Portland, Oregon Main Office

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", April 1984, page 10

On June 18, 1878 the first telephone exchange was opened in Portland. The first two telephones in Portland were connected by a line approximately a half mile in length. This was a demonstration line between Dr. Plummers Drug Store and Western Union Office.

May 10 saw the installation of the first commercial telephones. But skeptics abounded in Portland, even among the more progressive businessmen. The story is told that in 1882, when the manager of the telephone company attempted to secure Olds & King (the city's department store) as a subscriber, the manager of the store offered to wager any sum that his store would never have any need for the novel instrument.

"We can," he pointed out, "hire a boy for $5 a month who will deliver all our messages and, in addition, will sweep out the store and wait on customers."

Considering that Oregon held the status of a colonial outpost, it is surprising that by the end of 1878 Portland had installed about 100 telephones. Some of them were "kitchen stations," telephones in kitchens which provided outgoing service only and usually were connected with the family grocery store. 

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(wavy image as appears in magazine)

In 1883, the year the railroad came to Portland a submarine cable was laid across the Willamette River. 

Glamour came to Portland's telephone system in 1891 when the first girl operators were employed. Pioneering as a telephone girl, however, was far from easy. Head sets of that period consisted of a large wooden transmitter box and huge receiver which were clamped to a heavy metal and leather collar called the "Gilliland Harness", which weighed 6-1/2 pounds. 

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(The preceding picture and article are copied, with permission, from the May-June 1983 issue of "The Information Desk", San Francisco Telephone Museum's newsletter.)