Time line
May 11, 1935 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt
creates the Rural Electrification Administration by
executive order.
May 20, 1936 – Roosevelt signs the Rural
Electrification Act into law, which provides millions
of dollars in low-interest loans to help start electric
cooperatives.
January 26, 1939 – Verendrye Electric
Cooperative’s articles of incorporation are granted
by the State of North Dakota.
Feb. 15, 1939 – The cooperative holds its first
official meeting.
June 27, 1940 – The first 35 farms are energized
by Verendrye Electric Cooperative.
March 1941 – Verendrye’s offices move from an
old bank in the town of Verendrye to an office on
Main Street in Velva.
June 1951 – The radar base south of Minot
becomes a Verendrye member, marking the
beginning of the cooperative’s relationship with the
U.S. Air Force.
June 1952 – William J. Neal Plant is dedicated,
marking the beginning of co-op owned power
generation in North Dakota.
1955 – Garrison Dam begins generating power.
July 1955 – Verendrye announces it will power the
Minot Air Force Base.
June 1957 – Verendrye moves its headquarters
from Main Street in Velva to its current location at
the west edge of Velva.
1965 – The Territorial Integrity Act becomes
law, helping resolve disputes amongst electric
cooperatives and investor-owned utilities.
November 1973 – City of Minot grants Verendrye
a franchise to formally serve parts of the city for the
first time.
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Building a dream together
July 1974 – Verendrye opens its Minot office.
March 1981 – Dakota Square Mall in Minot opens,
becoming one of Verendrye’s biggest users of
electricity.
March 1983 – An ice storm causes major damage
to Verendrye’s system, downing 2,200 poles and
122 miles of power lines.
1985 – William J. Neal Station is mothballed.
1990 – Verendrye begins offering solar power for
pasture wells.
1992 – Verendrye’s franchise with the City of Minot
is renewed for another 20 years.
October 1993 – Verendrye Manager Wally Beyer
is appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as
administrator of the REA. Beyer helped the REA
reorganize into the Rural Utilities Service, a branch
of the USDA.
June 1995 – Verendrye members approve the
Operation Round Up program, which involves
members voluntarily rounding up their bills to the
nearest dollar to go toward charitable causes.
1998 – Verendrye becomes a Touchstone Energy
Partner, a cooperative brand that includes hundreds
of cooperatives from across the country.
2011 – Verendrye is awarded a 50-year contract to
own and maintain electrical distribution facilities on
the Minot Air Force Base.
June 22, 2011 – Sirens sound in Minot signaling
that floodwaters from the Souris River would
cause major devastation. Nearly 1,000 Verendrye
members are directly impacted by the flood, with
670 losing power.
June 2012 – City of Minot renews Verendrye
Electric’s franchise for another 20 years.
January 26, 2013 – Verendrye Electric celebrates
its 75th anniversary.
Verendrye Electric Cooperative
Service Area Map
LEGEND
Offices
Outposts
Paved Road
Board District
Donnybrook
Towns
Glenburn
RENVILLE
Counties
52
Minot Air Force
Base
Carpio
Hartland
MC HENRY
83
Deering
Foxholm
MC LEAN
Towner
Berthold
Central District
2
Lonetree
52
Denbigh
Burlington
Des Lacs
Minot
Surrey
2
Norwich
PIERCE
2
RENVILLE
Granville
SHERIDAN
Western District
MCHENRY
Logan
WELLS
Sawyer
WARD
WARD
Velva
Voltaire
Makoti
Bergen
52
83
Balfour
Drake
Ryder
PIERCE
Anamoose
Douglas
Kongsberg
Martin
MCLEAN
52
Harvey
Eastern District
WELLS
SHERIDAN
Lincoln Valley
Celebrating 75 Years of Verendrye Electric Cooperative |
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