| Show a Denver Toll Line is still evident in Center of Heber Mountain Ben Repairman Darrell Vernon demonstrates long distance line dismantled An important of development in Utah is' passing into history with the dismantling of Moun- tain Bell's long distance toll line runn- ing from Heber City to The northeastern Utah leg of the open wire known as the Toll was maintained until the winter any according to W. Glen one of the construction foremen when ty was part of the original long distance conversations carried by the bare cop- per wire atop the once-familiar telephone Brown's is Mountain Bell's District Manager of Customer Services in central son is responsible for tearing down what I took great pride in remarks the elder wasn't much communication between Vernal and Salt Lake before that line was comments was a class' line and we had a real sense of accomplishment when the project was Even by contemporary setting the poles and stringing the cop- per wire was a massive Very little machinery was used and the work continued even in engineers had a mania for a straight observes that line went directly up and down the moun- According to all of the available men in Utah were assigned to the task of building the line during the Depression years of the He says it was the only telephone construe- tion job progress at the The winter of 1932 in the mountains east of Heber City was for his crew of eight and a team of horses had great difficulty wallowing in snow and the men couldn't go anywhere without he I I Living in tent camps was a way of life for the men who spent two years building the toll Brown recalls that the men assigned to the job of had to go around the camps at night and keep the fires Even in nice the job wasn't Building the line involved exten- from the right-of-way had to be dragged away by horses instead of poles' last projects to use western cedar Several crews started at different Heber City and names of the people involved don't mean much but the work certainly remarks have a certain sense of remorse in see- ing the line torn but it's tant to consider the greatly improved service that has resulted from technological Even in recent there would almost always be trouble on the line during the hunting season and in according to I City Central Office Repairman Darrell Bullets striking the wires and in- or heavy and fall- ing trees would frequently require a long hike up the mountainside on Vernon points out that some of the more accessible poles along the route were equipped with steps to facilitate the testing and repair By using the repairmen could deter- mine the location of trouble without go- ing deep into the rugged mountain ter- Although the itself is there are still that stand in silent tribute to Line Patrolman Zane Construction Superintendent W. J. Super- Foreman Hal Green and Some of the poles still carry Heber City exchange cable and a pair of snowshoes hangs on the wall at the Heber City Cen- trai |
