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  • MVEC Celebrating 90 Years 1935-2025 
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MVEC Celebrates 90 Years

 

Wednesday | January 8, 2025
All News

MVEC Celebrates 90 Years:Edgar Beach
How it All Began

MVEC is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2025.
To commemorate this milestone, in each Watts Current newsletter, we will share a fun fact, throwback photo, or a bit of co-op history. 

In today’s increasingly digital and electrified world, it is hard to imagine life without power at the flip of a switch. But, until the mid-1930s, rural eastern Iowa functioned without electricity. Did you know that MVEC came about because of a local county agent, Carl Smith, who pulled together 16 farmers from each of the Jones County townships to form what is now Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative? According to an article by late MVEC freelance writer Grace Zimmerman, each person was tasked with contacting their neighbors to join them in ‘throwing in $10.00’ to start a Jones County rural electric cooperative. The goal was to use the funds to attract a loan from the Rural Electrification Administration. While $10 does not seem like a lot today, in 1935, farmers were just coming off the Great Depression where cattle was selling for $15 and hogs for $9 a head. The cooperative was formed in 1935, and in April 1936, Edgar Beach was hired as the first manager. Per Zimmerman’s article, W.B. Meeks was elected as the Board’s first president in 1937. 

MVEC’s Board of Directors called a special Board meeting on April 3, 1937 to vote on applying for a loan of $305,000 from the federal government to kick off construction of MVEC’s initial power lines. The cost to build a mile of line in 1937 was $959/mile compared to $140,000/mile today. MVEC’s initial electric rate was $.04 cents per kWh up to 119 kWh used per month (today’s rate is $.172 kWh for on-peak and $.084 for off peak usage). The average member bill in 1938 was $4.07. The first MVEC member to receive power was E.M. Scott who lived about a mile south of Baldwin in Jackson County. MVEC originally got its power from Maquoketa Municipal power plant, hence the name Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative.

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Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative

109 N Huber Street ♦ Anamosa, IA 52205-1453

Phone: 319-462-3542 ♦ 800-927-6068

Fax: 319-462-3217

 

 

About Us

We are one of the largest electric cooperatives in the state, providing electric and internet/phone services to 14,000 members in nine east central Iowa counties.  With more than 80 years of experience serving local communities, we continue to provide 24/7 service that is safe, affordable, and reliable. Learn more

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2025 ACSI Badge

MVEC earns this award based on data modeled by the ACSI® in 2025. Award criteria are determined by the ACSI based on customers rating their satisfaction with MVEC in a survey independent of the syndicated ACSI Energy Utility Study. For more about the ACSI, visit www.theacsi.org/badges. ACSI and its logo are registered trademarks of the American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.

©2025 Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative. All Rights Reserved.

  • Employment
  • My Co-op
    • About MVEC
      • Contact Us
      • Profile
      • Board
      • Staff
      • Annual Report
      • Annual Meeting
      • Governance
      • Newsletter
      • Power Source
    • Community
      • Events
      • Education
      • Economic Development
      • Touchstone Energy
  • My Membership
    • My Account
      • Pay Electric Bill
      • Pay Internet Bill
      • Terms of Membership
      • My Electric Usage
      • Understanding My Electric Bill
      • Payment Options
      • Patronage Dividends
    • Programs
      • Iowa LIHEAP Guidelines
      • RECare
      • Rebates
      • Security Lights
      • Budget Billing
      • Heat Plus Program
  • My Service
    • Report Outages
      • Electric
      • Internet: Please call 877-811-1568
    • Start/Stop Service
    • How Service Is Restored
    • Power Outage Tips
    • Tree Trimming
    • Adding Load
    • Stray Voltage
    • Fiber Equipment
    • Co-op Owned vs Member Owned Equipment
  • Energy Center
    • Energy Savings
      • Rebates
      • Save Energy
      • Beneficial Electrification
      • Energy Assessment
    • Renewables
      • On Site Generation
      • Watts Green
  • Safety
    • Call Before You Dig
    • Move Over Slow Down
    • Electric Safety
    • Farm Safety
    • Tractor Safety
    • Meter Equipment Clearance
    • Grain Bin Clearance
    • Safety Quiz
    • Gas Tank Clearance/Location
    • Storm Safety
    • Tree Planting Safety
    • Tree House
  • MVlink Internet/Phone
    • General
      • Sign Up
      • Residential Price Packages
      • Business Price Packages
      • Telephone Service
      • Service Area Map
      • Streaming Guide
      • Mvlink News
      • FAQ
      • WiFi Router
      • Mesh Unit
      • MVlink Managed WiFi
    • My Account
      • Account Login
      • Policy