 In 1881, under the leadership of Jacob F. Schoellkopf, the Niagara River's first hydroelectric generating station was built.The water fell and generated direct current electricity, which ran the machinery of local mills and lit up some of the village streets.The Niagara Falls Power Company, a descendant of Schoellkopf's firm, formed the Cataract Company headed by Edward Dean Adams, with the intent of expanding Niagara Falls' power capacity.