Early beginnings Northwestern Bell

1897 map of service area

it has never been definitively established northwestern bell s earliest roots lie. earliest record of telephones in northwestern bell service area two-telephone intercom circuit used little falls, minnesota druggist , clerk in 1876. bell-licensed exchange believed have opened in deadwood, south dakota between march , august 1878, 2 years after alexander graham bell invented telephone, , several months before president rutherford b. hayes use phone in little wooden booth outside of office in white house.

the earliest documented telephone exchange in northwestern bell territory opened western union company in keokuk, iowa, on september 1, 1878. using superior equipment designed thomas edison , elisha gray, western union in competitive shoot-out local licensee of national bell telephone company in boston. on november 10, 1879, western union settled bell patent infringement suit getting out of phone business , selling of exchanges, including keokuk exchange, bell company.

in fall of 1878, northwestern telephone company opened experimental exchange in minneapolis-located in city hall, served city government nicollet hotel , pillsbury mills*. exchange forerunner of bell-licensed northwestern telephone exchange company incorporated on december 10, 1878.

when northwestern telephone exchange company organized, had authorized capital stock of $10,000.