I'm currently fascinated by what happened when the pilgrims on the Oregon Trail (who didn't die of dysentery) ran into the 2nd largest waterfall in the USofA blocking their path.
They hunkered down and built a sawmill.
Then in 1889 the entrepreneurs who became Portland General Electric built an hydroelectric plant to send power to Portland for their lights and streetcars. After the 1895 Lewis & Clark Exposition, Portland's population increased by 50% (IIRC). Like moths to a candle?
This video starts with a William Gibson quote. Guess which one.