American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-12-16
RURAL TELEPHONE LINE
IN OPERATION CHRISTMAS
Line Is Nearly Twenty Miles Long,
Used Five Cars Of Poles, 1SS Miles
Of Wire, and Serves Forty-Five Pa
irons.

That perseverance, bears fruit Ii
amply attested by the completion of
rural telephone line leading west for
about twenty-five miles from American
Falls. The building of the line was
urged about two years ago by leading
residents of the Pleasant Valley set
tlement, H. c. and Emil Martens TAX
ing leading part. AT that time they
went to Pocatello and placed the mat
ter before the district manager there.
An inspection of the proposed line was
made and the proposition rejected al
being unwarranted by conditions. A
few months ago the proposition was
revived, HI. c. Martens and his father
going to Pocatello and laying the mat
ter again before the manager, this
time with better success. After an in
spection, ana interviewing the farmerp
i'm company with Mr.. Martens and Mr..
Adolf, the matter looked better. Dur
ing the fair here Mr. Martens secured
a sufficient number of signatures to
contracts to induce the company to
begin construction. Forty-five sigma
lures to contracts were secured. There
are now twenty-five or thirty asking
to be given service in addition to this
number, but before this can be done
an appropriation for extending the
line will have to be secured.
The line is about twenty miles long
and five cars of poles were used in its
building. One hundred and thirty
miles of wire was used, and the line
cost near $500 mile to construct. 1t
is well built, and substantial through
out 1t will be a great convenience
to all the western part of the county
Manager Husson states that few
phones are already connected and it
is planned to have all of them in by
Christmas day, SO that Christmas calls
may be made over the phones. The
list of subscribers on the line is as
follows:
Henry Roth, Charles Schrenk, F. l..
Jones, Gotfried Funk, Fred Henselin,
Gotfried Mueller, r. NJ. Hansen, Jacob
Dockter, J. F. Wilcox, o. E. Davis, s..
f. Morris, Nick Classen, G. F. Eggers,
Crist Neu, Andrew Neu, Jacob Ellis,
Henry Burgomaster, John Dockter,
FeuIvr, y. d. Martens, Gus Martens,
III. C. Martens, M. l.. Adolf, George l..
Sprattler, Fred Gehring, John T1ede,
Hardy Breeding, Nick Kurth, j. II.
Giffin, Fred Colfelt, G. F. Butler, b.
TT Richards. d. L. Behrens, o. T. Faa
C. j. Bergstrom, Henry Huwa, John
Neu. Robert O'Neil, Peter Fast, F. F
Kliewer, F. D. Ems, George Sievers
and D. ]. Veins.
II. C. Martens, who from the iirs
has taken great interest in the bulln
ing of the line, came here seven year
ago and took up a homestead IN Tn
then desert country beyond the bl
drv farm. There were few people /
that locality at the time. In two year
after the first homestead was file
practically al the land within fiftee
miles was taken. That locality, ver
largely settled by Germans, is now u
most evenly developed part OF II
county, and has probably made mo-
rapid progress than any other. II
most seems impossible that the gre
change could have been brought abo
in SO short a time. The best whe
that comes into American Falls
from that locality. Its farmers a
careful, keeping their varieties pu
and their good farming keeps up
quality. Hardy Breeding and Z.
Eggers this year secured yields OF
bushels, H. C. Martens 35. d. l.. b'
rens between thirty and thirty-il
and large number Of others had n'
these yields. Land has risen In va
to $40 to $50 per acre, good hon
are replacing the temporary shac
there are good roads and good scho
and q telephone line has Just
vaded this former desert The rec
of development is one seldom equal