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Two hydroelectric power plants in Fergus Falls, Minnesota have been operating for over a century — and remarkably, much of their original equipment is still in place.
In this detailed tour, we examine early 20th-century hydro turbines, generators, voltage regulation systems, and control equipment that continue to produce reliable electricity along the Otter Tail River.
Featured in this video:• Historic hydroelectric generators still in service• Original exciter and rheostat voltage control systems
How generators are controlled and monitored • Large legacy transformers replaced by modern units• The basement turbine level• An early compressed air ice-agitation system used behind the dam
These facilities demonstrate how durable early electrical infrastructure can be — with machinery that has outlived many newer power stations.
Up next: A visit to the Hoot Lake hydro plant, a World War I–era facility that outlasted the mid-century coal plant beside it.
If you enjoy industrial history, power generation, steam systems, and electrical engineering, subscribe for more full-access infrastructure tours.
This tour was filmed with permission and the video was approved by the otter tail power company.
00:00 intro
00:57 taplin gorge dam
02:01 hydro generator
02:19 wicket gate controls
03:27 generator
03:45 control panel
04:57 basement and transformers
05:48 transition to Pisgah dam.
06:37 ice agitators on Pisgah dam.
06:56 generator rotor.
07:48 control panel.
08:21 generator controls.
09:09 abandoned equipment.