"Tim the Tool Man Taylor" on the 1990s TV sitcom "Home Improvement" needed more of it.

Captain Kirk was always seeking more of it for the Starship Enterprise on "Star Trek."

Residents between Oneonta and the Mohawk Valley were clamoring for it around 1906.

What was it that all those people, real or fictitious, were calling for?

"MORE POWER!"

It was electricity the local people were looking for at the time, and they got it. The result was the construction of a dam to generate power near Colliersville. We know it today as the Collier’s Dam on Goodyear Lake, which will be 100 years old this year, complete with a celebration next weekend.

Herbert T. Jennings was also looking for more power. Jennings had built an interurban railroad between Oneonta and the Mohawk Valley, essentially an extension of trolley service in and out of Oneonta. The power source at the time was a steam plant in Hartwick. Residents along the route wanted electricity and the steam plant couldn’t meet the demand.

Jennings purchased property near the present dam in 1904, and by 1906 had amassed about 600 acres of land in the area.

Work began that year, and water flowed over the dam for the first time on Oct. 22, 1907, six days and two hours after the gates were closed. The power plant became operational a few weeks later and a power line was built to Hartwick, about 15 miles away.

Big dam projects in the first half of the 20th century usually meant bad news for many communities in Delaware and Schoharie counties. The Pepacton, Cannonsville and Gilboa reservoir projects put many communities under water, while fulfilling the needs for more water in New York City.

The Collier’s Dam on Goodyear Lake had a much different effect. Instead of displacing and destroying a community, a new one was eventually created.

George Timewell began a trend as he built a camp on the west side of the lake before the dam was completed and the lake was filled. Others followed, and some built permanent homes in the area. In 1926, the Goodyear Lake Association was formed, initially having 100 members.

The growth of camps and homes in the area spiked in 1929. Chester Waters had a large tract of land on part of the lake. A pamphlet appeared to be misspelled, as it read, "By a Little Joy For The Family at Cliffside Annex Goodyear Lake." Waters divided the land into 64 parcels along the "Little Joy." Prices of the lots ranged from $100 to $125. Lots were $5 down, $5 per month with no interest.

Residents around Goodyear Lake had already been fairly close-knit. In 1922, the Goodyear Lake Pavilion was built by William Walsh of Oneonta. This brought together people from not just the lakeside community, but from far and wide. It was first announced in the May 25 edition of The Oneonta Herald.

In the daytime, the pavilion area was a great place to swim or go out on the lake in boats. There was a high-dive platform, as well as a long slide that took you into the water after you climbed a tower and got into something like a toboggan with wheels.

At night, especially on weekends, the pavilion’s dance hall was a gathering place for adults. Many big bands entertained there. Buses ran to and from the pavilion from Cooperstown and Oneonta. The pavilion remained along the shore until 1962, when the Knott family built a motel on the site.

Today the Goodyear Lake community is the largest population block in the town of Milford. The area is also home to many bald eagles.

To learn more about next weekend’s centennial celebration, visit the association’s website at www.goodyearlake.org.

On Monday: Racial unrest took place on the State University College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill campus.

City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.