“The REA Story”,

“The Rural Electrification Act of 1936, enacted on May 20, 1936, provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. The funding was channeled through cooperative electric power companies, hundreds of which still exist today.[1] These member-owned cooperatives purchased power on a wholesale basis and distributed it using their own network of transmission and distribution lines. The Rural Electrification Act was one of many New Deal proposals by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to remedy high unemployment during the Great Depression.”

“Reviews the 25 year history of rural electrification. Stresses the importance of electricity to remote farms and ranches. Shows farm life before and after electricity. Includes an electric powered poultry farm and an aeroplane tour with the flying manager of a Montana electrical cooperative. Suitable for upper secondary level.”