“Central Lady” at the switchboard. It was to be available on a 24-hour basis. Central’s call was one long ring. If there was a line call it would ring five times and everyone would pick up to hear what urgency awaited. (Photos submitted by Beverly Clinkingbeard)

Pictured are a typical Stromberg Carlson Telephone and a once modern dial office telephone that worked on a previous telephone exchange. When the telephone installer looked at it he asked, “And just how is this utilized?” If you are wondering too, the answer is the ear piece is hanging on the left of the phone and the speaker would speak into the mouth piece. The wall phone had a crank on the right side of the phone.

By Beverly Clinkingbeard

Telephones have drastically changed over the years, as well as the communication systems that allowed those phones to work and for people to talk to each other all over the world. The telephone poles have gradually vanished, and the younger folks of the county never remember the line of poles attached to one another with wire. The slender poles marched beside the roadways and into almost every home. The poles gave way to a new dial method of communication and the wires were buried under ground, and they’ve now ceded to the fiber optic and other methods.

It was June 1902, and The Independent reported “about 100 Atchison County farmers” attended a Farmer’s Mutual Telephone meeting. Each township had representation and these representatives assured that there were enough farmers pledged to make telephone service viable.

By September, the newspaper reported, “The poles for the City [Tarkio] exchange have all been set and the wire and instruments are being put in this week. The switchboard was shipped on last Saturday.” The news continued to explain where the poles were being set and that “six farmers’ lines will probably be completed this week.” Attached at the top of the poles was a glass insulator and the wires hooked to the insulator. (Collectible items today.) “All the instruments bought are of the celebrated Stormberg (this was new territory for the writer or else a typo, but the correct name was Stromberg) Carlson make, and are conceded to be the best instrument made.” “The new switchboard for the farmers’ telephone lines was installed the first of the week and works perfectly.”

“Parties were here from Westboro the latter part of last week to arrange for purchasing and putting up a commercial wire from here to Westboro…It is hoped that Rock Port will push their local exchange so that a commercial wire can be run to that city and also to Fairfax if that city takes the matter up.” As it turned out, the Fairfax Forum reported in March of 1903, “It is probable that the Fairfax exchange, which has been operating independently for the past two years will be bought and merged into the mutual concern. If a deal of that kind is effected, it will not be long until the line will be extended from here to take in most of the towns of Holt and Nodaway counties, and it is likely that connections will be made with St. Joseph and all intermediate points.”

“The Directors of the Rock Port Mutual Telephone Company met with the directors of the Tarkio Mutual Telephone Company, and definite arrangements were made in regard to the line between Rock Port and Tarkio. The Rock Port company now owns the line from Cow Branch to Tarkio. All members of the Westboro, Tarkio, and Rock Port Mutuals now have free service over these lines, and outsiders can talk for 15 cents. All members of the Rock Port Mutual Telephone Company can talk free over all the mutual lines and, by paying, can talk over the lines of the Northwest Missouri Telephone Company not only in Atchison County, but in over 300 towns, in four states.” “The Farmers Mutual Telephone is about to enter Iowa and connect with Blanchard. After this connection is made, this community will be in hearing distance of almost all the towns in southwestern Iowa.” A line also went to Hamburg, Iowa, and a line to the Atchison County Courthouse. Apparently, it was better received than when the possibility of phone service was introduced for use at the Page County Courthouse in Clarinda, Iowa, as  “…a petition was presented to the board asking to make an appropriation for the purpose of placing and maintaining a telephone in each of the county offices. The board did not grant the request. Evidently, there was only one telephone for all the offices.” (History of the Page County Courthouse, J. Clark.)

In 1913, Tarkio still had two telephone services operating in the city. Many homes and especially businesses had two telephones, one from each service. In the rural areas, some farmers, if living where two phone services met, would have two telephones. It was especially convenient if one line went into Iowa and the other into Missouri.

Meanwhile, in the home one can only imagine how exciting it was to select (usually a centrally located spot) where the telephone would hang on the wall. It was a large wooden affair and required batteries to be operational. And that first phone call would have been a day to remember. There were usually 12 persons to a line, each with designated rings, such as, a long, two shorts, and a long ring. The other phone members heard the ring and knew who was receiving a call. That is where “rubbering” entered and a conversation privy to others. Privacy that is the standard of today was negligible. However, it could work the other way, too. If a party had trouble, put it on the phone line…a lot like “posting on Facebook” today.

“Central Lady” (generally female) gained importance in a community as the position evolved into a hub or center for community news and activities. “Central” knew who was where and sometimes why, what the emergency was, and what to do about it, etc. On stormy nights, “Central” had to stay at the switchboard as lightning activated the system and made it seem there was a call. Only one member at a time could use their designated phone line and sometimes a party was asked to end their conversation. There was the neighborhood news that was generally derived within a school district and the local newspapers had designated writers who would call around and collect news of what so and so had done, where they had been and who they had seen. (Someday, I’ll do one of those newsy columns.) Wisely, controversial and gossipy subjects seem to have been avoided.

The phone on the wall and party line was only a couple generations from the teenager curled up with her princess phone. Now, the big contraption is reduced to hand held cells that claim to be “smart” and surely the future has more slick techy devices and surprises in store for us. How quickly we adapt and make use of each new communication device that enters the market. Meanwhile, the telephone poles have gone the way of the phone booth. Either forgotten or a wonder of, how were they utilized?

’Til next time.