New Rural Electric substation named in honor of Charlie Monk

A new Rural Electric substation built east of Lovell Lake to meet the area’s growing power demands was dedicated last week in honor of longtime REA employee Charlie Monk. During the ceremony, speakers recognized Monk’s decades of service and the lasting legacy he left on the cooperative and the communities it serves.

Monk, who passed away in 2023, was well represented by family and friends at the short dedication. His wife, Donna, received a replica of the plaque that will be mounted on the side of the new facility.

Monk’s connection to the REA stretched back more than half a century. He served as a lineman from 1954 to 1985, logging 31 years of building, repairing and maintaining power lines across Big Horn County. After retiring from line work, he continued his commitment to the cooperative by serving for 18 years on the REA Board of Directors from 1997 to 2015. Beyond the REA, he also served as a Big Horn County Commissioner and later on the Wyoming Department of Transportation Commission, roles that further deepened his impact on the region.

Current REA District #3 President John Joyce opened the dedication by saying, “What an honor it is to be able to name this substation after Charlie. He served the community, and the REA, for pretty much his whole working life. You could go on and on about Charlie. … He made this place a lot better.”

Several coworkers shared stories from Charlie’s early years with the REA, painting a vivid picture of how rugged the job once was.

“When he first started, they gave him a shovel and a bar and said, ‘Dig a hole,’” one co-worker said. “We dug one in the morning and one in the afternoon. That was it. No digger trucks. No fancy equipment.”

Equipment was scarce in those years.

“Most of the time we stored transformers on an old shed in the yard. There wasn’t even a shop back then,” a co-worker recalled. Bucket trucks arrived only near the end of Monk’s career, meaning he spent decades climbing poles by hand.

One story recalled his time as construction superintendent. “He oversaw building the line from the Lovell clay pits out to Horseshoe Bend. That line started right over there at the old substation,” the speaker said, gesturing north.

His son, David Monk, shared a favorite story about his dad heading out on a late-night repair call.

“He went out in the middle of the night because they’d lost a fuse,” David said. “His pickup quit on him, and this was long before cell phones. He had to hitchhike back to town. Several people drove right past, but finally someone came along and gave him a ride.”

David Monk also spoke about going with his dad on service calls when he was young.

“I’m sure it would never be allowed today,” he joked, “but going with him was a great opportunity. I learned a lot and saw a lot of the county.”

He highlighted Charlie’s gift for working with people, especially during the days when REA employees collected overdue accounts in person.

“Some of those folks were pretty hard to deal with, but he could defuse anything,” David said. “He just had a way with people.”

Charlie often worked out solutions that allowed struggling families to keep their lights on.

It wasn’t only through the REA that Monk built those relationships. As a rancher, outfitter and longtime member of the Cowley Riding Club, he spent a lifetime on the backroads, rangelands and mountainsides of the Basin. He knew the land, and the people who lived on it, as well as anyone.

David emphasized how well his father knew the rural communities he served, noting, “He knew everybody — Lovell, Cowley, Byron, Deaver, Frannie, up Sage Creek; he knew them all. And they all got along with him.”

Community service was a constant in Monk’s life. He helped organize the South End Water Users, served in church leadership and continued contributing long after retirement, a lifetime of service that made the dedication especially meaningful to those who attended.

The ceremony wrapped up with photos, cookies and plenty of hugs and handshakes. The message that lingered was simple and heartfelt. As one board member put it, “It’s an honor to name this substation after Charlie. He made the REA and this community better in more ways than we can count.”