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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 1962)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 4. 19B2 History of Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Reviewed by President Walter W. Straley (Editor', note: W. W. Stra ley. president of Pacific Northwect Bell Telephone company, ipoke at a lunch eon meeting in Medford re cently. Since hit remarks constitute an interest i n g brief history of telephone service in this area, they are reprinted here, some what condensed.) The face of the telephone . phone service was begun with tion to the East was impos-, operates some 40,000 tele- business has changed greatly 10 customers. isible, of course, and it does; phones in the valley, and last since the Ashland telephone It is of interest. I think, that ! nl ''T'!' much. .candor lo ! "lonth - on July 15, in fact - exchange was begun on Aug as these exchanges were being ;lmit that long distance con- customers in the valley were exuiange was Begun un Aug. " versatlon to the north and i ,nM i th nutinnwirio uirniea, ine nrsi long Distance ... , , i . . line was being completed to soutn depended mostly upon i direct distance dialing net connect Oregon, Washington strong vocal cords' ! work, which placed the 75 mil and California. As a matter of I Deserved Criticism llon telephones of the nation fact, the line from Spokane, impr0vement and expan-' ,at heir ''"f"'"" -Falls to San Dieeo was the , -.,i,. I This steady growth of your longest stretch of telephone , by today's standards, slow and i line in the world. Conversa-1 probably deserved the edi-: leaps of the communications arts in the 64 years since it I am not certain that the , controlled switch board, Jackson, 1 understand, has sometime necessity of dialing i which was the life center of been investigating this meth- first became possible to talk I as many as 11 digits qualifies ' the town. od of transporting logs for from the Rogue River valley j as an easy means of comnuini-1 I suppose there are loggers some time. 25, 1898. by the Sunset Tele- phone company, serving 45 1 telephones. Two weeks later j 22 telephone subscribers be-; came a part of the Medford I exchange, and in the follow-; ing March Jacksonville tele-! WESTERN OIL AND BURNER CO. . . . serving you with modern oil heat! WESTERN OIL is expanding . . . and have moved to a brand new location on South Stage Road, just off Hiway 99. Their office and plant facilities are now combined to increase the efficiency of their service . . . and radio dispatched trucks will give you prompt atten tion to your needs . . . and speed up emergency service. Ask about their Check and Fill Sys tem, too . . . with easy budget payments. And you can pay your bill at either branch of the U.S. National Bank in Medford. We're as nea r as you r phone . . . Whatever you need, we're ready to serve you! Call for fuel delivery, burner service, furnace estimates or a check of your present heating system. Dial West ern Oil and Burner and soon trained, experienced men are at your service. Quick action phone service is another bonus "extra" you get when you deal with usl L J I I JM J I J Jl J SAFETY HEAT CONTROL SUMMER AIR CIRCULATION SWITCH COMPLETELY AUTO MATIC ELECTRIC SPARK IGNITION ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT FLOOD THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED ...THE SAFEST FLOOR FURNACE ON THE MARKET... CURTISS USES ECONOMICAL DIESEL OIL - SAVES YOU 1 Vj ( A GALLON ON OIL m a See "Your Dealer Have a CURTISS Space Saver in stalled in your home before the cold weather sets in. We will give you 200 gal. of oil FREE if you act now! Don't delay call us today! EASY, INEXPENSIVE INSTALLATION 00ES DOWN THROUGH ITS OWN FLOOR OPENING EXTRA SHORT 18 TO 20 INCHES BELOW FLOOR JOISTS. NO BASE MENT NEE0E0. AIR CAN BE DIRECTED LEFT OR RIGHT THROUGH D00RWAVS OR ARCHES WITH ADJUSTABLE REGISTER ALL SERVICING AND INSPECTION FROM ABOVE NO CRAWLING AFTER INSTALLATION 100 AUTOMATIC LIGHTING 100 SHUT-OFF 100 THERMOSTATIC CONTROL SUMMER CIRCULATING SWITCH FOR COOLING FILTERED AIR SAME TYPE FILTER AS THE MOST EXPENSIVE SYSTEMS NO EXPENSIVE WIRING OR DUCTWORK NEEDED GIVES YOU CLEAN, FILTERED AIR BRICK-LINED FIRE BOX LARGE CAPACITY BLOWER FOR STEADY, EVEN HEAT Anyone can sell a gallon of oil, but-- WE FEEL THE CUSTOMER DESERVES GOOD SERVICE fr BURNER SERVICE 24 hours per day, 7 days a week . . . call anytime! ft AUTOMATIC FUEL DELIVERY No need to worry . . . we'll keep your oil tank full! ft OFFICE SERVICE Telephone answering proper billing, prompt dispatching! ft AUTOMATIC PRE-PAY PLAN Spreads payments equally throughout the year! HOME COMFORT IS THE MAIN THING WE CAN OFFER YOU! WESTERN OIL AND BURNER CO. SOUTH STAGE ROAD (Just off Hwy. '99') Phone 772-5266 torial criticism leveled in the Medfora Daily Tribune in August, 1907, which stated: What Medford Needs: Free mail delivery Numbers on houses New sidewalks More paved streets Improved telephone system Another city park A trolley through the Rogue River valley." In the following year a news headline made it clear that telephone eommunica- valley and need to improve and modernize your commu nications services has cre ated for this company the challenge and opportunity of making a sizable investment here, amounting In Jackson and Josephine counties to $22,000,000 of plant invest ment. In the past five years alone, that investment has in creased at the rate of nearly $1,000,000 a year. Routed Via Telstar A few weeks ago when Med ford's Mayor Snider talked lor 10 minutes with Mayor Cag- tions were still in a sorry state, nasso of Alba, Italy, his 6.800 for it said: "Affairs of Local ! mile telt.ihone conversation Office of Telephone Company was routed via the Telstar Said to be Tangled Mess." satellite. Perhaps no other oc Now Pacific Northwest Bell ' casion illustrates so well the Try and Stop Me By BENNETT CERF alHEN THERE'S the worried lady who called her doctor to report, "My husband has suddenly gone off his rock er. He seems to thing he's George Washington." "When can I see him?" asked the doctor. "Just take a look out o your window," said the lady. "He's out in your backyard chop ping down your cherry tree." A wise man and a coun try bumpkin found them selves sharing1 a seat for a long bus ride and decided to ask each other riddles to pass the time. "When I misa a riddle," proposed the wise man, "I'll pay you a dollar, but seeing that I've had educational train ing that was beyond you, when you miss a riddle, you need only pay me fifty cents." "Done and done," agreed the bumpkin, "and I've got my first riddle ready for you right now. What is it that has three legs when it walks and only two when it flies?" "I give up," said the Wiseman, "and here's my dollar forfeit. What's the answer?" "I don't know either," admitted the bump kin and handed back fifty cents. A limerick from A. Bilgewasser, of Newport News, Va.: There was a young lady from Goa, Whose timepiece ran slower and sloa. When it finally stopped They said "If not dropped, We suggest that you wind it some moa." 196J, by Bennett Cerf. Distributed by King Features Syndlcat. i " ' "Mobilheat" The Oil io Burn America's Largest Selling Heating Oil MODERN Oil Heated Homes Are Worth More Safer Cleaner Cheaper We Sell and Take Trade-Ins AUTOMATIC OIL FLOOR FURNACES COLEMAN OIL STOVES WARMING MORNING WOOD CIRCULATORS MEDFORD FUEL CO. Court and McAndrewl Phone 772-2111 Hi Customers and Friends! With winter just around the corner we would like to say thanks again for your business. Our housewarmer will be calling or seeing you soon. For your housewarmer service and Standard Heating oil call: FABER FUEL CO. The hottest number in the phone book 772-4449 For Plenty of Heat a Flamt Can't Be Beat Use Oil Heat 609 So. FIR to people in the two neighbor ing states. Telephone people are proud of having met the challenge which appeared as an edi torial, this time in the South ern Oregon press of June 1, 1867, and I quote: "Southern Oregon can nev er assume her great and legiti mate importance as one of the brightest and fairest sections of the Pacific Coast until we obtain some easy and expedi tious means of communicating with the outer world." cation with the outer world, : and others who look askance j Since the beginning of the but It qualifies at least as j at the new stripping and chop-1 industrial revolution man has mor- expeditious than last i ping machine Crown Zeller-lbeen making his adjustment century's shank's mare or the j bach has working ' in the ! to the machine and advancing horse. Much of what we call ' Mount Hood National Forest, j his scale of living as a result progress in business exacts a whereby what leaves the for- j of the partnership. But the price, and often this price in- est is not a log, but van loads ! human is not removed. He volves the adjustment of the i of hemlock chips. 1" the same ch his ouUook and njs human away from certain newspaper report this week of , processes of the past. Increas-: that experiment, I read as well I role- ,n tni! center o onake ing mechanization of tele-j that Weyerhaeuser plans to j spcarean culture I feel free phone calling presents fore-; try next year hauling some i to remind you of another line ibly the nostalgic reincin-1 logs from woods to sawmill from King Henry IV: "Past brance of a time when an oper- i dangling by cable beneath i and to come seems best; things ator, usually called Central, ; Boeing helicopters. G 1 e n n ' present, worst." V fjY .... "I'm his second best friend since he started saving with Oil Heat" Doggone right! Oil Heat costs less lhan gas or electricity. Oil, gas or electricity are all "clean, dependable, efficient, mod era" methods of healing. The difference is cost. You save big money simply by insisting on low cost Oil Heat when you build or buy a home. Check wiih your Oil I leal dealer if you convert or modernize ... your present heating plant. His free heating analysis can only save you ... MONEY! STUDY HOME: LOCATION: HEATING COSTS COMPARISONS: Contemporary, with 3 bedrooms, 1,600 sq. ft. : Medford and vicinity Gas costs 41 MORE than oil heat Electricity costs 97 MORE than oil heat GET THE FACTS... Ask your local oil dealer or write the Oil Heat Insti tute, 433 N. E, 22nd Avenue, Portland, for the HEATING ENGINEER STUDY and prove it to yourself the FACT is Oil Heat costs less. MEDFORD OIL HEAT DEALERS Wl GIVf GOLD BOND STAMPS
