The national parks preceded the National Park Service, but the first great natural park was a state park. Californiaâs Yosemite State Park was established in 1864, by a federal cession approved by President Abraham Lincoln, and on October 21, 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes toured Californiaâs Yosemite in an open carriage.
In fact, humans have been capturing the energy of moving water for thousands of years. Today, harnessing the power of moving water to generate electricity, known as hydroelectric power, is the largest source of emissions-free, renewable electricity in the United States and worldwide.
At Yukon Energy, we use water to create most of our electricity. That's why most of our plants are called hydroelectric facilities: hydro means water. Power plants that use water to make electricity are built near rivers. Our Whitehorse plant, for instance, is on the Yukon River. Dams are built across rivers to hold back the water.