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Show Free Press - Wednesday, November 30, 1994 Page 4 Yesteryears: Telephone brought Lehi many changes 0 Continued from Front Page It was strung down Second East to Main Street and then westward paralleling the Pony Express route to Fairfield. In the springof 1902 Rocky Mountain Bell installed a new central switchboard in the Union Hotel. In addition to doubling the capacity of the system, the unit also had a fire alarm attachment whereby Miss Stoddard could call everyone on the line at once and tell them of the emergency. "Hello girls" like Birdie Stoddard often viewed themselves as the "most abused persons in the business world." An account in the May 26, 1904Leu'Bannerreported that callers often asked the operator for such information as the time, election results, train schedules, "the highest mountain in the state," and the outcome of local fisticuffs. "Abused!" the writer exclaimed, "Well I should say the telephone girls are." As if early operators did not already have enough trouble dealing with difficult callers, their connections were initially made by name only. "Miss Stoddard, could you ring me up Wadsworth's Drug Store?" and "Birdie, would you connect me with my mother" were typical ofthe calls received daily by the local operator. It was also possible to listen calls - an occurin on party-lin- e rence that spread gossip like wildfire. Rocky Mountain Telephone Company published the first state-wid-e telephone directory in 1904. Like most new ideas the apparently sensible practice of assigning a telephone number was vigorously resisted by some as an indignity and a loss of personal privacy. But it was not long until phone service had -- become a necessity in more and more people's lives. To accommodate Lehi growth, Rocky Mountain Bell in July 1905 Dorton purchased the 1901-bui- lt Brother's Meat Market (46 West Main). They soon removed the central switchboard from the Union Hotel and installed a second switchboard which Florence Jones was hired to operate. Jones was responsible for handling local calls, while the moreexperienced Stoddard dealt with toll calls (long distance). To maintain service in the event of a power failure the company also installed a large storage battery. Three weeks before the new Rocky Mountain Central opened the Jan. 4, 1906 Lehi Banner issued an editorial urging citizens to choose between Rocky Mountain Bell and the Independent Telephone Company, both of which maintained a franchise in the city. Two telephone companies with completely different lines and systems was a distinct disadvantage for a small town like Lehi. For example, the Lehi Publishing Company which printed the Lehi Banner subscribed to both phone companies. Their advertisements listed their Rocky Mountain Bell number ( 15) and their Independent Company number (228A). Both telephone com panies geared up to drive its competitor out of business. To prepare for battle each firm hired aggressive young local talent to manage their affairs. Will Ross, Lehi postmaster, was selected representative of the Utah Independent Phone Company. A Dec. 13, 1906 Banner advertisement noted that the system was "busy all the time in Lehi" with 50 phones. The manager of the larger Bell Company was T. J. Wads worth, local druggist, who was replaced later that year by Fred Worlton. The struggle between the two phone companies eventually ended with no loss of life. In mid-191- 1 the Rocky Mountain, Colorado, and the Telephone Companies merged to form Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company. In Lehi the new conglomerate within months of its founding had nudged the Independent Telephone Company out of business. Nearly 200 subscriptions were obtained at a residential rate of $1.75month for a party line and $3.50month for a business phone. Despite the emergence of Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company as a communications powerhouse, many local people were not satisfied. Dissatisfaction was generally with either the service or the rate particularly Tri-Stat- e - the rate. vices. This echoes Mountain States Fuel Company's control of the local distribution of natural gas. From World War I until the outbreak of World War II telephone service remained relatively unchanged in Lehi. But after the bombing of Pearl Harbor telephone service (including new installation) came virtually to a standstill. After Germany's defeat people thought government controls would ease up. Robert B. Leishman, regional manager of the company, reported to a frustrated public that in June 1945 the phone company had 53,000 back orders for installation (including 65 in Lehi). By early 1948 the logjam had been resolved, however, and Lehi had 7 12 telephones in service. While subscribers still were required to verbalize the number they wished to call (phone numbers such as were much simpler then), a new Lehi switchboard with three operators greatly improved the efficiency of both local and calls. Two years later Lehi had 890 phones on line, five switchboards, and twelve operators: Vera Jean Brown (chief operator), Mary L. Wall, Laurel Willes, Joyce South wick, Leah Nora Abbott, Leah Mangrum, Ila Dundson, Geraldine Cook, Joan Evans, Delores T. Rutledge, Donna M. Smith, and Fern "3-2-- During a May 19, 1915 mass meeting of telephone users a near unanimous vote of the assembled people authorized a committee to forge ahead with the organization of an independent telephone company. Committee members Edward South wick, A. J. Evans, Dr. Horace C. Holbrook, Dr. J. F. Noyes (American Fork), and John H. Clark (Pleasant Grove) felt that a local franchise with 400 subscribers could provide service for $1 per month -less than half of what Mountain States was charging. Despite the enthusiasm of the organizers, Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph (later to become Mountain Bell and today US West Communications) has maintained a monopoly on telephone ser- - long-distan- A. Whimpey. In 1956 Mountain States Telephone completed a $26,000 improvement project on lines and cables in Lehi. On Feb. 5, 1957 the first dial Continued from front page would spend the day at the LDS church archives typing a copy of each letter for his research. All in alk there were 13 boxes worth. Van Wagoner describes Rigdon as an eccentric; not your "run-of-the-m- ill religionist." Van Wagoner has discovered in his research a manic-depressiv- e. been my main interest." He had suffered from a hearing loss from the age of 15 to a disease called otosclerosis; while on his LDS mission in 1966, he began using hearing aids, and by 1986 he had become totally deaf. His own condition prompted his interest in medical science while at Brigham Young University; later he became a clinical audiologist. He specializes in pre- - and testing at his private practice, Mountain West Hearing. His writing has been done in his spare time, "after hours" and on Saturdays. Occasionally he requires a translator, using Mary or one of his daughters in interviewing his sources, but more often than not his source will be the written record. Because Van Wagoner deals with sensitive and controversial issues, his family is not unfamiliar with complaints and odd inquiries. Complaints are usually the emotional reaction of family descendents discovering an unknown perspective on an ancestor that is not as complimentary as the oral history that they are familiar with. Only once in sixteen years has someone come forth to reveal information from a reliable written "He didn't find an equal balance between every day living, family life, and his religious obsessions. If illyou are familiar with ness, that is one of the very common characteristics that leads them into complications," Van Wagoner pointed out, "He was never accused of those excesses until he left that (religious) group." The first study done on Rigdon, the book offers a new perspective on the man. It is an objective work written distanced from the occurrence of the controversy, devoid of prejudice. Van Wagoner's thorough re- search,integrityandobjectivityhave won him respect. With a few coveted literary awards under his belt, including the 1993 Media Award from the Utah State Historical Society for his work on Lehi Yesteryears, Van Wagoner does not consider writinghis profession but rather his hobby; although he stands source that was previously unknown corrected by his wife Mary Carter in order to correct a point in a study. Van Wagoner, who says, "It's his "I view all of my writing as alobsession." ways being open to revision when "When I was in high school my someone comes up with additional English teacher Norine Fox said, sources and additional information. "you should be a writer.' I asked her, I never view my work as being definTTou can't make money at that can itive. My most important function you?" recalls the author, "and she is to preserve Lehi history with didn't say anythingreally definitive photographs and to preserve what and so I thought I would go into is taking place right now." He gets most of his information something else, but it has always post-surgic- al ar th from church records, newspaper articles, letters, and written histories. Eye witness accounts are the most reliable record for his historical compilations, depending howfar removed the recollection is from the date of the subject being studied. Oral history passed down through families are the least reliable because many times the histories will be colored with family embellishments or censorship. Sidney Rigdon A Portrait ofReligious Excess is published by Signa- place on Nov. 6, 1958. At midnight, June 9, 1959, 1,300 Lehi dial phones went on line. Lehi telephone operators and a local office where consumers could walk in and pay their bills became relics of the past. Lehi telephone numbers became seven digits instead ofthree. The local designation (prefix num- bers) became Porter (later 768). In 1971 Cliff Finch, local manager for Mountain Bell, announced a $35,600 addition to Lehi's telephone exchange building, doubling the size of the windowless structure. D.D.T. Construction Company of Salt Lake City completed the building by the end of May 1972. During the 1970s several landmark decisions were made by the fess and more market regulation, the confusion surrounding the multitude of changes sometimes makes one long for the good old days when there was simply the phone company. Now Mountain Bell no longer even exists. In 1988itbecameknown as US West Communications. Managing Editor City Editor Marc Haddock Russ Daly per year Subscription price $24 Second class postage paid at Lehi, Utah Poatnaiter Wt tand addrwa dianga to Mai, Anwican Fwk, Utah MOM 6.0 RATE Year first Christmas is just around the corner! Save BIG money on accessories for your car or truck this hoiiday season. Why not get them something they will really use and enjoy. Check our prices on these and many more accessories: tY" 1 Luxury Floor Mats Front End Covers Running Boards Bug Shields Stainless Rocker Moldings Splash Guards Bed Liners Dash Mats And Much More! All at Special Prices! gifts are available from GM's 1994 Accessory Collection Catalog, tool Many other Offer good through F)i. Special order, may lake a little longer, ao come ' - American Fork Second year ao RATE THIRD YEAR rate on this Certificate of Deposit gets better as the years go by. just three years as a matter of fact as you can see from the chart, the interest rate increases M I 9 really isn't that long. IT'S NOT LIKE DOG YEARS. IT'S MONEY YEARS. AND THERE HAS TO BE SOME TIME INVOLVED WHEN IT COMES TO MONEY. TIME EQUALS MONEY-A- ND IN THIS CASE IT'S THREE YEARS. I L substantially Hurry, this offer with each passing year and gets to is on the up and up and up and away. and it be really terrific the last expires on November 30,1 994. year. Three years n early. g 221 S. 500 E., 70 RATE ANNUAL PERCENTAGE YIELD The interest v long-distanc- 9 3 -- the U.S. teleFCC voted to The phone industry. allow independent communications e companies to provide services in competition with American Telephone & Telegraph (ATT). In another ruling the FCC ruled that consumers could purchase and sion, which controls Telephone Numbers Brett Bezzant Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Minimum balance to open account ano obtain apy is $500. maximum deposit is $250,000. 756-354- 3 9 $250,000 project included $130,000 for additional central office equipment and $120,000 for installing buried cable along Highway 89 and Trinnaman Lane. Another major change to take place in 1985 was the passage of Utah Senate bill 102 - a telecommunications deregulation bill. Under this bill the Utah Public Service Commission was given the power to decide when and in what areas competition can occur between telephone companies. While the legislators' intent was to cause more And Up. ISSN No. 8750-466- 9 U.S.P.S. No. 309-50- 0 Published weekly by Newtah News Group 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84043 News Publisher 768-287- it CD Is On The author will be available for comments and autographs at the book's first signing in Salt Lake City at Sam Welter's Bookstore on 254 S. Main Street, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. Two other signing parties are also scheduled at later dates in Ogden and Logan. Advertising 1 Circulation (8-28- Federal Communications Commis- 719 ' Stable). Livery Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Lehi telephone building took Premium Plus ture Books. Ieljt 3fr Hammer install their own telephone equipment. This eliminated the monthly rental fee previously charged by the phone company. Another major telephone change in Utah Valley was the Feb. 6, 1977 implementation of Extended Area Service (calls from Lehi to Provo were henceforth local, not long distance). This new service also prevented Lehi callers from dialing local numbers using a five digit numfor example). Henceber full seven-digforth the was required in order to complete the call. Mountain Bell upgraded Lehi's telephone facilities in 1985. The The First Security Van Wagoner 0 telephone in town wis installed in the Don Ainge home (235 East Second North), though calls still had to be handled by an operator. To prepare for the switchover to dial service, Mountain States Telephone Company in January 1956 purchased property from George and Laura Strasburg at 26 South First West (site of the former Joseph |