History: “Number Please?”
Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - Paul Milan, Historical Society - for the Cibola Beacon
In 1929, the first telephone operators were Mrs. Marvel Prestridge and her mother, Mrs. Bessie Kellman.
Robert (Bob) Small from Prewitt brought me a copy of a telephone book-one page, which I presumed was the first book of the area’s sixty-three telephone patrons. There were four phones in San Rafael, one in Paxton Springs, one in San Mateo plus the Fernandez Ranch, one in Bluewater, four listed under the U.S. government, and the rest in Grants.
Many had the same number with an R2 up to R5, which was the technology of the day, whereas the number of rings would let you know whom the call was for.
My first telephone experience was in Gallup. My father had a grocery store, with an extension to my grandmother’s apartment that was above the store. We kids would listen in to the conversations, which would amount to grocery orders for delivery or inquires as to the cost of some item. When we moved to the ranch in Milan, we had no telephone and my only experience was when we went to Albuquerque and stayed at a hotel. We would call the operator about every ten minutes to ask for the time or request ice water.
Neighbors were so helpful during emergencies. When my grandmother died in Gallup, my father called Mr. Carol Gunderson who drove to the ranch to give us the news. Many times during the war when we went to San Rafael, especially on Sunday, there would be people in front of my Uncle Monico’s home waiting for a call from their sons in the service.
We moved to the Milan Motel in 1949, and we had our first telephone.
It had a box under the receiver with a crank we had to turn to get an operator. We had a designated ring on a party line. I can’t accuse anyone of listening to our conversation, but many times we could hear heavy breathing when we stopped talking.
The operators were very helpful and personable. If someone reported a fire, they would turn on a red light high above the building so that the volunteers could call them and get the location of the fire.
In 1952, I attended college in Las Cruces and sometimes when I would call home the operator would tell me that my parents were not home, she would inform me that they made reservations at one of the restaurants and she would locate them for me there knowing that I was on a payphone.
What happened to all the payphones? There was not a payphone that kids didn’t pass without checking for change.
On Thursday, December 8, 1955, Mountain States Telephone Co. announced the conversion to a dial system at 12:01 a.m. the previous Saturday. The system replaced 15 operators, and the greeting “Number Please” disappeared.
There were 24 operators and service and repairmen that were replaced by a commercial clerk (Mrs. Wilsford) and a plant clerk, (Mrs. Pauline Blevins) plus four repairmen. This new technology required some training for the customer.
The Beacon had a section named “Tips on Dialing”: 1. Look up your number in the new telephone directory. 2. Jot it down. 3. Wait for the dial tone before dialing. 4. As soon as the dial tone is heard, dial the first two letters and the numeral in the central office name, dial the other four figures in the number. 5. Hang up before making another call.
Mother Whiteside was quoted by the Beacon newspaper concerning the new telephone system, “Times have changed, so now the telephone won’t work. If I can’t get the darn thing to work, I’ll throw it out of the window.”
Our family gatherings were noisy, with everyone laughing, chattering, telling jokes, and even breaking into a sing-a-long. Now it seems that everyone has a phone in their hand typing (texting) on a tiny typewriter attached to their phone. Someone will be playing games on their phone, or listening to music, another person will be taking pictures and sending the pictures to friends. Some are checking their e-mails, the balance of their checking account, and using the phone to pay bills. I even noticed a phone that seemed to be alive, and was told that it was vibrating so that the ring will not disturb anyone.
It was disturbing to see a phone wiggling around! I like the new technology, but I sure miss the great family gatherings without phones.
Editor’s Note: Paul Milan, a longtime Cibola County resident, is a member of the Cibola County Historical Society.
In 1929, the first telephone operators were Mrs. Marvel Prestridge and her mother, Mrs. Bessie Kellman.
Robert (Bob) Small from Prewitt brought me a copy of a telephone book-one page, which I presumed was the first book of the area’s sixty-three telephone patrons. There were four phones in San Rafael, one in Paxton Springs, one in San Mateo plus the Fernandez Ranch, one in Bluewater, four listed under the U.S. government, and the rest in Grants.
Many had the same number with an R2 up to R5, which was the technology of the day, whereas the number of rings would let you know whom the call was for.
My first telephone experience was in Gallup. My father had a grocery store, with an extension to my grandmother’s apartment that was above the store. We kids would listen in to the conversations, which would amount to grocery orders for delivery or inquires as to the cost of some item. When we moved to the ranch in Milan, we had no telephone and my only experience was when we went to Albuquerque and stayed at a hotel. We would call the operator about every ten minutes to ask for the time or request ice water.
Neighbors were so helpful during emergencies. When my grandmother died in Gallup, my father called Mr. Carol Gunderson who drove to the ranch to give us the news. Many times during the war when we went to San Rafael, especially on Sunday, there would be people in front of my Uncle Monico’s home waiting for a call from their sons in the service.
We moved to the Milan Motel in 1949, and we had our first telephone.
It had a box under the receiver with a crank we had to turn to get an operator. We had a designated ring on a party line. I can’t accuse anyone of listening to our conversation, but many times we could hear heavy breathing when we stopped talking.
The operators were very helpful and personable. If someone reported a fire, they would turn on a red light high above the building so that the volunteers could call them and get the location of the fire.
In 1952, I attended college in Las Cruces and sometimes when I would call home the operator would tell me that my parents were not home, she would inform me that they made reservations at one of the restaurants and she would locate them for me there knowing that I was on a payphone.
What happened to all the payphones? There was not a payphone that kids didn’t pass without checking for change.
On Thursday, December 8, 1955, Mountain States Telephone Co. announced the conversion to a dial system at 12:01 a.m. the previous Saturday. The system replaced 15 operators, and the greeting “Number Please” disappeared.
There were 24 operators and service and repairmen that were replaced by a commercial clerk (Mrs. Wilsford) and a plant clerk, (Mrs. Pauline Blevins) plus four repairmen. This new technology required some training for the customer.
The Beacon had a section named “Tips on Dialing”: 1. Look up your number in the new telephone directory. 2. Jot it down. 3. Wait for the dial tone before dialing. 4. As soon as the dial tone is heard, dial the first two letters and the numeral in the central office name, dial the other four figures in the number. 5. Hang up before making another call.
Mother Whiteside was quoted by the Beacon newspaper concerning the new telephone system, “Times have changed, so now the telephone won’t work. If I can’t get the darn thing to work, I’ll throw it out of the window.”
Our family gatherings were noisy, with everyone laughing, chattering, telling jokes, and even breaking into a sing-a-long. Now it seems that everyone has a phone in their hand typing (texting) on a tiny typewriter attached to their phone. Someone will be playing games on their phone, or listening to music, another person will be taking pictures and sending the pictures to friends. Some are checking their e-mails, the balance of their checking account, and using the phone to pay bills. I even noticed a phone that seemed to be alive, and was told that it was vibrating so that the ring will not disturb anyone.
It was disturbing to see a phone wiggling around! I like the new technology, but I sure miss the great family gatherings without phones.
Editor’s Note: Paul Milan, a longtime Cibola County resident, is a member of the Cibola County Historical Society.
