A drawing shows the entryway to St. Louis entrepreneur Tony Faust's restaurant, illuminated by corner arc lamps.

In St. Louis the story began with an entrepreneur. Not to be outdone by New Yorkers, St. Louis' popular restaurateur Tony Faust brought a lighting system and lamps from the Paris Exposition to St. Louis in 1878. The first commercial lighting station began generating electricity in 1881 with the creation of the Brush Electric Association. In the 20 years that followed, more than 30 St. Louis companies began operating generators, installing poles and soliciting customers.

The formation of the "Union Company" -- later Union Electric Company on May 20, 1902 -- brought order to the chaos of multiple generators and overlapping power lines.

Starting with 2,000 customers, a handful of employees and generation capacity of six megawatts, the new company was faced with a daunting challenge: electrification of an event of international significance -- the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Better known as the St. Louis World's Fair, the exposition opened in 1904 -- its eight large "palaces" and grounds blazing with light. The nation's first broad-scale demonstration of power boosted the then-tiny electric industry and prompted more people to install electric wiring in their homes.

Union Company lights eight palaces and grounds at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

The Ashley Plant, which was needed to serve St. Louis' growing needs, treated millions of World's Fair visitors to the most brilliantly lighted exposition ever staged. Illuminating the fair was a dramatic turning point in the history of the electric industry.

St. Louisans appreciated not only better illumination but also early appliances like electric fans and irons. By 1912, Union Electric's generating capacity grew to more than 50 megawatts to supply the growing demand for power.