Thorp (28 Jan 1904), Clark County, Wisconsin

Surnames: Bruno, Crowley, Gilman, Haight, Lar, Maddux, McKee, Nettleton, Parkhill, Solomon, Vanderhyden

The presiding elder, Rev. Haight, preached in the M.E. church last Sunday evening.

Mamie Nettleton of Waupaca is spending a few days with her mother, Mrs. Geo. Solomon.

Pearl McKee returned from Fond du Lac, where she has been for some time, last Friday.

Frank Parkhill of Abbotsford visited with his uncle, Geo. B. Parkhill and family one day last week.

Lulu Gilman went to Nebraska Thursday noon, where she will make her home with her brother.

Mrs. Gilbert Vanderhyden was called to Holland town Wednesday by the death of her father. Her son Harry accompanied her.

Surnames: Black, Brath, DeLong, Drake, Heiting, Hutchins, Martin, Micke, Pritzle, Riemenschnieder

Barney Micke and Archie Brath were in Stanley Tuesday. Henry Heiting, Anton Micke, Geo. Hulst and Frank Pritzle attended church on Tuesday.

Sam Mills and August Riemenschnieder have their farm residences connected with Wisconsin Telephone lines.

THORP, WISCONSIN TELEPHONE COMPANY

The telephone was invented in 1875 and patented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell in Boston, Massachusetts. Twenty-eight years later, in 1904, Myron Lund, James Connor, and C. F. Rainey organized the Thorp Telephone Company. Fifty phones were connected to a 100 line American Electric magneto switchboard located in the old Alberts building behind the James Connor saloon. The People’s Exchange Bank now occupies the old saloon location. On September 23, 1904, Miss Allie Bruno handled the first calls over this magneto board. Stories of Clark County, Wisconsin Collected in the Bicentennial Year, 1977

The telephone business in Thorp originated with James Connor, who ran a saloon, where the bank building was built, later, as the telephone exchange was in a little wooden building behind it. Connor was also deputy sheriff at that time. Those who knew him said, “He made it go, every job he took on.” The Thorp business was incorporated as the Thorp Telephone Co. in 1905, and was operated by the Myron Lund Family until 1938. At that time it went into the hands of L. O. Bernhagen. At the time Bernhagen took over there were 173 telephones in the exchange. In seven years the number grew to 412, with pressure for installations beyond the capacity to fill them, results from the rapid development at that point in time. Clark County Press

The advertisement above appeared in the

Thorp Courier 5 Dec. 1912

Leonard Hutchins has moved on the Nathan Black farm. Mrs. Turner of Boyd is visiting a few days with Mrs. I. P. Drake.

Surnames: Baxter, Boardman, Edwardson, Fry, Hatfield, Nelson, Peterson, Siverson, Vanderlope, Woodman, Worden

E. Boardman w as down from Ruby and spent last Sunday at the Boardman home, at Eidsvold.

Guy Worden went up to Ruby the fore part of the week to attend to his logging interests.

Lizzie and Nettie Boardman visited friends at Withee last week. Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Baxter were callers in Stanley Sunday.

Silas Woodman, Nathen Fry, Ole Elton, and Henry Vanderlope, were all busy cutting Wood with Jack Hatfield’s steam Wood machine.

John Siverson, Marten Edwardson. Peter B. Nelson and Adolph Edwardson are all hauling Wood to Eidsvold to be shipped by rail to market.

Surnames: Barrett, Baumgartner, Campbell, Dreson, Fellman, Galbrith, Hatfield, Heiting, Keinholtz, Kreger, Micke, Smart, Worden

Archie Galbrith of Hilldreth is spending a few weeks with his brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Barney Micke.

William Smart of Baraboo is spending two weeks hunti8ng and visiting his brother, John Smart.

Wesley Fellman, Frank Kreger, Henry Dreson, B. Baumgartner and C. L. Campbell are all busy cutting wood with a steam wood machine, Jack Hatfield officiating as head sawyer.

Surnames: Backler, Barot, Boardman, Everson, Flora, Hatfield, Heiting, Mortensen, Rye, Seufzer, Siverson