, special events coordinator, and assistance from folks on our brand new golden mussels invasive species prevention team, who came out to help us manage the crowds during the day. Importantly, we were also fortunate to have a number of Volunteer In Parks Program (VIPP) docents lead tours and share their knowledge of the history and significance of the Folsom Powerhouse with more than 300 people who came for the event.

A docent shares the story of the birth of the modern American power grid 130 years ago in Folsom, California.

Throughout the day visitors told us “I have lived in Folsom for X number of years, and this is my first visit.” We always work to give people that first visit and a memorable experience here. For many folks in September, their first experience meant sharing cake with a few hundred other folks who may have been enjoying their first visit, too.