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by Harry Davis<\/p>\n
When George Polivka bought the Friendship Light and Power Company in May of 1914, the Adams County Press<\/em> prophesied that the investment would \u201cundoubtedly prove a satisfactory and lucrative investment for the new owner.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 The prophecy turned out to be true, but there were troubles and challenges along the way.<\/p>\n George Polivka had owned a farm in Richfield Township for only five years when his interest in electricity prompted him to sell the farm and buy the water powered gristmill on Little Roche-A-Cri Creek at Friendship.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Over the next two years, Polivka removed the grinding stones, installed an electric generator and enlarged the dam on the creek.\u00a0 The local newspaper, commenting on the much larger body of water advised that it should henceforth be referred to as \u201cFriendship Lake\u201d as it was no longer a pond.\u00a0 (Locals still call it \u201cFriendship Pond\u201d)<\/p>\n At the same time Polivka went around to the homes and businesses in Friendship and the new village of Adams getting subscriptions for electrical service.\u00a0 Using the knowledge he gained from reading a few books on the subject, Polivka installed all the utility poles and wires himself and wired the homes that subscribed to service from the Friendship Electric Light and Power Company.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n With the electric company up and running, Polivka built a large icehouse and began harvesting ice.\u00a0 He later sold the ice business to Ashworth Brothers.<\/p>\n While his ice business grew to be quite successful, ice in another form proved to be one of Polivka\u2019s big challenges.\u00a0 On Washington\u2019s Birthday, February 22, 1922 the worst ice storm in history struck Adams County.\u00a0 The thick, heavy coating of ice on everything paralyzed transportation, tore down power lines and snapped utility poles.\u00a0 Newspapers predicted that many people might be without services until spring.\u00a0 In fact, George Polivka had restored electrical service to the majority of his customers within 24 hours of the storm\u2019s end.<\/p>\n In 1922 Polivka bought property adjacent to the power plant, but facing Lake Street and the north end of Main Street in Friendship.\u00a0 On this property he built a fine brick house where he and his wife Mary lived and where he operated an electrical parts store in the basement for a number of years.<\/p>\n Perhaps with the idea in mind that a backup to the Friendship power plant was needed, Polivka bought four hundred acres about seven miles north of Friendship on Big Roche-A-Cri Creek in 1924 and built an electricity generating plant there.\u00a0\u00a0 The location was the site, about 70 years prior to the thriving hamlet of \u201cCottonville\u201d.\u00a0 In the 1850s Cottonville contained a lumber mill, a store, a blacksmith shop and a tavern.\u00a0 High water carried away the dam, the lumber mill was abandoned and the other businesses closed.\u00a0 The natural narrowing of Big Roche-A-Cri Creek that made for a good lumber mill location made it a good spot for an electrical power plant.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 (Still called Cottonville, the location thrives today as a recreational area. The dam and power plant are still in operation.)<\/p>\n In 1926, George Polivka sold the Friendship Electric Light and Power Company to Wisconsin Power and Light Company.\u00a0 Polivka stayed on with the firm as the local manager.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n Having a backup to the Friendship power plant proved to be right.\u00a0 Having no interruption of service was the only bright spot when the worst disaster struck the original Friendship Lake dam.\u00a0 Early on a Wednesday morning in March 1928 floodwaters broke the dam on Friendship Lake and the rush of water undermined the foundations of the Highway 13 concrete bridge below the dam.\u00a0 The bridge collapsed into Little Roche-A-Cri Creek.\u00a0 Before barriers could be put up, a car approached from the north.\u00a0 George Polivka, Frank Hollman and George Armstrong were on the scene and attempted to flag the car to a stop, but the driver misunderstood until it was too late and the car plunged into the creek.\u00a0 Cecil Renner of Preston was the driver of the car.\u00a0 Jesse Brodt of Preston and William Brodt of Beloit were passengers.\u00a0 Renner was able to escape from the car and was pulled from the water by the bystanders.\u00a0 The bodies of the Brodts were found down stream later that day.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Immediately after the tragedy the Wisconsin Power and Light Company promised to rebuild the dam and power plant.\u00a0 The company actually went further and replaced the wooden building with a brick building that still exists and is in use today.\u00a0 At the same time, the company upgraded the generating system to generate considerably more power than previously. [6]<\/a> The company paid $4,500 as settlement for the damage to the Highway 13 bridge.\u00a0 In building the new bridge, the bridge abutments were joined with the walls of the dam to make a solid concrete wall from the dam to the lower side of the bridge.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 The work was completed in January 1929.<\/p>\n George Polivka did not retire, but continued with several business interests and worked daily at his service station across the street from his house until his death in 1962.\u00a0 He was recognized more for his philanthropy later in life. He and his wife Mary donated the land for the Adams County Memorial Hospital built in 1959 and made many other contributions to the community.\u00a0 On his death he left a trust fund to be used for Mary\u2019s comfort until her death and then for the Adams County Memorial Hospital.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 Fittingly, for a man that brought power to a growing community and never stopped working, that trust is still being put to use today in the still growing community.<\/p>\n _________________<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note:\u00a0 This article previously appeared in the Summer 2003 edition of the Adams County Historical Society\u2019s newsletter, The Quatrefoil.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Adams County Press<\/em>, May 1914<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Adams County Times\/Friendship Reporter, <\/em>July 23, 1986<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Friendship Reporter<\/em>, February 14, 1924<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> From Past to Present \u2013 The History of Adams County, <\/em>Adams County Historical Society, New Past Press, p. 125<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Friendship Reporter,<\/em> March 15, 1928<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Friendship Reporter,<\/em> March 15, 2003<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Friendship Reporter,<\/em> October 18, 1928.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Adams County Times-Friendship Reporter, <\/em>July 23, 1986.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Adams County\u2019s Dam Man George Polivka Brought Electric Power to Central Adams County by Harry Davis When George Polivka bought the Friendship Light and Power Company in May of 1914, the Adams County Press prophesied that the investment would \u201cundoubtedly prove a satisfactory and lucrative investment for the new owner.\u201d[1]\u00a0 The prophecy … Continue reading