Wyrulec's History

In the early 1930s, less than one out of ten rural families in Wyoming had electric power. Electric service was widely available in town, but rural residents struggled, having to bring water to their homes in buckets while their children studied by the light of smoky kerosene lanterns.

On May 6, 1936, Congress passed the Rural Electrification Act. Cooperatives were formed by people who were determined to have electricity even though many thought it was not economically practical to build and maintain lines to isolated farms and ranches. By August 7th of that same year, Wyrulec Company filed for its Articles of Incorporation, and was the first rural electric cooperative formed in the state of Wyoming. On October 6, 1936, the bylaws of the company were signed and the first official meeting of the board of directors was held on October 9, 1936.

Historically, rural areas were the last to get electricity service because they were going to be the most expensive to serve. Rural areas are still the most expensive areas to serve.

The cost of a mile of line in a town or city is offset by the income from an average of 35-46 meters. The cost of a mile of line in Wyrulec's service territory is offset by the income from an average of 2-3 meters.

Wyrulec Company currently has 2,043 miles of line to serve the 5,610 accounts of its 2,455 members.