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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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2,000 watts light up “C” Hill

T.J. Thomson

Although the sun set at 4:28 p.m., 2,000 watts of light lit up the inky blackness on Chadron’s “C” Hill today at around 7 p.m.

An $8,000 lighting fixture illuminates Chadron's "C" Hill Thursday evening. –€“ Photo by T.J. Thomson
An $8,000 lighting fixture illuminates Chadron’s “C” Hill Thursday evening. –€“ Photo by T.J. Thomson

Chadron State partnered with Chadron-based Scott Roberts Electric, Inc. to test out the $8,000 fixture late Thursday evening.

The fixture is the same model that the U.S. Department of Energy uses to illuminate the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., Blair Brennan, CSC’s Physical Facilities Coordinator, said Thursday evening. According to a U.S. Department of Energy publication, the fixtures used to illuminate the monument operate on 1,500 watts, and are manufactured by Iowa-based Musco Lighting.

The “C” itself was constructed through the efforts of T.A.F. Williams, a CSC math instructor, in 1924.

“The only other known hillside letter in the state is the M overlooking McCook,” a 2011 CSC press release states.

In the past, the “C” has only been illuminated during the college’s homecoming; however, the college is still searching for a permanent lighting solution, Brennan said.