The cooperative came into existence on March 9, 1944, when seven men met in Vernonia's Bush Hall. REA loans provided the capital needed to consolidate several small electric co-ops in the Nehalem Valley and Timber areas. Additional facilities were purchased from the Clatskanie PUD in 1944. The co-op also purchased the Oregon Gas & Electric company, which provided service to the Vernonia area. The new cooperative started clearing trees and brush, placing new poles, and stringing wire to the isolated towns and valleys of northwest Oregon. Farmers and homeowners helped dig holes and cut trees so they too could receive "the electric." Lights began to dot the landscape as electric lines weaved their way through the fields and forests.
Today, West Oregon Electric continues to build new lines to a growing membership. However, the electric needs of our members have changed dramatically since the 1940's. Sophisticated stereos replace the tube-style radios of the big-band era. Computers open our homes to new electronic vistas. We will continue to meet the challenges of a twenty-first century membership, while providing an efficient and reliable system at the lowest possible cost.