The Last Towns to Use Operators to Connect Calls - AT&T Archives

this switchboard section here at the AT&T archives may have had a longer useful life than any other in the bail system it logged fifty five full years as an essential part of the communication system on Santa Catalina Island in California while the rest of the world got dial service and then touch-tone the little corner of the earth that this switchboard occupied remained voice only customers had to call up the operator on hand-cranked phones like this one the operator would then place the call manually through the switchboard it was 1923 when the board was first installed on the island you'll see it alongside several other sections just like it in the upcoming film the board arrived just as the island was connected to the mainland by undersea cable as the man for phone service grew so did a switchboard with new sections added to keep up for a wild life there was pretty ho-hum but during World War two Santa Catalina Island was declared off-limits to tourists and all boat traffic was cut from the mainland throughout the war only a small cadre of support civilians would share the island with military bases set up by the US Army Signal Corps the u.s. maritime service the Coast Guard the Navy and the Office of Strategic Services immediately after the war this little switchboard would find itself in the hub where the oldest Bell Technology met the newest thanks to equipment left behind by the military Catalina hosted the very first installation of telephone service via microwave radio relay the precursor to today's mobile phone technologies to parabolic antennas could now channel calls between Catalina and the mainland still all calls had to be placed the same as before through the operator it wasn't until 1978 that Santa Catalina Island cut over from operator service joining the rest of the country in dial and an electronic switching system that's when this section was finally retired as the last manual switchboard operated by 18 T in the United States but before that happened the Bell System made this film which shows it still in action in 1977 here's goodbye central number please hey what's the story here there's no dial on the phone so you don't need a dial in fighting long before anyone knew about dial telephones everyone knew the phone operator we used to call her central central was always their nimble fingers connecting one phone to another a familiar voice offering personal service but more customers kept calling and more until sheer volume brought about the dial central almost faded in the scene Catalina Island California is going to be the last Bell Telephone office where operators still connect local calls the residents like it this way for some old-time switchboards elsewhere the dial tone is sounding but here there's no plan or reason to change the mahogany switchboard was installed on Catalina in 1923 in the resort's heyday 15 busy operators switched the calls just a few provide the same service now the islands quiet charm matches the personality of its phone service gone are the flappers of the Jazira who flocked to the famous Avalon Ballroom today's visitors find escape from the crowded mainland a spot where kids can romp in the open Square Catalina retains a way of life much of the country is passed by the island community is modern yet unhurried peaceful somehow serene Virginia City Nevada is different it's growing and dial phones are coming Marcella Goodman is an operator there Virginia City remember sir I'll ring it for you when I first started to work in 1949 I don't think we had over 100 telephones we didn't handle over maybe 30 calls an hour now we handled from all the way from 60 to 80 calls an hour it's really too busy for one operator yet two operators can't work the system because it is not a multiple point we like to give the best of service that sometimes we can Jack Flanagan is the county assessor hello Marcella would you get me the sheriff please I was born and raised here that's a child growing up I've seen fight over the changes in the town way back in the early days why everything was person team drawn not too long ago in Virginia City were returned download villains to use them up for firewood but now we're rebuilding on account of the increase in the population coming into town the vast movement to the west why it's starting to rub off on Virginia City a lot of newcomers coming into town and they just kind of fall in love with Virginia City and want to make their home here though things have changed quite a little bit telephone system that certainly has changed to the child growing up we've used the old crank system here in Virginia City all up and you never have to bother about giving any numbers to say operator give me this Joneses of the Smith and you get them on the phone but I think now with the town goand the girls in the office are really overworked the service that the girls have given us in the past have been really wonderful and we're going to certainly miss the operators of Virginia City number please st. Ignace Michigan like Virginia City is joining the dial Network until recently a glowing lamp still met a caller on the line the operators answered marking circuits with plastic rings in the peak tourist season they had trouble keeping up calls were recorded on tickets whizzed over head on a clattering track the system stole the operators time and they had little time to give so Western Electric installers have completed a versatile electronic switching system for st. Ignace craftsman wired thousands of connections linking the millions of components hours of testing ensured peak performance on the data system was placed in service when all the work was completed direct local dialing became available for the first time calls can be switched instantaneously records kept automatically the new equipment will not only improve service the complex system also contains the foundation for new telephone conveniences which can be introduced in the future so the clatter of the old record carrier now is silent in st. Ignace operators have recorded their last long-distance call darkened the last switchboard lamp modern electronics can handle the service but the style was set by central we only have one two three and four digits st. Ignace because we don't have dial system here yet well we have a manual a system leaving the number for you a switchboard that works by hand Oh you

Channel: AT&T Tech Channel

Views: 119,983

Rating: 4.889771 out of 5

Keywords: AT&T Tech Channel, AT&T Archives, History, Communication, George Kupczak, Bonus Edition, Central Switching, Operators, Phones, 1970s

Id: jitW_yLwihI

Length: 10min 38sec (638 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 17 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/cellis12]

That's like finding a town with an honest to god service station.