M996.21.1 | Telephone Poles Along the Road
Telephone Poles Along the Road
About 1890, 19th century
Ink on paper
5.6 x 8.1 cm
M996.21.1
This artefact belongs to : © Guelph Museums
Description
Keywords:
Keys to History
The Telephone in Rural Areas
Until the late 1940s, there were several hundred small telephone companies operating in Canada. For example, in Quebec alone, there were 284 telephone systems in 1943. Outside of the big cities of central Canada, people also wanted the telephone. Thanks to a few brave entrepreneurs, small communities and remote regions did eventually obtain telephone service. In rural areas, doctors often had lines installed between their offices, the pharmacy and their patients. Rural co-operatives, municipal systems and provincial public utilities were set up to cater to communities not served by the big companies like Bell.
Due to a shortage of materials or capital to build the system, many phone companies offered party lines. They were especially common in rural areas with a low population density. The basic idea is simple: several subscribers share the same line. In the country, the use of party lines gave rise to the hobby of listening in on other people's conversations. Only one call could be made at a time, and confidential conversations were to be avoided!
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What
This drawing shows that telephone poles had become as much a part of the countryside as tree and fields.
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Where
Because of their low population density, rural areas were expensive to service. In 1900 each new telephone connected to the system required an investment of about $150.
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When
In 1956 many Canadian households were still on party lines. Over 42 percent of all phone lines were shared. Our grandparents all have party-line stories to tell!
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Who
A number of co-operatives and public utilities were set up to serve remote areas.
References
- Quebec Statistical Yearbook, 1949, cited in Claire Poitras, "De la Commission des chemins de fer au CRTC (Conseil de la radiodiffusion and des télécommunications canadiennes): La réglementation des services téléphoniques au Québec, de 1905 à 1987," Intérêts publics and initiatives privées, initiatives publiques and intérêts privés: Travaux and services publics en perspectives, Actes des Onzièmes Entretiens du Centre Jacques-Cartier (Vaux-en-Velin, France: École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État, 1999), p. 61.
- Thomas Grindlay, A History of the Independent Telephone Industry in Ontario (Toronto: Ontario Telephone Service Commission, 1975), 316 p.
- Ronald S. Love, SaskTel: Biography of a Crown Corporation and the Development of Telecommunications in Saskatchewan (Regina: SaskTel, 2003), 488 p.
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