Eden
Eden Township, Marshall County, South Dakota, USA
Telephone Service in the Eden Community
from "Marshall County"
by the Marshall County Historical Society
©1979
page 114
In the early days of Eden a long distance telephone operation was
in effect on property in Outlot B and owned by Maurice Schindler.
The telephone operator at that time was Mary Deutsch Skjonsberg.
In 1920 the Langford Telephone Company started proceedings to
establish both local and long distance telephone service in the
Eden community. This did not become a reality until 1923 and at
that time the telephone office was set up in the Eden town and
fire hall located on lot 14, block 18. Lena Samson was the first
operator to conduct the telephone service as a local and long
distance operator. Rural telephone system was set up about the
same time through the Langford Telephone Co. This service was
continued until the depression years when it was impossible to
keep up with the phone bills and a 11 telephone service from the
community was discontinued. At this time Northwestern Bell set
up one phone for long distance purposes in town. This was a phone
in the Mosey Store and later the Michlitsch Store. All telephone
messages were relayed by messenger service, and outgoing calls
had to be made from this phone. It wasn't until the late forties
that a group of local people got together and bought shares to
create there own telephone company. It was know as the Eden
Independent Telephone Company and the lines were owned and
maintained by the shareholders. The first year that the line was
in operation a severe wind and ice storm just about ruined the
complete line as most of the poles were broken and wires snapped
but each shareholder donated man hours or hired someone in their
place and the company was able to continue. Northwestern Bell
furnished the central office in Roslyn and took care of the
operator's wages. During the sixties, Northwestern Bell took
over the existing lines and extended lines and service to most
of the area. They remained party lines with about eight members
to a line until the early seventies when most of the lines
became private lines or limited party lines.
E-mail: dwagner2@isd.net
©2002 DJW
Last Modified:
October 12, 2002