Editing York County, South Carolina (section)

===20th century===
Cotton production remained the dominant agricultural export in early 20th century York County, with the [[textile industry]] continuing to develop. Rock Hill became the hub of this industry while mills blossomed throughout the county. South Carolina's peak cotton crop was harvested in 1921, and thereafter, cotton production began a long and steady decline due in part to [[boll weevil]] infestations, [[soil erosion]], and [[mechanization]] of farming technologies. The [[New Deal]] programs of the 1930s prodded farmers into switching to different crops, with cotton gradually becoming less and less the focal point of the county's economy.

In 1904, the Catawba Dam and Power Plant was completed, and [[Lake Wylie]] was created. The Catawba Power Company was founded in 1899 by William C. Whitner, Dr. Gill Wylie, and Robert Wylie. Construction began in 1900, and when it was finally completed, the dam and [[hydroelectric power plant|power plant]] were among the most important engineering accomplishments in the southeastern United States. The venture eventually led to the formation of [[Duke Power Company]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/our-history|title=History – Our Company – Duke Energy|website=Duke Energy|access-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.duke-energy.com/company/aboutus/history/|title=Our History – Duke Energy|website=duke-energy.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050802064222/http://www.duke-energy.com/company/aboutus/history/|archive-date=August 2, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> and a later series of dams and hydroelectric facilities were built on the Catawba in both North and South Carolina. The Catawba Power Plant sparked the industrialization of the Catawba Valley; by 1911, more than a million textile [[Spindle (textiles)|spindles]] were powered by it.