Clinton Telephone Companies.

Crank style telephone used to ring up Central, who would answer "number please".
Monarch Wall Telephone made by the Monarch Telephone Mfg. Co. of Fort Dodge, Iowa circa 1900-1915. "Picture Frame" style front, cathedral topped quarter-sawn oak box with a very nice patina. This was the "FIVE BAR Compact" type Monarch model with the "solid shelf" feature.
This phone was donated to the Clinton Community Historical Society in memory of Paul and Dolores (Royce) Grossenbacher. Paul and Dolores met in the swine barn at the Rock County 4H Fair in 1936. After marrying in 1938 they settled in Clinton. Many Clinton residents bought fresh eggs from their farm which is now the Clinton Industrial park. This phone was in their farmhouse on County Road X. Courtesy of Jan (Grossenbacher) Lubow

REGULATIONS:

1. Call by number ONLY. This will insure prompt service and save time. Be SURE and ring off. The right use of the telephone on your part, is what gives you good service.
2. Don't waste the operator's time in useless talk. Remember there are other patrons who expect prompt response to their calls. Hang the Receiver small end up.
3. “LINE BUSY" is often annoying but bear in mind that you are but one of over four hundred subscribers, and that central will connect as soon as possible.
4. DON'T RING IN on the line when some one else is using it. Do not answer a ring unless it is your own signal. ALWAYS RING OFF.
5. Talk in your ordinary tone of voice; you will be much easier understood. To call central, give the bell crank ONE sharp turn. Do not forget to RING OFF.
6. When you are through talking, give the bell crank one sharp turn: this will notify central that you are through. Do not place articles of metal on your telephone.
7. If you will ring off, the operator will not have to listen to know when you are through. After ringing off, wait a minute before calling.
8. One ring is sufficient to call central. If not answered at once, WAIT a few moments; you will be answered when your turn comes.
9. Subscribers calling for others on the same line should hang up the receiver so that central can ring through. This is a home company, we wish to please all.
10. Subscribers should remember that if THEY are wanted they will be called. You have no right to take down receiver and listen.
11. When you want the toll line, give your NAME and telephone NUMBER, and name and place of party wanted. Receiver must not be taken from hook unless for use.
12. Calls for High School will not be answered during recitation periods.
13. No rebate will be made on telephone rent because of absence from home for any month or part of any month, or for a period less than four months, due notice being given of intended absence. A charge of one dollar will be made for removing and replacing telephones.

Clinton Had Telephones Too

The Clinton Telephone Company was incorporated in April 1900. It is believed that they were run and operated by local business interests. Apparently, this proved to be too big a chore. Prior to that time the telegraph office provided adequate service, especially for long distance. The Clinton Telephone Company dates back to April, 1900 and was established in the Northway Store. The phone company moved to quarters above the store and later to the present office at the corner of Cross & Durand Streets in 1921.

In April, 1928 the Community Telephone Company of Wisconsin took over the service in Clinton. Their headquarters are in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. By 1943 our local exchange served 550 customers. Cost for the 4-party service was $2.85 a month. Commercial service was $4.50. The switchboard used a magneto energizer to activate the lines.

The switchboard was a plug-in type. It must have been a challenge for new operators in those days with the strange numbers and prefixes that were used. It was not uncommon to place a color before the number such as - blue, black, white, green. Likewise many numbers had dashed between them like 44-13, 89–13, 46-4, all this referred to the circuit the operator plugged into.

Then came direct dial on April 10, 1956! Everything was different - new numbers were issued, the old directories were scrapped and perhaps saddest of all there no longer was the familiar voice that said "number please" and helped you reach your party. The most familiar voice was that of Minnie Riemer who served the Clinton exchange for 43 years. A more loyal or faithful one could not be found. With staff of helpers they run a tight ship. Working with Minnie at different times were: Helen Neilson, Myrtle Ball, Esther Krebs, Barbara Everhart, Betty Thompson, Vida Nelson, Mabel Cosgrove, Roberta Tiffany (dubbed lightning because of her speed in answering, Vivian Tiffany, Jenny Milner. All were very good faithful operators.

The Clinton exchange was acquired by the General Telephone Company of Wisconsin in September, 1956. One of 31 Community Telephone exchanges then purchased as part of a stock transaction.

The backbone of the operation for 42 years was William (Bill) Ball the service manager. For the first few years he practically did the job alone except for occasional help from Black River Falls. Later he had a fine assistant- Jim Korth. The two were kept very busy and during emergencies they were out on the lines continuously for 24 hours or more. Lightning also caused considerable damage and made for extra work both in Clinton and Darien whose office was serviced out of Clinton.

To illustrate what is meant by being busy, Mr. Ball recalls the big sleet storm of 1959. Ice accumulated everywhere accompanied by high winds. The lines were down and some poles snapped off all the way from Clinton, to Highway W. Help had to be requested from nearby communities to help restore service. Weather was a big factor in those days since the lines were above ground.. Not so, today since most of the circuits are underground.

The telephone office was the clearinghouse for fire calls. They were keepers of the switch that activated the fire siren. The person reporting the fire called the telephone operator to report the fire. The operator pushed a button (doorbell) to blow the whistle. The fire department had a direct line to the telephone office which was used by the first volunteer to reach the station who was told where to go. After that the telephone operators were kind enough to answer personal calls from persons wanting to know where the fire was. What a headache!

Chief operator Minnie Riemer at her station running the Clinton switchboard.

In 1912 a dispute arose with the Rock County (Janesville) Telephone Company, which wanted to purchase the Clinton phone company. They were unsuccessful but in an ironic turn, the Rock County Telephone Company was acquired by the Wisconsin (Bell) Telephone Company in December 1912.

Bill Ball repairing telephone lines in the Winter of 1951. Snowbanks along the road were high enough to make reaching the lines easy.

Ice storm damage to the phone lines. Buried cables helped to eliminate storm outages.

Telephone pole down

South of Clinton,

Jim Korth's telephone service truck. Jim worked for the phone company from 1954 until 1991.

Back of Korth's service truck

First day of direct dial telephone service in Clinton, April 10, 1956.

OUT OF A JOB

The changeover to modern dial telephones at Clinton meant the passing of an era in which "Central" was a familiar voice on the phone. Nine women who were operators have been put out of work by the changeover. The firm, the Community Telephone Company of Wisconson, offered positions in other towns but since most have homes in this area, they declined.
Seven of the operators who were present around the old switchboard for the last time. Seated is Minna Riemer, chief operator who has worked for the company at Clinton for 43 years. Others (from left), Helen Nielson (11 years), Myrtle Ball (12 years), Esther Krebs (9 years), Barbara Everhardt (24 years), Harriet Myers (4 years), Betty Thompson (2 years). Absent, Vida Nelson (20 years), and Mabel Cosgrove (11 years).

Millie Duxstad and her father Henry Anderson at the Bergen switchboard

View of the Bergen phone company central office, showing the dialing line finders which replaced the switchboard.

Bergen Telephone Co.

In the early 1900s (incorporated 1908) the Henry S. Anderson family, together with about a hundred families in the area formed the Bergen Telephone Co. Cooperative. Henry ran the business and later, as his daughter grew up, she also was what we call “Central” or the person to operate the switchboard. She married Joe Duxstad and he became "helper" to H.S. with the lines and repair service. Henry Bergen could still climb the poles and repair the lines until after his 90th birthday.

Some very unique things about the telephone company that we don't see today were that for a dollar and a half a month you received your telephone service, and Henry used to come to your house probably once or twice a year, whether the phone needed repair or not, stop for a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade and catch up on news of folks in his settlement, as he always called it. Also, at no extra cost, Millie, as we liked to call her, performed a number of duties that everybody got used to and enjoyed. When you would need a doctor or veterinarian or service person, and if you were real busy, you called Millie and told her what you needed, she would do so and get him on his way real fast. At no extra cost you could get the latest community information such as births or deaths or happenings in the community by just calling Millie. If you went away from home to do your shopping or to visit neighbors or relatives, and your cows got out or something serious was happening at your place, she always seemed to know where you were so she could call you and get you home for the emergency. She always tried to keep track of what was going on in the neighborhood.