The First Telephone in Lewiston

The First Telephone in Lewiston. . , The earliest form of electrical communication in the region was provided by telegraph lines strung along the RR tracks coming into town and connected to the telegraph office in the RR Station. The first telephone lines in this region followed the same route and were erected by the M and H Lumber Co. to communicate with their logging camps and surrounding communities of Grayling, Atlanta and Hillman. The telephone exchange equipment was located at this site in the first Post Office building along with the Lewiston Journal Newspaper, next door to the Meat Market as seen in this photo. , , In 1914 this part of town burned down and with the mill closed, there was little need or funds to continue the service. For many years after there was only one telephone in town at the Sachs Hardware Store. , , Telephones of that day were powered by two #6 dry cell batteries that provided power for talking. A magneto crank was turned on the body of the phone that alerted the operator in Atlanta that you wanted to place a call. One crank was for the operator, and like an early 911 call of the day, five cranks alerted the fire towers to an emergency. There were no phone numbers per se, instead you identified a call to your phone by the number and types of rings. For instance, your identifying ring might be 3 short rings followed by one long one. , , The entire Lewiston system was one open party line. You were supposed to respect other subscriber's privacy while on the line, but if a nosy neighbor wanted to listen in, all they had to do was lift the receiver quietly and they could hear your conversation. Needless to say, not many secrets were kept over the open phone lines, and you hoped you didn't have to make an urgent call when someone else was on the line. , , It wasn't until 1958 when the General Telephone Company of Michigan established an individual dialing system with a modern telephone exchange that the Lewiston residents were provided with private residential telephone service. , , The Telephone office shared the building with the Post Office and The Lewiston Journal, the first newspaper in Lewiston, that began publication in 1893. It was published once a week on Thursdays and a yearly subscription cost 75 cents. , , Donated by the Bird and Moe Smith Family. , , The Lewiston Heritage Trail is a DDA project funded by private donors with period photos and historical text provided by the Lewiston Area Historical Society.