IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014 - 86

L.L. Nunn and
the Beginning

figure 2. Lucien L. Nunn, circa 1890
(photo courtesy of the Northwest Lineman
College historic photo collection).

once known as a prime area for gold
and silver mining, Telluride had fallen
on hard times, a result of significant
increases in energy costs. The mines
used heavy excavating machinery that
consumed enormous amounts of power,
exhausting the majority of the area's
fuel source, timber. Gold remained in
the hills, but mining costs escalated
to the point that mining was no longer profitable.
The consequence of this predicament was that if mining continued to
decline, the town of Telluride would

figure 3. The Gold King Mine, circa 1891, situated at an altitude of 12,000 ft
(3,658 m) (photo courtesy of the Northwest Lineman College historic photo collection).

figure 4. The Gold King Mine site as it appears today (photo courtesy of the
Northwest Lineman College historic photo collection).
86

ieee power & energy magazine

disappear. This fact was well understood by Lucien L. Nunn, an ohio native who owned the local San Miguel
County Bank. A man barely 5 ft (1.52
m) tall, Nunn was a dynamo of energy,
not reluctant to take risks in entrepreneurial endeavors (see figure 2).
In 1889, three outlaws came to town
and robbed the San Miguel County
Bank of US$20,000. Upon their escape, a posse was formed, which included Nunn, an accomplished horseman. As the chase ensued, Nunn rode
ahead of the posse and caught up with
the robbers, who promptly disarmed
him, took his horse, and sent him back
toward town. It was later determined
that the leader of outlaws was, in fact,
the notorious Butch Cassidy.
Nunn's responsibilities included financing and managing several mines,
one of which was the Gold King Mine
(see figures 3 and 4). The Gold King
Mine, needing low-cost fuel (as was
typical in the region), was located only
3 mi (4.83 km) from the confluence of
two mountain streams that formed the
South fork of the San Miguel River.
Nunn had been following the growth of
electricity closely, especially the "battle of currents" in the east. He concluded that this location had adequate flow
to power a small hydroelectric facility.
Nunn, having a vested interest in
the Gold King Mine, hired his brother
Paul (a fledging electrical engineer)
to design a power plant and line to the
mine. The Nunns pondered dc, but they
had a better feeling about ac and took a
chance that Westinghouse's ac system
was the answer. L.L. Nunn went before
the Westinghouse board in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, personally, to request the
necessary equipment to construct an ac
power plant and transmission line. At
that time, it was a risky venture, with
no track record from which to judge.
Nunn made Westinghouse a bold
proposal: US$50,000 in gold for
US$50,000 worth of his time and experience to build an ac generator and a
100-hp motor to run the mine machinery. George Westinghouse viewed the
proposal optimistically, understanding
that success of the project could serve
january/february 2014



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014

IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014 - Cover1
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IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014 - Cover3
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014 - Cover4
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