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Ridge Telephone Co. Letter Copy Book, c. 1879-80 [170978]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Paper Start Price:250.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 1,500.00 USD
Ridge Telephone Co. Letter Copy Book, c. 1879-80    [170978]
SOLD
20.00USD+ (5.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2023 Dec 09 @ 15:32UTC-8 : PST/AKDT

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c. 1879-80 Ridge Telephone Company letter copy book. Contains about 50 letters to various mining, utility and telephone companies. "When Alexander Bell patented the telephone in March 1876, mine operators saw the potential this technology could have. In 1877, the Ridge Telephone Company built the world’s first long-distance telephone line. A single disaster once wiped out a quarter of California properties and spurred major changes to the capital. The line ran 58 miles from alpine French Lake to the now-ghost town of French Corral with connections to North San Juan, North Bloomfield and other mining locations down the line. This new technology allowed the mining companies to better communicate their water needs from the 100-mile-long ditch that fed their hoses. When the mines were closed in the 1880s due to new environmental laws, this telephone line allowed the mines to continue operations without government inspectors knowing. The nation’s first environmental law resulted from destructive California mining operations. When one of these agents would arrive in town, the mine operator would call up and down the line to let the other mines know to shut down and send everyone home to make them look non-operational." from fox40.com. San Juan California