Argyle Mill Stones return home.

Village crews recently recovered the mill stones that were used at the Argyle Power Plant sometime between 1855 (mill was built) and 1928 (when the current hydro-generator was installed. These millstones were called French Burr stones and were imported from outside Paris, France and considered best by all millers for milling fine flour.

These stones were recovered from the lawn of the David Rossing home in Argyle, where they had been placed many years ago as yard decorations. We thank David for this donation to help us preserve this important part of the history of Argyle. If you would like to read more about mill stones and how they were used, click here.

  The article below was published in the Jan. 2^nd, 2005 Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin State Journal :: LOCAL :: B1

Monday, January 2, 2006

GEORGE HESSELBERG ghesselberg@madison.com

At the beginning of a second century without pause, the power struggle in this village along the Pecatonica River is just one dam thing after another.

In 1905, a Mr. F.W. Cole, representing the National Construction Co. of South Bend, Ind., signed a contract with the village to build a water plant and a light plant. He recommended, among other things, that the village install gas lights instead of electric lights, as gas would be cheaper and thus provide greater profit.

Wisely, it turns out, the village elders chose electricity.

By October 1906, not only had Argyle teacher John Young organized the first high school band in the state, the village's "electric light plant" was taking shape.

The plans to use an old gristmill were delayed because the structure was so rotten it nearly fell into the river during reconstruction. On Nov. 7, according to the Argyle Atlas, Mayor John Powell "turned on the juice and behold, there was light."

"None of the nearby towns, little or big, have streets as well-lighted as ours," the Atlas reported. The dynamo powered by a kerosene-diesel engine could power a village of twice the size.

The Atlas reported: "People driving in from the west at night are struck by the beauty of the scene and think we are having a carnival."

That carnival, or more accurately, the means to light it, never left town. Lights here still burn bright, and it costs much less than the price charged by the big power companies. And even after 100 years, several generations of generators and a water-powered turbine with submerged wooden bearings that has outlasted them all, it takes but one creative, mechanically inclined fellow to run it.

Randall Martin, 50, director, staff and custodian of the Argyle Municipal Electric Utility, was at that unassuming seat of power one recent morning in the power plant, a building that has been added to, on, over and out several times. It has served many uses over the years. It even hosted the one-cell jail until the 1980s. The oldest parts are the floors, the walls and two items dating to 1928:

A dusty Pirsch firetruck awaiting restoration. (Martin is also the Argyle Volunteer Fire Department chief.)

A "Turbine Water Wheel" made by the James Leffel Co., of Springfield, Ohio, installed in 1928.

That turbine generates power 24 hours a day and is a working symbol of the Argyle power plant.

It goes and goes and goes, and when it stops, it is because the river stops, Martin said. That could be caused by debris in the intake or ice forming, but in general the one thing working in Argyle all the time is this turbine. It puts out around 200 megawatthours of "green energy." While that is less than 4 percent of the power used in the village, said Martin, it represents an ingredient in a recipe of power savings for 490 residential and 60 business customers.

That savings is reflected in the electric bills, which went up in June to 5.86 cents per kilowatt hour. (In comparison, a large local utility provides power to southern Wisconsin customers at 8.9 cents per kilowatt hour.) Martin has calculated that an average home in Argyle, using an average 817 kilowatts monthly, will pay $54.35. (Comparison: $93.79.)

Martin has been steadily pulling Argyle into a secure power supply for several years. He is a self-taught utility professional, having started at the power plant in 1988 after working at the local Ford dealership and marrying "an Argyle girl, Diane Watkins."

At the time Argyle's standby and peak-power electricity was provided by submarine, which may seem curious to anyone who knows how shallow the Pecatonica can be in spots. But what Martin is referring to are the diesel engines that were built and designed for submarines, but were brought in to Argyle and used to generate power.

Those were sold for scrap in 2003, when a new V-16 Caterpillar diesel was installed, with room for another if necessary.

That's plenty for now, said Martin. The village buys most of its power from Dairyland Power in La Crosse, negotiating a price with a dozen other members of the Western Wisconsin Municipal Power Group. It is also one of the 82 locally owned and controlled municipal electric utilities remaining in Wisconsin, representing villages and cities of populations from 589 (Merrillan) to 35,000 (Manitowoc).

That nonprofit aspect delivers cheaper power to over 11 percent of the electricity grid in Wisconsin.

The backup generator in Argyle is operated only when Dairyland power use peaks in the summer heat or winter cold, Martin said. The limited use also saves money, as the engine burns 138 gallons of diesel fuel per hour.

Martin is an easygoing sort, skilled in the necessary village arts of compromise and ingenuity and cooperation. A meeting of the entire water, power and street departments would fill three chairs, so getting along is also a way of getting things done.

Martin suspects there are some in Argyle who don't realize the bargain or rarity of their century-old electricity delivery system.

"Even though we have the lowest electricity rates around, there is always someone who complains about the rates," he said, unperturbed.

In preparation for celebrating that century of power, Martin dug through archives of the old Argyle Atlas newspaper, discovering the quotes used in this article. A brochure was prepared and, in a surprise to Martin, an open house in the power plant was well-attended.

There are a lot of things people take for granted in life and one of them goes back to that Argyle Atlas story that reported "behold, there was light."

Once every 100 years. It probably wouldn't hurt to say it that way again.