Monday, November 9, 2009

The Telephone Comes To Cherokee




The telephone in this day and age is taken for granted except when the power goes out. I am of the old school and always always have a phone that does not need electricity to be used. My phone is a funny looking gadget, but it sure works.
The article that was written in the centennial Courier started by saying that they need not dwell on the tremendous vistas that were opened with the coming of the telephone. It was one of the most revolutionary turns in the mode of communication. The world truly became a smaller place; time and distance were harnessed as never before; and we can do no more than pause and pay tirbute to a great man___Alexander Graham Bell.
The first telephone exchange to be installed in Cherokee was started on June 7th 1883 when T.T. Kelm of the Iowa-Minnesota Telephone Company came to Cherokee for the purpose of creating interest in the new business.
There were telephone exchanges on and off and stock purchased and sold out on and off until Northwestern Bell Telephone Service came to be in 1925 by actual election of the people. The city of Cherokee was allotted the total of 6 telephones. The messages in the city was approximately 11,000 per day in 1975.
In the year 2009 we have a gazillion cell phones, can talk on our computers and we seldom see public phones anymore because every one but me carries a cell phone. Don’t get me wrong, I have one, just forget to carry one. I get a lot of flack all the time because of this, or I don’t charge it, etc.
The picture of the phone above is a telephone that was rescued from a bonfire. These old phones were not well liked by people because you had to crank them to get the operator, then often you were on a party line and could be overheard by others. The article said these old phones were thrown down wells, burned and a multitude of things happened to these old phones. I have one that looks like the real thing, but is a replica. I love it. The slanted part I can write something on it, the drawer holds pens and other goodies. Like I have said before, I am not always happy with change. I do like my computer though!

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