By 1893, Santa Fe had outgrown its first dam, the 1881 Old Stone Dam, and the Santa Fe Water and Improvement Company built the larger Two-Mile Dam, holding 126 million gallons of water. In 1894, the company built a hydroelectric plant to supply power to the town, using the Two-Mile Dam and the water it controlled. The power plant contained two Pelton belt-operated water wheels powering an electric generator that delivered about 100 kilowatts of electricity. The plant began delivering electricity to Santa Fe on April 2, 1895. By 1900, the Santa Fe Water and Improvement Company had been sold to a New York firm and absorbed into the Santa Fe Water and Light Company. By 1943, it had built the even larger Nichols Dam and abandoned the little Hydroelectric Power Plant. In 2013, the City of Santa Fe restored the plant to its 1905 appearance and it proudly stands at the center of a park and water-history museum.

From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.