already connected by their own telephones, mentioned previously. Mrs. Gordon became the first switchboard operator, the homemade board being located in their home. As lines were added, different toned bells indicated which line the patron was using.
The first subscribers were George H. Eft, who had started the project among the Eft families; J. C. Render, William Mool, Joseph H. Eft, William Eft, Lewis C. Kingdon, Sidney Kingdon, Lewis McOmber, W. A. Grundy and A. C. Jones, all in the country. In the city the users were M. H. Render, Henry Eft and Dr. Gordon, all the on same line, and on another city line were the Journal, C. M. Westcott, James Messer and Isaac Cannon; a third line carried the phones of Dr. Stubblefield and the Shreve & McWilliams store. There was also a McLean County line connecting with the Gordon exchange.
In addition to the Central Union Co., franchises granted prior to 1900 included the McLean County Telephone Co., July 5, 1898, and F. C. Stanford and James Heald, April 13, 1899, all being permitted "to erect telephone poles and wires in the city." So far as we find, the McLean County Co. confined its service to Shearer Bros., Shepard Bros., F. S. Larison and the First National Bank. The first three were grain firms, using the service for markets and sales of grain.
The El Paso Telephone Co. was granted a franchise September 2, 1901. At the organization meeting held September 20, 1901, the following officers were elected: Dr. R. E. Gordon, president; J. L. Bonar, secretary and general manager and M. A. Adams, A. W. Shepard and A. E. Fleming, directors. Over 100 subscribers were listed when the new service began on December 16, 1901. This was the first company to seek rural subscribers. Dr. Gordon later purchased the shares of most of the other stockholders, and was president and general manager of the business until his death on November 16, 1951.
From the original twenty-five subscribers the company now serves approximately 1,100 patrons, with 250 farm homes on thirty-two rural lines. Toll service reaches all points, some of the longest toll calls being from Marjorie Mayne Busey on Guam who called her parents in El Paso several times. The first Stromberg-Carlson switchboard the company installed was in a small building near the present office, after the business outgrew Mrs. Gordon's switchboard in her home. In 1912 H. J. Tegtmeyer built the fireproof brick and tile structure to the specifications required by the El Paso Telephone Company and The El Paso Journal, and rented the upper and lower floors respectively to these two companies. In 1920 the present system of underground cables was begun, the second company in Illinois to adopt this plan. Manual telephones are used.
Miss Emma Geiger began work at the telephone switchboard August 31, 1908, and served as chief operator until March 1, 1953. Her sister, Miss Rose Geiger, began work in 1911 and still serves a four-hour shift five afternoons each week. Miss Emma Boyd retired about a year ago after a long period of service, most of it as night operator.
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