The Canadian Niagara Power Company, formed in 1892, has been generating electric power continuously since 1905. With turbines and generators that were once the largest in the world, the company''s generating station upstream from Niagara Falls endures as a monument to the fact that natural beauty and industry can co-exist successfully.

Profusely illustrated with historical photographs and illustrations, this tells the story of the impact of electricity on a region and the lives of those who kept the lights on through two world wars, record-breaking storms, and a century of political and economic challenges.

This book is about the harnessing of epic natural power for small towns and small-town life. Chapters cover the many aspects of running not just a generating plant but a full-service electric utility. The company once had three dietitians on staff to provide advice on cooking with electricity for a healthy lifestyle. Linemen have evolved from pole-hopping daredevils to safety-conscious professionals. Above all, it deals honestly with the strains of a company struggling to find its way as its industry changed radically.

Norman R. Ball is the director of the Centre for Society, Technology and Values at the University of Waterloo. The author of several books, his previous titles include Building Canada: A History of Public Works. He lives in Toronto.