Long Distance Calls

September 2014 Qu’Appelle Valley

Fixed to the wall beside the coral painted cupboards, a wooden cabinet sported a black speaker above a dial with numbers and letters, to one side a receiver hung on a silver cradle. 

This odd instrument’s only use: to await the ring of the phone on a party line ~ any of the farmers on the same line could pick up and interrupt important adolescent calls going on too long or the operator could call in an emergency call to one of the homes ~ voices travelled along wires strung across the country where birds could rest. Did they feel the vibration of our voices?

Party lines vanished

Single use phones held sway until

multiple use technology bundled everything into 

colourful cell phones, tablets, laptops and computers

buttons and icons locate a myriad of uses

stubby digits or manicured nails send 

emojis bouncing from here to there

voices and images fly about with the birds 

to vibrate and wave to sun and wind, rain and snow.

“Well informed people know it is impossible to transmit 

the voice over wires. Even if it were, it would be of no practical value.”

~ Boston Post, 1865

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