Norway Rural Telephone Company History

Wright County, Iowa

This file was contributed by

Sarah Thorson Little - -  May 2012

In 1900 a small exchange was organized by a group of farmers in Norway Township, Wright County, with only four lines. The switchboard was located in the Sam Stueland farm home two and a quarter miles south of Kanawha. Mrs. Stueland was the first operator, and J. Olson and Tom Berhow were the first officers. The lines, called switch lines, were owned and maintained by the subscribers, who paid a switch fee for the operator to switch them. In 1908, the telephone office boasted sixty local phones and nine party lines. The office was located in the bank building, with George W. Madson in charge and Ada and Edna Huyck as operators. By 1910, the rates in Hancock County for telephone service were $12.00 per year (if paid quarterly in advance). Nels Thorson was contacted at Chicago Bell Telephone in Illinois, arriving in mid-July 1901, when the Norway Rural Telephone Company was established.

Source: https://comm1net.net/customer-service/history/