This text is from one of the history display boards.
The community of Cedar Falls, located on the northern edge of the Cedar River Watershed, is owned by the City of Seattle. City employees live here to manage the Cedar River Watershed for the Seattle Water Department and the hydroelectric plant for Seattle City Light.
Cedar Falls began after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, when Seattle voters agreed to develop the Cedar River as a source of pure and abundant water. By 1901, a pipeline and reservoir system was constructed to bring Cedar River water to Seattle. A timber crib dam at Chester Morse Lake and a hydroelectric plant at Cedar Falls were completed around 1905. It was one of the earliest publicly owned plants in the United States.
In its early days, Cedar Falls bustled with activity. Homes, storage sheds, a dining hall and kitchen, stables, a city railroad and many other buildings were built to support the construction and operation activities. But those days are over now. The powerhouse is automated, construction is complete, and the railroad is gone.