The Sidney herald., 1959-04-08
Telephone Service in Montana
Established Before Statehood


. run from one end of the switch
board to the other to max
faster connections.
The first telephone exchang'
opened in Montana after it be
came a state was at Great Fall
on July 8, 1890.
In the year 1888 there were %:
telephones in the western tele
phone districts Of Montana ane
225 of them were in Butte. A
the end of 1888 there were so, So
telephones in the state, which
could be connected with about
93% OF all the telephones in the
world.
In 1888 approximately 1900 calls
a day were being handled on
the telephones in the state. Fifty
years later, during 1888 approx
mately 302, 900 calls a day were
being handled on Montana tele-
phones.
In 1888 there were eight tele-
phone exchanges in the territory.
By 1888 there were "a telephone
exchanges and many long dis
lance toll" stations located in
remote but strategic points.
Montana telephone history is
rich in anecdotes and interesting
tales. One of the most interest
ing of these is the story about the
introduction of the telephone to
a delegation of Sioux Indians who
represented Chief Sitting Bull in
a peace parley held with General
Miles who was located in Fort
Keough, Montana, in the late
seventies.
Shief Sitting Bull, of the Sioux
Tribe, hostile to the coming of
the white man to Montana's
wealthy valleys and mountains
had for years lead parties of
marauding Indians on the white
mans settlements, farms, ranches,
supply trains, and other forms of
transportation and communica-
ton.
Finally in the Winter OF 1879
1880, history tell us, Chief Sitting
Bull was camped in Canada but
now and then raiding parties
made up Of his followers would
sweep down across the Montana
Border to rob or despoil every
place and pack train they could.
That year Colonel Nelson A..
Miles, was commandant at Fort
Keough, Montana. News reached
him that a party of hostile Indians
was camped in the Yellowstone
Valley. He sent out a detachment
of soldiers to round up the un-
friendly "red skins, a Sergeant
Glover being in charge of the
troop. He trapped the Indians in
a ravine and held them until rein
forcements could arrive, when the
Indians were taken prisoners.
The raiding Indian party was
taken to Fort Keough and Sitting
Bull was notified at his Camp in
Canada that they would be held
until their relatives came
in and surrendered. Thus it was
that a delegation of Indians from
Sitting Bulls followers arrived at
Fort Keough to negotiate peace
terms.
Miles City adjacent to the Fort
had grown to be quite a city by
time and a telegraph system
had been established which con-
nected the city with Eastern
cities as well as the Fort. AS for
the telephone at this time, al
it had been exhibited at
the Philadelphia Centennial Ex-
position in 1876, it had not had
development.
In the early days of the tele-
phone it was a common practice
% attach the telephones to tele-
graph wires. The visiting Indians
initiated into the mysteries
If both the telegraph and tele-
Several years ago Montana
lou" Grill described this intro
iuction of the telephone to the
listing Indians rather wildly.
The Indians called the telephone
he Whispering Spirit" for
'verything which awed and
justified them was classed as a
pirit. The story is interesting
nd the following by the author
Mentioned above tells the story
its own way:
1.-THE visiting delegation was
ivided. One party remained in
ne telegraph office. The other
yas taken a distance of about an
ighth of a mile to the house &C.
upied by Colonel Miles. The pur-
ose was to demonstrate the fact
nat conversation could be carried
n with the persons over in the
slegraph office. After a connec-
on had been established n of
he Indians was asked to step to
he telephone instrument. Placing
lie receiver to his ear he listened