— by Pamela Baird
Photo : Jeran Renz via Wikimedia
Imagine living in a small town with no streetlights , pitch black streets with perhaps the only light coming from a kerosene lamp shining in a window . A person would carry a portable kerosene lantern when walking around town after dark . This was small town life before the introduction of one of the greatest innovations developed by mankind — electricity . Big cities like San Francisco , New York , Chicago and New Orleans began installing electric arc street lighting in the 1880s and 1890s . This replaced gas lighting , which was much less effective . According to the San Jose Mercury newspaper , electricity was first introduced in
Arc lamps at the Maison de la Science , Liège , Belgium
Mountain View on December 19 , 1901 . A few businesses along Castro Street gained electricity for lighting . The newspaper recounts that the two story Olympic Hall ( today the site of the Olympus Café ) and the Foresters ’ Hall were connected to new lights that “ were strong and gave satisfaction .” Most likely these were fixtures that used filament type light bulbs . A short time later , a total of five new electric arc lamp street lighting fixtures ( or electroliers as they were called ) were hung across the center of street crossings on Castro Street . The arc lamp technology provided one of the first commercial uses for electricity . Though the lamps flickered and hissed , they produced a harsh and brilliant light that was most suitable for public areas . After improvements were made in arc lamp technology , in 1906 the city replaced at least two electroliers with ones that performed better .
1915 marked another great advancement in street lighting in Mountain View . A new electric lighting system was initiated on July 31 of that year . According to the Mountain View Register-Leader newspaper the “ new lights are far superior to the old arcs and there are a great many more of them .” Not only was Castro Street illuminated , but also California and Villa streets . Residents were “ delighted by their steady brilliance .” The town made further investments in public lighting in 1922 with fifteen more incandescent streetlights installed in residential
▲ The ‘ streetlight ’ suspended over Castro Street is called an
electrolier , and again , looking down Castro with the electrolier as the lone source of light , 1910
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areas . An article in the Register-Leader boasted “ Mountain View will have a wonderfully well lighted residence district , perhaps better than that of any other town in the county .” To meet the added expense of the lighting , the city raised property taxes by a small amount . Most residents felt that the small levy was justified .
Additional lighting and new pole mounted streetlamps were introduced in the late 1920s and 1930s . But none were as exciting for the residents as those early installations , which really changed people ’ s ability to travel around after the sun went down .
Research : Pamela Baird & James Thajudeen , Librarian
Image Courtesy : Shane L . Waters Black Label Podcasting
“ The first electrically lighted city in the world ”
On March 31 , 1880 , officials of Wabash , Indiana began experimenting with Charles F . Brush ’ s carbon-arc lights . Four 3,000 candlepower lamps were placed atop the Wabash County Courthouse and used to illuminate the town until September , 1888 .
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