Eldon contacted OMTC Board Director, Donna Sadler and shared a story he had written while the corona virus was spreading across the country. It was the story of the installation of the telephone communications to and for the local farms southwest of Oran. It was a memory recalled from 71 +/- years ago – a fond memory of efforts to bring communication to farms. The date and circumstances are pretty accurate as he recalled, then it was 71+ years ago. Eldon wrote that you might even call the efforts and subsequent telephone communication a “social” event – for indeed, the new telephones were a ‘social’ event! And at times, a bit humorous too!
TELEPHONE ON THE FARM: ORAN MUTUAL TELEPHONE CO., ORAN, IOWA--1949
Mid-August 1949, Fairbank, Iowa: The manual post hole auger struck a rock some 25 or so inches below ground level and the auger would not go down—I pulled the auger out of the hole and reached down with my hand to dislodge the rock—the salty sweat stung as it seeped into my eyes and rolled down my nose.
It was a hot NE Iowa August day the summer of 1949. Russell Cummings and Eldon McLaury were digging telephone pole holes for the Oran Telephone Company (OMTC), Oran, Iowa. The goal was to bring telephone service to rural farms in the Oran area. In 1949 some rural NE Iowa-Eastern Bremer County farms did not have phone connections with the world, their neighbors or their relatives. A quiet farming community with communication limited to face-to-face visits with neighbors, friends, and relatives. Electrical service made available by the Rural Electric Association (REA) to farms just 2 years earlier (1947), made telephones a reality. The new telephone line would change the circumstance, the neighborhood and the local residents forever—communication.
My Dad, Leslie (Mac) McLaury was a good friend of Lawrence (Fat) Youngblut, owner of Youngblut Hardware Store in Oran Iowa, some 4 miles NE of our farm. "Fat" was also on the Board of Directors of the Oran Mutual Telephone Co. The goal of the Directors was to connect rural farms in the Oran area with telephones. This meant setting telephone poles to hold telephone lines/wires along county roads past farmhouses. To accomplish the task meant digging "hundreds" of holes to set the telephone poles. Poles were to be some 90 to 100 feet apart. A big task for Oran Mutual Telephone Company with limited funds and even fewer people in the Company to do the work. It was decided to sell shares in the line for monies to purchase materials and supplies; labor to install the poles and line would be commandeered by whatever means necessary. To get a phone at “Mac" and Esther's farm 2 miles west and 2 miles south of Oran, Mac struck a deal with 'Fat' Youngblut to buy one share in the telephone company and dig telephone pole holes about 100 feet apart for a bit over one mile along the country road passing in front of our farmhouse. Mac hired Russell Cummings to help Eldon dig the holes in August, 1949. Eldon was 15, Russell 17.
The task was tough—holes to be dug were approximately 90 to 100 ft. apart—or approximately 70 holes 36 inches deep X 10 inches wide along a bit over a mile distance adjacent to the county road. To dig a hole 36 inches deep required a "manual" post hole auger—functioned by turning the auger to fill with dirt, pull and empty the auger and then fill the auger again. The auger striking rocks was a continual problem, usually solved by removing the auger, reaching into the hole and wiggling the rock till the rock came loose and could be removed. If we could not dislodge the rock, this meant abandoning the hole and starting over—not desirable. It was a hot Midwest summer that made the job even tougher as the sweat rolled into your eyes and down your face. But we were making progress and had dug holes along a quarter mile or so when the auger struck a rock some 25 inches down—near arm’s length across most of the bottom of the hole. Eldon struggled to remove the rock. Sweat rolled into my eyes and down my face-- and the rock would not dislodge and there was no way to remove the rock—re-dig the hole was the only option! But after 2+ weeks of work, a few half dug holes and a bit over a mile later, we got the job done—70 or more holes dug!
The following fall/winter our new telephone was installed. The wall mounted phone functioned with a funnel shaped receiver you talked into and a receiver you held to your ear to listen to the message. There was a 'crank' on the side of the phone that oscillated a little knob between two bell shaped metal cups to create a bell tone—long cranks for a 'long' ring, short cranks for a 'short' ring. The "ring'' to our house was a long and a short. Neighbor phone rings varied from a long, a short or combinations of long and short. There were 8 to 10 farm homes in each section of the area. Rings to a family's home rang into every one's phone. And then, there was a 'general’ ring, a series of shorts that every phone on the Oran telephone lines received. A 'general' ring got every one's attention since they were usually confined to emergency notices such a fire—usually buildings, but on occasion, grass fires or in some circumstances, important area messages.
And then, there was the day not long after phones had been installed that Mom's (Esther's) gas engine driven washing machine quit working. So, Dad (Mac) went to Oran and Lawrence C. "Fat" Youngblut's Hardware store to buy a new washing machine—an electric one. Not like the old one that had a gas engine to work the agitator, but an electric motor that ran the agitator in the wash tub of the washer — (We received electricity at the farm in 1947.) So, Mac bought the new electric washing machine from Youngblut's Hardware Store, but with a prerequisite—"Fat" would have to make a 'general' ring over all the new Oran telephone phone lines with the announcement that "Esther McLaury" had just gotten a new washing machine and could take in washing!" Oh, my goodness! Talk about generating discussions—and not all over the phone!
Of interest once everyone got used to having a phone was when a 'neighbors' phone would ring and you could go to the phone, lift the hearing receiver, and listen to their conversation. You had to be careful and not to talk or make noise letting those on the line know someone else was listening—usually referred to as "rubbering". We soon learned that when picking up the hearing receiver, if you held the "Y" shaped device that held the receiver down when not in use— and not let it snap up to max level, the phone did not "click" and those talking on the line did not know you were ''rubbering'' (listening to their conversation)—thus, do not make noise while “rubbering” on someone else's conversation! Listening to other folk’s phone calls was a disgusting, but a bit of a social event that occurred frequently. You could usually hear the receiver go up and those receiving the call knew others were listening to your conversation. It was always fun to address the "rubbering" listener during conversations and encourage them to "enjoy'' the news, but encouraged them to 'hang up'! And they often did, and you could hear the receiver(s) click as they placed the receiver(s) back on the Y shaped cradle.
Yes, communication was different in the early 50's. And so removed from our "smart" phones of today. Who would have thought the summer of 1949 phone calls in 2020 would employ handheld cell phones —no telephone pole holes, no telephone wires, no wall connections on the kitchen wall, no long and short rings, and calls could be made from wherever you might be. Amazing comparison, especially when I envision lying on the ground with my arm in the telephone pole hole and sweat running into my eyes and down my nose while trying to remove the 'rock' from the partially dug telephone pole hole! Times change—guess that is good!