History of Iowa Long Distance Telephone Service

Roy Alden Atwood explained that rural lines in Iowa were most often constructed by the farmers themselves, whether they were independent systems or connected to a switch in a nearby town...He noted that groups of farmers desiring telephone service would construct and maintain their own lines and contract with the town exchange for the necessary exchange or switching services. Such initiatives were facilitated by the availability of telephone equipment not only from independent manufacturers, but also through mail order catalogs distributed by such firms as Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Atwood went on to report that this arrangement benefited both sides for two reasons: 11 First, the farmer often had the materials and tools necessary to construct his own line and so could establish his service with a minimum of time and expense. Second, farmers closer to the lines could maintain and repair them more quickly than linemen from town....Iowa was, in turn, a national leader in rural and independent telephony during the early years of the century. According to Atwood, "Iowa had more phones on farms and in rural residences than any other state in the nation by 1917."

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Iowa in-state rate is 10.90¢/min