January 1995 Blazer

The telephone comes to utah

THE HISTORY BLAZER , YEIIrS OF UTAH'S PAST FROllf THE Utah State I~ istoricalS ociety 300 Rio Grande Sill t Lake City. VT 84101 ( 801) 533- 3500 FAX ( 001) 533- 3303 The Telephone Comes to Utah THEIN TRODUCTION OF THE TELEPHONE IN Utah moved at a very rapid pace. Within a decade nearly every major city was equipped with a telephone exchange system. The number of customers grew yearly as more learned about the new technological wonder. By the turn of the century the telephone was a frequent, if not yet common, means of communication. Due to the energy and enthusiasm of a local merchant, A. M. Munser, Ogden was the first Utah city to introduce the telephone. Early in 1879 Munser installed a private line from his store to his warehouse in Ogden. Gradually, other wealthy businessmen followed suit. Then, in March, L. E. Holden, an influential mine owner, installed a telephone line from his office in downtown Salt Lake City to the Deseret National Bank six blocks away. News reporters and curious residents gathered in HoldenS office to hear the first words ever uttered over a telephone in the city. One reporter explained with amazement that HoldenP voice was heard on the other line as distinctly as if he were conversing in the room. All seemed to be amazed by Alexander Graham Bell$ " talking instrument. " As more residents acquired private telephone lines a new system was required to manage the calls. On March 1, 1880, Munser purchased a license from the National Bell Telephone Company to operate a telephone exchange in Ogden. The Ogden Telephone Exchange Company opened on September 8 to serve 24 lines and 30 phones. The first Ogden phone directory, published a month later, contained the names of 56 subscribers. Ogden was moving far ahead of other Utah cities in the race for telephone service. It took nearly a yea. before Salt Lake City followed Ogden's lead. An exchange license had been purchased in March 1880 but not acted upon. It required a transfer of ownership in December before the Salt Lake Exchange could be opened in April 188 1 under the name of A. J. Paterson 6r Company. Soon Salt Lakers were consumed with preparations for telephone service. The first telephone wires were strung along housetops. This soon proved inconvenient. Because of the wide streets and large blocks characteristic of the city, telephone lines were run down the center of the street. Wires were strung to the top of poles that reached as high as 60 feet. Such changes were necessary as an increasing number of Salt Lake residents purchased telephones. Beginning with only a dozen telephone owners, the city had more than 1,200 subscribers by 1900. The first decade of the 20th century showed even greater growth, and by 1910 telephone subscriptions had increased to 13,048. Both business and social life in Salt Lake were being transformed by the telephone system. ( more) Gradually, cities and towns throughout Utah acquired telephone service. Following Salt Lake City by a few days, Park City became the third town to own an exchange system. Logan was connected to the Ogden Exchange in 1883, and Provo gained a telephone license from the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company of Salt Lake in the same year. Rural areas and smaller towns took longer to receive this modem convenience. Not until 1947 was telephone service installed in Monroe, Utah. THEH ISTORBLYA ZER is produced by the Utah State Historical Society and funded in part by a grant from the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission. For more information about the Historical Society telephone [phone].