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History Books

Power Pioneers, the storytellers of BC Hydro’s History.

Gaslights to Gigawatts front cover

A series of beautiful coffee table books with hundreds of photos, including Gaslights to Gigawatts (1998), Station Normal (2001), Voices from Two Rivers (2010), and Power Smart (2014). Gaslights to Gigawatts, which is currently sold out and a reprint expected in the fall of 2025, explores the history of BC Hydro back to the 1860s; Station Normal covers the history of the Stave River power projects; Voices from Two Rivers looks at the Peace and Columbia River projects. Power Smart, is a look at the history of one of the most successful branding and public relations campaigns designed to conserve energy. The two newest books, People, Power and Progress: The Story of John Hart Dam and the Campbell River Power Projects (2017)  and Voices from Bridge River: The Bridge River Hydroelectric Projects, the People Who Built Them and the Lives They Touched (2022), will bring the total to 22,000 books in print.

The distribution of books is province wide and has included gifting copies of Gaslights to Gigawatts and Voices from Two Rivers to all of the high schools, private and public schools in B.C. as well as to many museums, libraries and community groups, to share the legacy of BC Hydro’s history with all of B.C.

The proceeds from all book sales go to the Power Pioneers Miracle Millions Campaign for BC Children’s Hospital.

If you would like to buy the books or for more information please visit our Store.

Contact Project Chair, Jim Gemmill:  jgemmill77@gmail.com if you would like to learn more about the Gaslights to Gigawatts (G2G2) reprint project. The Power Pioneers G2G2 Editorial Team members include: Jim Gemmill, Phil Horton, Don Swoboda, Bryan Bodell, Rob Kikkert, Ros LeBlanc, Malcolm Stewart.

Join Up!

Power Pioneer membership is open to retirees and employees of BC Hydro and its associated companies, as well as their spouses.

Step 1

Select your membership type

Single

Just you

Couple

You and your spouse