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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2000)
The INDEPENDENT, October 4, 2000 Page 9 Three digits were sufficient for early Vernonia telephone system By Robb Wilson Have you made a telephone call in the past few days and it didn’t go through? All you got was a buzz or a tone? Remem ber, we have now entered a new age and need to dial TEN digits! What we have taken for granted in this age is not so new. In 1875, Alexander Gra ham Bell invented the tele phone and made the first call to Mr. Watson in an adjoining room. People laughed out loud when it was predicted that tele phones would be common place and every home would have one, and that lines and poles would be erected every where to provide this service. In a few short years, tele phones had become common place in cities and large towns. Small towns like Vernonia got telephones at the turn of the 20th century. I cannot recall whether it was 1899 or 1901 when the first system was in stalled in town. It was called the “Swede-Line” and was put in by the Malmsten family, re cent immigrants from the old country. The Malmsten family con sisted of about five households and was very instrumental in the early development of our town, including the telephone, sewer, water and street im provements and helping get electricity in the early 1920’s. There were about eight homes that were connected to the “Swede-line” with all the 9jnfuuJL&c (B joa & (D id i HOT, ICED & BLENDED DRINKS & TEA PASTRIES • MUFFINS • COOKIES • BAGELS SANDWICHES • SALADS • SOUPS WlaMaqs: (¡all 503429-9011 fan dsiaiU N aH & T a n n in g A p p Ojn tm e n ts x y users being of Swedish her itage. Then, with this group closely connected through wires, others wanted it, too. The Swede-line soon grew into a network, with others who lived out in the country in stalling their own phone sys tems and having four or five neighbors connected. The last member of the Malmsten family living here was Louise Malmsten Thomas, who provided me with this in formation in 1991. Louise re membered cranking the handle for ringing. As the town grew and others wanted phones, too, her father built a little build ing with a switchboard in it. She was the operator there for UNLIMITED 56K INTERNET Just $17.50/month for: WEB Space Unlimited E-mail Accounts 40,000 Newsgroups Domain Hosting • Shell Accounts REG HOURS: Mon 6a-12:30p • Tu-F 6a-5p • Sa 7a-5p • Su 8a-2p 2 MONTHS FREE! 854 BRIDGE ST., VERNONIA • 503-429-9011 C a ll f o r D e ta ils A v a ila b le • W a lk -In s W e lc o m e J Run with Extra Confidence with Chevron DELO 400™ PLUS MOTOR OIL The name you trust for: W W W .A G A LIS .N E T or call Jeff at 503-429-2701 503-307-7479 many years. When the mill came in 1924, the population exploded and the phone serv ice needed to grow consider ably. A bigger switchboard was hoped for. Her father had sold out to a telephone company who built the system here. The system was still run through a switchboard. Sylvia, the opera tor, asked for the name of the party being called, or their three-digit phone number, and connected the call. This system continued through the late 1940s, when dial phones came into use. At first, you still had to dial “0” and have the operator connect the call. Sometime in the early 1950s, direct dialing without operator assistance became available. Technology replaced another job! Late in the 1950s, four numbers were needed to place a call, and we had been given a prefix - HAZEL NINE (Ha9). At this point, the prefix was not needed to make a call. Four-digit dialing worked through the 1960s. Around 1972, we were given word that we had to update and use a five digit system, so the “nine” became the commonplace pre fix. That didn’t last long, though, as GTE soon built a new phone office here in town and “the most modern technol ogy to date” was available and installed! The little brick building at the east end of the bridge that once served as the phone of fice (the operator lived in an apartment in the back) was de molished and a new building was erected. With this, came seven digit dialing and our Ha9 was converted to 429. Now, being a part of the metro dialing area and a grown-up small town, we need to use all ten numbers. So don’t forget, or you will get an earful of buzzzzzzzzzzzz. Not all telephone communi cations require wires or fiber optics anymore, as we once did. A cell phone tower was re cently completed up on the hill near the cemetery, and that technology has brought us into a new century and new era of discovery and eavesdropping. Let’s see what happens in the next few years. Re-elect Tony Hyde • Gasoline • Diesel Fuel • Oils • Solvents • Additives • Greases Columbia County Commissioner ★ Position 3 Four years ago, when I first asked for your vote, I pledged to work for aN of the people of Columbia County.The work has been satisfying, partic ularly being able to help bring US Gypsum to Columbia County, with its good, family wage jobs. But there is much more to do! HEATING OIL ANTIFREEZE 55 Call Jack (503) 429-6606 cfn SI WILCOX & FLEGEL 720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia Currently we are working with other agencies to site an ethanol facility for Cascade Grain at Port Westward; that will also provide family wage jobs. But more is needed! To keep our communities healthy, we must also be able to respond to the needs of our small, locally owned businesses, to help them stay cre ative and productive.They are the backbone of our communities. We need improved telecommunications, more affordable housing and better educational opportunities. I appreciate your confidence in me and I will continue working long and hard for all of the people of Columbia County Re-elect Tony Hyde Columbia County Commissioner
