Kaukauna Municipal Water Tower, Wisconsin
Water tower reading "Kaukauna Electric City" against a night sky in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
Kaukauna, Wisconsin, operates its own municipal electric utility, one of roughly 80 publicly owned power systems in the state and a source of the city's "Electric City" nickname. That name appears on the municipal water tower, which stores water for the city's distribution system. Kaukauna's utility dates to the 1880s, when the city built hydroelectric facilities along the Fox River to supply power locally rather than relying on a private company. The Fox River through Kaukauna once carried more hydroelectric dams in close succession than almost any other stretch of river in the country, a legacy tied directly to the city's electric identity.
Photo taken in September 2021.
