In 1874 Lawrence Kansas residents had burned all the region's wood, and fossil fuels were not available. Orlando Darling built a dam across the Kansas River north of town and strung mechanical cables from a water wheel to power local industries. Justin Bowersock bought the operation, naming it "The Bowersock Mills & Power Company" (Bowersock).
Bowersock's slogan is:
Producing clean, renewable hydropower since 1874