Walla Walla, WA - First Building Built Expressly For Telephone Company

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", September 1984, page 12

On June 15, 1878, the Bell Telephones received by S. G. Whitman were put in operation in Walla Walla, one being placed in the express office, the other in the Post Office. Much pleasure and astonishment were caused by its workings, which though not perfect, were quite clear. A telephone was attached to the O.S.N. company's wire leading to Wallula, 30 miles away, and very distinct conversations were heard between this city and that point. The words heard by means of the telephone were as though uttered by a person in a deep well.

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The local newspaper said on June 10, 1884, "Walla Walla has a telephone exchange. It is not yet in operation, but instruments, wire and other paraphernalia for a complete exchange system are here and in process of setting up. Thus, we are ahead of Spokane Falls in modern improvement.

"The central office will be in the Paine block in the same room with the telegraph office on Second Street. At that place were delivered yesterday 18 miles of wire, 15 complete sets of telephonic instruments comprising Bell telephones, Blake microphone transmitters, standard bell boxes and batteries and one of the very latest improved switchboards of the Ed Gilliland pattern. Subscribers for all of the instruments have already been obtained. The wire will be strung on poles principally, as little house-top work as possible is to be done. 

"The company instituting this enterprise is the Sunset of San Francisco, controlling the Bell franchises on the Pacific Coast.

"A. R. Fink, manager of the Northern Pacific express office, will manage the exchange. He will keep employed a messenger after the A. D. T. Co. fashion to respond to calls for the transmission of parcels, notes and the like between various parts of the city. 

"At the outset it is proposed to keep the exchange open late in the evening but not all night."

The central office was later moved upstairs and from there to a location on East Alder Street.

The early growth of the telephone business in Walla Walla was slow, as it started with 16 telephones in June of 1884, and there were only 222 telephones in 1900. In 1905 the number had increased to 1515, and in 1934 there were 4731.

DONATIONS RECEIVED

During the months of September and October we received some interesting donations. From the Bell System display at Disneyland we have been fortunate to receive the picture phone unit which contains the television camera and screen, six four by eight wall panels, several display stands and miscellaneous wood work. Our very good friend, Roy Winther, has donated a collection of teletypewriter bulletins as well as a nice selection of teletype parts. The Benefit Department has donated service pins of the Bell Telephone Company of Nevada. These are the ones in the shape of a map of Nevada. Does anyone have an emblem which was given before the map was used? We would very much like to have one for our collection.