Making a Home
A Community in Conflict
Working for a Living
Farming in the Great Corn Belt
Abraham Lincoln in McLean County
Automotive Era

Powering Rural Communities

Bloomington residents began to electrify their homes in the late 1880s. But rural McLean County residents had to wait.

Featuring:

Walter R. Steward, (1892 – 1960), electric lineman and manager

Walter R. Steward (1892-1960) worked for Illinois Power in Bloomington, but in 1913 was asked to build an electrical substation for the Gridley Electric Company.

Walter managed the construction of Gridley’s new substation and installed a new generator, making it possible to electrify all of the village’s homes. Before he completed the project, Illinois Power asked him to remain as a lineman and manager of the substation.

A young man in a suit and tie looks to the left of the camera. He has thick dark hair that is combed backwards.

Walter R. Steward

A young man in a suit and tie looks to the left of the camera. He has thick dark hair that is combed backwards.

Walter liked working in Bloomington, and working in the small town of Gridley would be very different. But the job sounded challenging, and Walter would be in charge.

Would you have taken the job? What do you think Walter did?

Walter decided to stay and manage the substation — perhaps influenced by a lovely young Gridley resident that he married in 1916. As the Gridley substation manager and lineman, Walter repaired power lines in Gridley, as well as Flanagan, Graymont, Meadows, Towanda, Lexington, and Chenoa.

Two men seated in wooden chairs are a desk. They are looking at the camera. The desk has a fan, lamp, and some drawers.

Walter R. Steward (right) discussed a project with Gridley Electric Light Company employee Byron Ray Phillis.

Two men seated in wooden chairs are a desk. They are looking at the camera. The desk has a fan, lamp, and some drawers.

Electrical work was not without risks. As a lineman Walter climbed the poles to make repairs.

While working in the rain in 1937, Walter’s wet hat touched a live wire with 12,000 volts, knocking him to the ground. He spent five months in recovery, then returned to his job, undeterred by the near-death experience.

Bloomington Pantagraph, June 27, 1937
An older light-skinned man stands next to a truck. The window is down and he is resting his hand on the window opening.

Walter retired in 1957, after 44 years with Illinois Power.

An older light-skinned man stands next to a truck. The window is down and he is resting his hand on the window opening.

Linemen spikes, circa 1930

Adjustable leather straps that go around the legs and feet. A metal rod goes down the side of the leg and under their boot, with a point that protrudes on the bottom, allowing the worker to securely climb up a pole.

View this object in Matterport

Linemen spikes and a safety belt were the standard equipment used to climb electric poles. Bucket lifts weren’t developed until after WWII.

Donated by: Gridley Telephone Museum
2017.15

Adjustable leather straps that go around the legs and feet. A metal rod goes down the side of the leg and under their boot, with a point that protrudes on the bottom, allowing the worker to securely climb up a pole.

Most rural McLean County residents did not get electricity until the late 1930s, when the Rural Electrification Association (REA) offered loans to rural areas for the installation of electrical lines.

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