Dodge City Water and Light Company Collection

The Dodge City Water and Light Company was the name used by a short-lived business entity that was involved in the construction of the first municipal water system in Dodge City, Kansas.

Dodge City grew, and so did its need for water. The downtown fires of 1885 and 1886 demonstrated the need for a sufficient water supply to be used in fire suppression. This lack of water for firefighting hampered commercial development, not only for obvious reasons but also because it caused fire insurance rates to increase significantly. Technology advanced to a point where having a municipal water supply system was feasible. Public interest in such an infrastructure project was strong among the permanent residents now living here.

In 1886 J. A. Jones, a Wichita man involved in the construction of municipal water systems approached the city with a proposal to create a water distribution system for Dodge City. The plan was for the facility to be owned and operated by Jones and the city would buy the water produced at terms specified by contract. Jones and his company began the project and made a considerable start in the endeavor. Some sort of major problem occurred, and the Gilbert Brothers of Spearville, Kansas gained some sort of financial interest in the project, as did Asa Soule.

Chaos seemed to be the normal state of affairs with the water system in Dodge City. The city fathers were generally unsatisfied with the contractual agreements made with the owners. The contracts were rewritten several times over the years seeking resolution. The owners of the water plant were often unsatisfied with the city. The city was slow to pay its bills to the water company, sometimes as a protest against unfavorable terms, other times because of lack of funds. Several opinion pieces appeared in the local newspapers over the years, urging the city to buy the water utility outright and to manage it as a department of city government.

The last private owner of the water works was the Midland Water, Light, and Ice Company. A bond election was held in August 1909 seeking funding for the city to purchase the distribution system (underground water lines) portion of the water works. The bond passed and the purchase was made soon thereafter.

Another bond election was held in April 1910 seeking funds for the city to purchase the remainder of the water works, thus putting the city in complete control of its operation. The bond passed and the purchase was made soon thereafter.

The controversies regarding the municipal water system largely subsided after the City of Dodge City bought it and managed it directly. As the town continued to grow, many upgrading and expansion projects were required to meet the demand. As would be expected, there were many expansions and improvements made to the system over the years, and many bond elections were held to finance these projects.

The Dodge City Light Company was established separately from the water company. In 1886 the light company was organized by a group of investors which included many of the early businessmen of Dodge City. A. B. Webster, George Hoover, Robert Wright, F. C. Zimmermann, Jacob Collar, and Dr. T. L. McCarty were all involved, plus several others. The venture was capitalized at a value of $10,000, a modest generating plant was built, and on August 21, 1886 “the lights came on” in Dodge City. Continuity of reliable service was an issue in the beginning. Other than upgrading the capacity of the plant several times as demand for electricity grew, not much is recorded about the light company. In January 1898, the water and light plants were joined. The new entity provided both utilities to the city and was owned privately. In 1902 the business added ice production to their services and was using the name Dodge City Water, Light, and Ice Company. In 1904 the whole works was sold to a corporation named Midland Water, Light, and Ice Company as noted above. In 1909 and 1910 the water works portion of the plant was sold to the City of Dodge City. Midland continued producing electricity and ice alone. In 1920 the name was changed to The Electric Service Company, and in 1925 this entity was sold to an investment group based out of New York.