Just prior to the construction of the power plant itself, I vaguely recall bulldozers and scrapers transforming empty fields into the lake basin; many jokes were made regarding an old bridge that was left in place, now sitting under several feet of water in the middle of the lake.
These memories were made as my father would load me in the truck and we would make the trek just across state line to check construction progress on a regular basis- this would have been around 1971 or ‘72 when I was in the second grade or so. In the years to follow, I remember peering out the window of my cabin at Kamp Keirsey at night watching the red blinking lights on the stacks while hearing the low roar as electricity was pumped onto the grid.
Around the 7th grade, we took a field trip to the plant and I was amazed how big it was. It was hard to comprehend boilers 15 stories high until you were next to them. The control room was reminiscent of a Star Trek set with buttons, knobs, gauges and meters. The method to unload rail cars seemed equally complex.
And for 50 years all this has been happening nonstop with the exception of scheduled outages and upgrades.
From the outside there was always a level of comfort that came with the plant being there as I grew up. For example, just seeing the stacks was a sure sign that I was close to home following a long trip; and after they were removed I have to admit there was an adjustment period but I understand it was necessary as the La Cygne facility is now one of the cleanest in the nation.
And the jobs. The plant brought lots and lots of jobs. F highway west of Passaic wasn’t much more than a cow path until the plant was built but I remember a marked uptick in traffic two times a day that most assuredly were plant workers. Hence, the road was swiftly repaved with runway type precision.
But not everyone was headed to the generating station. Some worked for P&M Coal Company, which at the time strip mined coal between Amsterdam and Amoret that was trucked directly to the plant. We’d often pull off the edge of the road and watch the Midway Queen or Princess claw huge pawfuls of coal out of the ground as fast as trucks could haul them off. Once, we even walked from Amsterdam a few miles south to get a closer look before we were shooed away.
One particular memory of the coal mining operation was a coal truck/train collision just south of Amsterdam in the mid 70’s that resulted in derailed boxcars loaded with frozen food. With no other options, the railroad workers were giving it all away and hence, our freezer was stocked with 150 lbs of tator tots and french fries shortly after. Fortunately, despite heavy damage to the train and the dump truck, there were no serious injuries.
Since its commissioning in 1973 the plant remains today in all its glory producing about 1,600 megawatts of electricity that is distributed all over the midwest and points beyond; the lake is reveled as one of the best for fishing in the region; pilots use the new stack as a navigation aid as from the air, it is sometimes visible over 50 miles away. And yes, many like me still use it after traveling as a reminder that we are close to home.
The La Cygne generation station is certainly a huge part of our local history and this Saturday, June 10 the public is invited to help celebrate 50 years of local power generation, employment and more 10 am to 3 pm at the plant 25166 E. 2200 Rd, La Cygne KS 66040
Photo credit Armond Long
