Joined: Feb 2007
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On January 15th 1908 Manitoba Telecom Services was launched.
1/15/2010 at 8:36 AM
The first Telephone was invented in Brantford, Ontario, Canada on July 26th, 1874 by Alexander Graham Bell.
The first long distance call was made from Brantford to Paris Ontario on August 10th, 1876.
The Telephone was first established in Brandon in 1884, the Bell Telephone Company owned and operated it.
A total of sixty-six subscribers were made by mid-year all located within city boundaries. The first Superintendent of Telephone Service was Mr. F. C. Patterson (1882 - 1906).
In 1908 the privately owned Bell Company was taken over by the Manitoba Telephone Company, an Institution of the Manitoba Provincial Government.
When the first telephone lines were strung, the first telephones were owned by the “Elite” families of Brandon and these Brandonites of 1909 listed below took great pride in their telephone numbers.
Mrs. Beecham Trotter at ‘Tintern,’ 326 – 6th, Street was listed as owning number 34. It was changed from number 3, the first number she was given.
Mrs. E. L. Christie at 131 Louise Avenue was the wife of the ‘Stationer to the Prairies’, revelled in number 31.
Mrs. J. D. Ross who lived on an opulent L-shaped home at 510 Victoria Avenue with maximum windows facing the sunset was proud to own number 25.
Mrs. Ross was the mother of Miss Nettie Ross also a resident of this house, and she was the first official Social Worker appointed by the provincial government in the western Manitoba area.
Mrs. J. Willmott lived at 307, 12th, Street, #623, was home all the time because she would entertain visitors “any day”.
Mrs. George Mutter who owned the Grocery Store on Rosser Avenue lived at 2108 Rosser Avenue, had phone number #1166. Mutters Store was number 97.
Mrs. D. A. Rosser of Jewellery fame lived at 518-15th, Street. Her phone number was 37.
The above telephone numbers represented an exclusive social club based primarily on the social status and financial success of the families who owned them.
By 1944 there were 3,088 local and 434 rural telephones.
Source: The Daly House Museum Archives.