The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-06
NUMBER OF phones
GROWS FROM 50 TO
S,051 IN IS YEARS
Iowa Telegraph Operator Con.
structed First Phone Sys.
tenn Here in 1881
1886 DIRECTORY PUBLISHED
Yearly Five Million Calls Will
Be Placed by Capital City
People in 1929
1886 DIRECTORY PUBLISHED

almost oU years ago. To-Day these
same business institutions have grown
up with the country to occupy an I'M
portant and vital place in the daily
life Of the people of this commu-
nifty.
Among the early institutions in Bis
marck which has kept pace with the
progress Of this city is the telephone
business. Today the telephone has
become such a common instrument Of
usefulness that it hardly receives a
second thought. Through its service
to humanity the telephone has gained
this heritage but its early history here
Is an heroic episode.
When the telephone was only five
years old the first instruments were
Installed In Bismarck and the first
central office was established to serve
the people here. That was in 1881.
Charles E. v. Draper is credited
with being the first owner of the
telephone exchange in Bismarck. The
switchboard was a rather crude af-
fair when compared with modern tel
ephone equipment and it was situated
in the Raymond building at Main and
Third streets which later was known
as the Palace hotel. The building
since has been RACED by fire.
First Hello Girl
The first operator was Miss Griffis.
Operating q telephone switchboard
a years ago was such q new adven-
cure that it was no easy task.
In 1885, Mr.. Draper desired to go
farther west so he sold the exchange
here to a Mr.. Davis. Davis managed
the exchange for q year and sold 1t
to w. H. DeGraff. Many residents of
Bismarck today will recall these pio-
zee telephone managers.
A telephone directory was published
in 1886 by the Northwestern Tele-
phone Exchange company, containing
the names of the following subscribe
ers in those days:
I. p. Baker, j. Brady, Capitol Build
ing, Dietrich Bros, Emery and Rich
holt, First National Bank, Otto Fisher,
F. Frisby, Fort Lincoln, Sig. Hanann,
Hanann and Bartle, G. n. Hord,
Charles Kupitz, Alex Mckenzie. Mill
Brewing company. Malloy and Stoyell.
Mandan Roller Mills, N. p. Express.
N. p. Bank, George Peoples, J. Robi-
son, Russell, Miller and company,
Stone and Jennings. Union Block. o.
H. Will, G. r. Williams, J. P. Hoag-
land. P~enitentiary, Best, Dayton and
company. and J. T. Carrier.
Bismarck had 80 telephones con-
nected to a switchboard serving the
folks in this community just a years
ago.
Value Finally Realized
At this time telephone service x
tended to Fort Abraham Lincoln and
a little later 1t was extended to Fort
Yates and the Parkin ranch. Then
doctors, bankers and other business
and professional men began to real
ize the Importance Of telephone serv-
ice and soon became subscribers.
Among these men were DR.. F. .. Ken
dirk, DR.. Bentley, the Peterson and
Williams Drug store, Bragg and
Smith, grocers. Flannery and Cook,
lawyers and others.
Later the telephone exchange be-
came the property of the Hughes
Electric company and in 1906 there
were approximately 375 local resi-
dences and business houses receiving
the service. The North Dakota 1nde-
pendent Telephone company pur-
chased the telephone business from
the Hughes Electric company % years
ago.. It soon became necessary to
construct q new building to house the
switchboard and other equipment for
serving this community.
Through all these years Bismarck
also was growing in population. New
homes were being built and occupied.
new business institutions were being
opened and operated. Naturally It
kept the telephone company IN the
Jump to supply the demand for tele-
phone service.
2,lO0 Phones I'm 1920
BY 1920 the number of telephones
here had increased to 2,lO8. In 1924
the Northwestern Bell Telephone
company took over the Bismarck ex-
change and In the last eight years
the number Of telephones has In
creased more than 20 per cent.
Today there r 3.05l telephones
serving Bismarck.
Since the Northwestern Bell Te3e-
phone company has been operating
the local exchange 1t was necessary to
erect another and larger central OF
fice at an approximate cost Of $780,
600 to accommodate the demand here
tor telephone service.
Increased use Is being made Of tele-
phone service by the people day BY
day. In tho year 1927 the operators
ia the central office handled 3.023.000
- 80 - A. >>>~ ~ &AtA A&kVD