The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1920-04-16
JORDAN RADIO OPERATOR
PASSES WIRELESS TEST
Hub Daily Says Jordan Will Get in
Communication with the World
Soon.

Chicago, April 12.-Jordan, Garfield
county, Mont, the most exclusive coun-
ty seat in the United States, will get
in touch with the world again next
week, after a month of almost COM
plete isolation, says the Chicago Post.
A. C. Campbell, Jordan's first citi-
zen, passed the governments radio
examination and received the license
which will permit him to operate a
wireless station and give his 359 fell
low citizens their only rapid communi-
cation with the rest Of the planet.
William G. Ferguson, secretary OF
the Miles City commercial club, passed
the examination at the same time and
~11l operate a companion station in
his city, 100 miles from Jordan.
Until last fall Jordan felt no need
of any means of communication more
rapid than the mails. 1t was a "cow
town." in the heart of the last of Mon
tana's open range. AS the rendezvous
and supply station for several hundred
cow punchers, the town found nothing
troublesome in its isolation.
Then the Montana legislature decid-
ed to facilitate the fencing Of the open
range by chopping famous Dawson
county's 3OO-mile border into three
parts. Jordan, being cal the center
of n of the two new counties, was
made the seat of government.
Now a county seat, with a court
house and a sheriff and records to keep
has responsibilities unknown to a "cow
town." Jordan began to look about
itself toward the rest of the world.
1t saw nothing but prairie for 100
miles in any direction. Miles City was
the nearest town of size. Jordan had
neither railroad O wire. Not even
the roads were much to boast of, for
cow punchers don't need smooth going.
"We didn't know what to do" said
Campbell. "There wasn't a chance of
getting wires strung across all that
range, and we won't have a railroad
for a year or two-not until u oil
wells get going and we have a regu-
lar city.
"Wireless was u only chance, so
I got busy, studied old man Marconi's
stuff and rugged up an outfit. Down
in Miles City they set up another sta
ton to help US out, and Ferguson, who
used to be an army aviator, did the
sending and receiving"
During the winter months the wire
less was the only link connecting Jor-
dan and the official business of Gar
field county with the rest of the state.
Heavy SHOWS blocked the roads. But
for the Campbell Ferguson wireless,
Jordan might as we'll have been at the
north pole.
Perhaps the operators weren't able
TO send and receive as fast as some
wireless experts, but they managed te
make each other understand a great
MANY life-and-death messages during
hh%A
the winter.
They did so we'll, in fact, that tn
government heard about their wireless
The department of commerce swoope'
down on them with an alarming com
m%unication, to the effect that anna
teur wirelessing on such a scale coul
not be permitted-not even in Nor
tana. 1t was intimated that the or
7 orators might "a themselves fror
prison by hurrying to Chicago to tax
a radio examination.
I'VE did our darndest to stall out {
, it." said Campbell. "The governmer
examination was made for ocea
y steamship operators and it's a sti
one. But they wouldn't listen to u
$50 we fooled EN- by passing the
" examination. They had to give US
. censes today. Next week we'll be
-, work again. Watch Jordan grow"