Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association, 29880 US Highway 69 N, Rusk, TX 75785, US

By the 1930s, most urban areas of the United States had enjoyed electric service for more than 50 years, but beyond the city limits, there was darkness. It was not profitable for private power companies to provide service to sparsely populated rural areas. A number of farmers and ranchers decided that if they were going to get the power they needed, they would have to take action themselves. So they organized local cooperatives to provide local, consumer-owned electric service. By 1940, nearly 600 cooperatives throughout the nation were providing electricity to more than 1.5 million consumers in 46 states. In 1939 the Houston County Electric Cooperative was established to provide electric service to Houston, Leon, Trinity, Anderson, Walker, Angelina, Cherokee, Madison and Freestone counties in Texas. More than 13,000 members spanning nearly 17,000 meters receive power from the Houston County Electric. Houston County Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Crockett, Texas.