Bicentennial Story #129-Telephones in Dickinson

Bicentennial Story #129-Telephones in Dickinson

History of telephone service in Dickinson.

10/28/1975

Don Johnson

This recording cannot be copied or reproduced without the written permission of the Dickinson Museum Center. This recording may be freely used for education uses, so long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this recording file is permitted without written permission of the Dickinson Museum Center.

mp3

audio reel, analog, 1/4 inch polyester tape

English

BS-129

Dickinson, ND

Copyright Stark County Historical Society and Dickinson Museum Center

The telephone made its entry into Dickinson three quarters of a century ago when George A. Hughes set up the exchange. He sold the company to the North Dakota independent telephone company in 1910, when there were 312 phones. By 1931, that number had grown to 980 phones and the company had been owned by Northwestern Bell for seven years. Things have changed a lot since the days when Mr. Hughes owned the exchange and Goldie homer, Clara Davis and Ruby Roberts were operators. Today there are 10,756 telephones in Dickinson, fifty-seven employees, and a total investment in the city of over $5 million. 1,300,000 telephone calls originate in the city every month. Northwestern Bell is proud to share in the rich history of Dickinson.

This is Bicentennial Story No. 129, prepared by Don Johnson, for the Stark County Historical Society.

Sound recordings

1:23

128kbps

1970 1979

Bicentennial tape #9, Bicentennial stories 128 and 129