Photo courtesy of Darrell and Jane (Testerman) Hatfield
This picture was taken in the '40s.

In 1925, Commerce Mining and Royalty Company, later bought out by Eagle Picher, constructed a centralized compressed air system for their company mines in the area. The compressor building being west of Cardin, in Whitebird.

In 1927, the power generating plant was added on this property to supply 25 cycle electricity to it's mining operations, and nearby homes. 

Before this, Cardin had no electricity while Picher acquired 60 cycle from Empire in Riverton, KS in 1915. Although the trolley line ran through Cardin, that was the only electricity in town! Cardin used this electricity until the early fifties.  25 cycle means that the electrical impulses were at 25 cycles per second.  Modern electricity is at 60 cycles per second.  During the changeover, the difference was immediately clear.  If you got used to the 60 cycle, and went somewhere that was still 25 cycle, the lights seemed to blink rapidly instead of being constant.

 See also Supply Depot