The cooperative story starts in the mid-1930's with the creation of the REA. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) in 1935. The REA was created to encourage electrification of the nation's rural areas and to provide loan capital to make electric service available. The original intent was to provide a source of funds that would be used by existing electric companies to extend service from urban areas into the countryside.
However, most people in the electric power industry concluded that serving farms and other rural residences would not be profitable. By the end of the REA's first year, only seven investor-owned utilities in the United States had borrowed funds for rural electrification.
On January 1, 1936, after the REA became law and Wisconsin Governor Phill LaFollette had created the State of Wisconsin Rural Electrification Coordination Office, Mr. D.P. Hughes and Mr. Ed Ruud aggressively started out to organize the REA Cooperative in Dunn County. In the promotion of such a cooperative many meetings were held throughout the county at school houses and town halls. In the meantime, John Becker was appointed to the position of the Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin. It was with his invaluable assistance that our cooperative was established.
The formal Articles of Incorporation of the cooperative were filed with the state on April 22,1937. Our Founding Fathers and incorporators were: W.E. Owen, M.B. Rotnem, Arnold Gilberts, Clem Catt, and Paul Tietz. The first board of directors were: Edd Baskin, Clem Catt, Arnold Gilberts, Ed Karnes, W.E. Owen, M.B. Rotnem, Ed Ruud, F.C. Sutliff, and Paul Tietz.
Programs & Services
Dunn Energy Cooperative offers quality electric products and programs to benefit our members. From tree-trimming and electrical safety to youth programs and grants for not-for-profit organizations, we take Cooperative Principle #7: Concern for Community very seriously. Read more about the programs and services we have for members in the following pages. If you have questions about any of the services we provide, please feel free to give us a call at the office or contact us by email through the Contact Us form at the top of the page.
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