Show History o of r Telegraph Company in in Utah Related It t 4 a it t f. f Story or of o Growth ro W Reads Like Romantic Incidents AT T TOP new ne Clift building to be the home in 1920 of the Western Union company contrasted with the 1862 Main street office of the old Deseret Telegraph company absorbed by the Western Vestern Union t I t J. J r. r S 1 i L. L S y r t s tai t t a 1 t i. i r S' S vt wI ol t h M H M o oi r i r t s SIDE IDE OF r Archives of Western Union Here Yield Tales of Decided Decided De De- Interest The archives es In io the office of ot U U. G G. Life Lite district commercial manager for forthe forthe forthe the second district of the mountain division of the Western Vestern Union ele- ele graph company have yielded up a photograph of ot one of ot the first office I I of ot the old Deseret Telegraph company founded by Brigham Young which by contrast contrast with the new quarters of ot the I Western Vestern U- U Union o in n the Clift building I 1 I forms torms an interesting commentary on j I the progress of telegraph service sel in I 1 i Utah 1 The Deseret company compan with a staff I 1 I of ot less than ten was housed in a crude two two- two story tory building on the east side of I I Main street between Second ond ec-ond and Third I I I I i South streets at just about the location location location loca loca- tion of the building which is now the home of ot the Shields Stationery company com com- pany Early ly In 1920 the Western Vestern Union which years ago absorbed the Deseret corn com company any will remove with Its Us staff of ot and its supply of ot equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment totaling many hundreds of ot thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of ot dollars to the Clift Chit building The company will occupy practically two whole floors and a large downstairs downstairs downstairs down down- stairs office In the building STORY OF GROWTH The story of ot the growth of the telegraph telegraph tele tele- graph In Utah is but part of ot a tale of ot an enormous Industrial romance The story began in this state In the early when Brigham Young established the first te telegraph office in the state In tn the small building connecting the Lion and the Beehive houses A line I from Salt Lake to St St. George Utah was constructed and ancI shorter lines I reached Into other parts of the state The office was removed remo in 1857 to I the east tast s side ide of ot Main street A A. AV W. i Long assistant chief operator of ot the Western Vestern Union and veteran operator I f of ot the company describes the subsequent quent moves mons of ot the company In 1875 according to Mr 11 Long the Deseret company moved across the street to the old Trowbridge building which was wa-s near the site of the new Pantages theatre building In 1880 the Deseret company compan had removed to a building which then stood just north of ot the Deseret bank building This building also housed the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph company compan which later be became became became be- be I I came known as the Western Vestern Union and which had entered the field in Utah in 1862 It was also In this I building according to Mr 11 Long that the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone I company had its first office In the state One line fifty switchboard was operated in a corner of the office t I COMPANIES COMBINE I IThe The Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph i company ny was as doing the Interstate business In those thoe days das while the I f Deseret company attended to business within the state The two companies I were combined about the year ear 1895 Stories of ot the vicissitudes of the early managers and operators of ot the service are numerous but none has a amore amore amore more romantic touch than that of ot Levi Lev S S. Wild who rode from Chicago to Salt Lake on horseback to become one of the first operators of ot the Deseret Telegraph company In Salt Lake Mr Ir Wild is living in Butte Mont where he Is secretary of the Sliver Silver Bow club dub I there Mr 11 Wild recounts the story of how the office In Salt Sail Lake W was waa U closed at atthe atthe the time that Corinne was thought b by I everyone as destined to become the railroad and tele telegraph raph center In Utah was just before the golden spike was driven at Promontory Point that the made Mr oIl Wild and I move mo was his as assistants assistants assistants as- as boarded up th the th office and with red paint printed the th-e number ao 30 the telegraphic symbol for finished I glaringly on the front of the building I f It was not long before the company discovered ered ered that Corinne was not what I. I it was supposed to be and the office i iwas was moved mo back to Salt Lake j I C PIONEERS PIONEER'S STORY Five years ago at a a. meeting of or managers managers man man- man man-I agers agel's of the mountain division of ot the company Mr r Wild gave aan an accounts account I I I I I i I f I I I I of or conditions under which the pioneer I operators worked A stenographic re report report re- re port of the session was kept by Mr re-I re Life who today brought it forth and has allowed the following extract to be bo published 1 Back in them good old days of ot the sixties sixties' as the pioneer expresses it I Iwas Iwas Iwas was manager of the Virginia City Mont office This line followed the Wells Fargo stage line between Salt Lake and Helena Five dollars payable payable payable pay pay- able In gold dust or United States currency currency currency cur cur- rency was Vas the rate for tor a word ten-word message from Montana to points east of ot the Mississippi river There were fewer questions question's asked aked about the time required for Cor transmission anti anO delivery on the service of this venturesome message m than are now v propounded on onI some of our messages carrying cent 25 tolls tons Sometimes the messages required an answer and if It the answer was not notI forthcoming in a week or ten days a service man was sent to locate the trouble when not infrequently Denver In in case the message reached that far Line down would tar would come com back somewhere along alon the Platte Indians or buffalo TELLS HIS TROUBLES To Illustrate the lucky happy tendency of ot pioneer days das we the had many easy and liberal customers One In particular worthy of ot mention was an Indian agent having charge of ot the Crow country of ot Yellowstone and Gallatin Gal- Gal latin He would frequently come to Virginia City to tell his troubles to the Indian bureau at Washington Indian agents in those days were in full tull possession possession pos pos- session of ot grafts which would even en make the grafters of today sick from em envy He would dictate his message usually covering co 50 or words and I without asking asking- the cost would throw throw- down own a wad of ot bills and say keep kepp the change Then we would sidestep Cigars and drinks were two-bits two each and up We e Invariably took the upend up upend up upend end of ot it and staid with It until the theline theline theline line got ot up LINES CRIPPLED The winter of ot 67 11 was wat exceptionally severe ere A blizzard raged for several days Virginia was cut off oft from all communication communication stage stage coach and telegraph tele tele- graph graph for for two weeks My oly lineman astride a horse horle furnished by the Wells Wells- V ells ells- Fargo o argo company compan made several se ineffectual Ineffectual attempts attempt to re reach ch the break or breaks In places across the big di dl divide j jIde vide Ide the snow buried burled the line I suggested suggested suggested sug sug- j dl-j t that he take a shovel el In place I of ot his spurs to find the line Une It It was not deemed nece necessary for tor fora J Ja a manager In those days day's to be equipped with a a. sheepskin from Boston Boton Tech to take charge of the office and qualify There were no ten-minute ten surveys ers or ot Ot of f moving mo your office files flip The dream Ing picture ture films depicting the commercial commercial com com- mercial the traffic and the plant com I officials orn exploiting the office was not even thought ht of |