Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Party telephone lines,

most lost to target practice...

There were 9 Ranch's on our county road going up the divide, we were #9 we didn't have a party line from the phone company in town but we had the barb wire telegraph, the top wire on our fence was on a insulator went from ranch to ranch you could call anyone on the divide just by cranking the phone, when you cranked the phone it rang at all 9 ranch's there was no such thing as a private conversation. we got a phone party line in 1982 with our own ring 3-short, the switch board was run by a lady named Jeane, you picked up the phone and Jeane would say number please and you told her the number J-4 B-7 and she would connect you. AHH !! for the GOOD OLD DAY'S Rio7

Yes and gas was 29 cents a gallon, full service!

Telephone wire is tough.

We had one in the late 1970's. Could always hear the click when someone picked up to listen to the conversation.
That's when I told the person I was talking with, that I masturbated that day.

Sure do... Our number was 884. Next neighbor was 881. Eight 'parties' on each circuit.. What a pita...

I remember the folks said someone was "rubber neckin" when they new they were listening in.

Our ring was 3 shorts.

One of my great aunts was on the same party line that we were, and my aunt had a friend that lived 1/4 mile up the road. They would watch the soap operas and then spend at least 1 hr on the phone discussing what had happened. Lord forbid that you needed the phone during that hour.

We had 5 families on our party.....our ring was 2L 1S.

Our phone had a crank in the middle where the dial was later, Ma would crank it a few times then call out for some reason. Also I remember my mom running to the phone when she heard a neighbors 2 shorts, cup her hand over the mouth piece and listen.

I'm surprised you didn't get our calls, the ring was the same. This was in Kansas where Dad was farming. The phone was a wall crank phone. I hadn't thought of it in years.

Yes, I remember being on a party line, don't remember our particular ring, but I think it was 2 short rings. After that we lived where there were no dial phones, just picked up the phone and an operator would come on and ask what number and put you through.

Was just telling a couple of the kids about long distance and collect calls a couple of days ago. When I was in my teens, the towns down the road, 10 miles in either direction, were both long distance calls. You'd have the operator place them, and you'd have to give her your number for billing purposes. Had to check your monthly phone bill to see if anyone was billing their calls to you.

They were gone before I discovered telephones.

Oh man, must have been in 60' or 61' there were 3 parties on the line.
The second no one was on our phone I called Mary Ann Brown, my
brothers and sisters had to drag me off the phone. I stayed on it until
my dad had the operator cut in and say "we have an emergency call", my
dad getting off work to tell my mom get his dinner ready.

If any of the other 2 parties cut in, well I was 15 so you know what I
told them they could do with there phone. Stupid fuqks.

I think it’s time for someone to post “ Switch board Susan” by Rob Lowe !!!!!! Great song!

Remember, cell phone's are radio, anyone that cares can listen.

I removed hundreds of ring-isolators in the early 90's. Lots of left over party lines in south Dallas that had to be redone.
Party lines were abolished by the original divestiture of AT&T in the middle 80's. By then, folks hated party lines as much
as they hated the way AT&T handled owning all the phone lines in their homes. I've heard stories about Ma-Bell removing
equipment and wiring just to be $hitty cuz they were the only game in town. AT&T deserved to be broken up. They were terrible.

This is a telegraph pole, but like the telephone poles.

No, that's a Bracket Line. One pair of wires that was probably a 5 party-line.

Could be Bart, It's on an old railroad line