The Frequency Changing Station was an important part of an early electrical power and transportation conglomerate. The station distributed power generated by the Inland Power Plant at Nine Mile Falls, which provided power for the Spokane and Inland Empire Railway system, a network that provided freight and passenger service along 250 miles of track radiating from Spokane, south to the Palouse wheat district and east to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In addition, the plant supplied surplus power to small communities along the route.