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Show THE AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN, Thursday, July 20, 1961 Mountain States Tel. & Tel. To Celebrate 50th Birthday Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 17, according to W. Merrill Mer-rill Bymas, local manager. It was on this date In 1911 that the company was formed through a merger ofthe Colorado Colo-rado Telephone? Company and the Tri-State Telephone and Telegraph? Company. This latter lat-ter company operated in Ariz- .ona, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. A month later the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company Com-pany also became a part of the company. It served communities In Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. Additional properties were secured In 1912 extending the company's geographical bounr daries to about the same area as Is served today In Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and El Paso, Texas. Telephone service first came to these1 Rocky Mountain states when an exchange was opened In Denver February 24, 1879 only three years after the invention in-vention of the telephone by Alexander Al-exander Graham Bell. This was the first exchange between St. Louis and San Francisco. Denver's Den-ver's first telephone office was located on the second floor of the old Tritch Building between 15th and 16th streets on Larimer. Lar-imer. Utah was the' next state to Introduce telephone service when an exchange was opened at Ogden In September 1880: In 1881 four states opened exchangesMiles ex-changesMiles City, Montana " and" Cheyenne, Wyoming In March, Tucson, Arizona In April Ap-ril and Las Vegas, Nevada In August. Hailey, Idaho and El Paso, Texas opened exchanges In September 1883. When the company was formed form-ed a half century ago it embraced em-braced 700,000 square' miles with 150,000 telephones. Business bomed through the roaring twenties and by the end of 1930 the number of telephones in service approached the half-million half-million mark. Then came the depression and the company began losing telephones instead of gaining them. Before substantial recovery recov-ery from the depression could be made the nation was thrown lsto World War II, bringing tel ephone equipment shortages and large numbers of unfilled orders for service. Following VJ Day telephone service expanded by leaps and bounds'. Huge construction programs pro-grams made possible substantial substan-tial additions to telephone plant and on September 15, 1948, the one millionth telephone was installed in-stalled on a farm near River-ton, River-ton, Wyoming. Less than ten years alter the company had gained another million tele phones and this event was cel ebrated with the installation of service at the Indian pueblo of San Ildefonso near Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 15, .1958. Today there are nearly 2Yz mil lion telephones In service and it appears the 3,000,000th installation in-stallation would be made In 1964. Historically the Mountain States Company has been pro-mintnt pro-mintnt in the nation's telephone network. tThe first olng distance dis-tance line between New York and Denver was . completed in 1911. In 1914 the first transcontinental transcon-tinental telephone line was completed with the final spllca in the aerial wire made at Wen-dover, Wen-dover, -Utah near the Nevada line. Another transcontinental communications system was installed in-stalled across the company's territory In 1942. This was buried bur-ied cable and again the final splice was made at Wendover. A third coast-to-coast long distance dis-tance network was completed in 1951 when the microwave radio relay system was placed in ser vice. Again Mountain States became be-came the link-point with erection erec-tion of the final tower near Laramie, Wyoming. In addition to providing hundreds of long distance circuits, this system made network television available avail-able to the Rocky Mountain state's. In early days the telephone was considered a luxury and most Installations were made in business establishments. Telephone Tele-phone service today has. become an Important part of America's social and business life and in addition plays a vital role in the de'fense and safety of the nation. na-tion. Tremendous ' Improvements have been made In telephone service and more lie' ahead. Telephone Tel-ephone instruments now come in different sizes and shapes and in nine colors. It won't be many years before direct, dis tance dialinz will be (available nation-wide. This service introduced intro-duced in Denver in April, 1960 and in American Fork in November Nov-ember 1960 makes it possible' to dial direct to another telephone tele-phone in a distant city without the assistance of an operator. "Bellboy" service has be'n developed devel-oped for the business and pro- fessiona lman who is "on the go." This is a small radio receiver receiv-er light enough to be carried in a pocket when it "beeps" the individual knows someone Is trying to reach him and he can contact his home or office. of-fice. Another system called "home Interphone" has been introduced introduc-ed whereby extensions can be used for intercommunication and the door can be answered from any telephone In the home. "Farm Interphone" has bee'n developed for the special needs of the farmer and rancher ranch-er This system provides build-ing-to-bullding conversations and for answering or placing calls from any point where an extension Is located. A new service ser-vice for business makes it possible pos-sible to transmit large amounts of data quickly over telephone lines merely by interconnecting two business machines. A new electronic central of fice Is currently being tested. This new concept of switching telephone calls eliminates mov ing parts such as mechanical relays now commonly In use This new central office equip ment can provide many new services. For example incoming calls can be routed to another telephone when the called line is busy; dialing a code will In struct -the equipment to auto matlcally transfer calls to another an-other telephone; being auto matically connected to a line which was busy when first dialed dial-ed and many other possibilities . Today there are 26,000 Moun tain States employees. Last year they recived approximately $132 million In wages. The company has an investment of over $975 million in telephone plant and this Is climbing every working day as the company moves a- head on this year's service lm provement and expansion pro gram of about $125 million. American Fork Miss Takes Prize at Nephi Miss Margene Olsen, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don ErOlseirorAmeTrcanor awarded the second place prize of $60 to the Bathing Beauty Contest held in conjunction with Blackhawk Encampment held last week at Nephi. The contest is sponsored by the Nephi Lions Club and Is usually held Immediately following fol-lowing the Stampede Parade. Miss aJnet Stanworth of Delta von the first prize of $100, and Miss Claudia Hansen of Nephi won the third prize of $40. If you will wax furniture' such as end tables, night stands, radio tables, etc., they will not scratch and water will not des troy the finish. . Felt pads glued on the bottom of chair and table legs protect the floor. These pads can be cut out of an old felt hat. If Treat the family! Take 'em Bowling during STEEL DAY STEALS 2 -femes for le Price "of toe JULY 20 THRU 24 TIME: 10:00 A. M.-6:00 P. M. DAILY TABLE TENNIS - SHUFFLEBOARD BOWLING - SNAK BAR Open 10:00 -Midnite When painting woodwork, coat the door knobs, locks, etc. with vaseline, so tha the paint can be easily wiped off if it splashes on the surfaces. Citizen Want Ads Bring Fast see ft i am I 0 Steel 2 Midi iiffeig 111 Barratts Builders Supply 35 North Barrarr Ave. Phone SK 6-3551 W'r''f,W!M ,. y yy ,,v. immmmm 1; .J.., ?,. ' 1 i " r Be a guest at your own party ...."'- ELECTRIC FREEZER No need to fix and fuss when you entertain. Pre cook and freeze your food days in advance . then telax and enjoy yourself when guests arrive. That's just one of the' many advantages you receive with an electric home freezer. Also saves you shopping tripe, and permits you to buy when food flavor is op and prices are down.' - See the new models now at your electric dealer's. teiii 1 1 Mi $ ID teliig Laes UTAH POVitU U0HT CO. Buy new frm yevr tfiefifV AMERICAN FORK SK 6-4651 j TOTAL ELECTRIC HOME I r X |