This Georgia island connected America’s first coast-to-coast phone call from a millionaire’s clubhouse

Jekyll Island’s Historic Coast-to-Coast Telephone Breakthrough

On January 25, 1915, America got smaller thanks to a phone call. AT&T boss Theodore Vail sat in Jekyll Island’s fancy clubhouse with a bad leg and big dreams.

He’d just built a phone line from New York to San Francisco using 130,000 poles and 4,750 miles of copper wire.

From his winter retreat, Vail joined the first coast-to-coast call with President Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Watson. Bell’s famous words “Mr. Watson, come here” traveled across the nation, while Watson joked it would take five days to comply.

The Jekyll Island Historic District still honors this moment when America’s voice finally stretched from sea to sea.

Theodore Vail Bet Big on Connecting America by Phone

In 1909, Theodore Vail made it his mission to connect America by phone from coast to coast. As AT&T’s boss, he pushed for what many thought couldn’t be done.

Phones already linked New York to Chicago by 1892 and reached Denver by 1911, but going further ran into big technical problems.

Loading coils helped extend calls since 1899, but couldn’t carry voices across the whole country. Vail admitted they didn’t have the right technology yet, but bet millions that smart folks would figure it out.

A Tiny Glass Tube Changed Everything

Lee de Forest made the “Audion” vacuum tube in 1908, the first gadget that could boost electrical signals. Most people only saw it as a radio part, missing its bigger use.

AT&T spotted its value and quietly bought the rights for $50,000 in July 1913, using other buyers to keep prices low. Harold Arnold’s team at Western Electric improved the tubes by making them more empty inside.

These better tubes became the key to coast-to-coast calling. Workers placed six booster stations along the line to keep voices strong.

Workers Strung Wires Through Deserts and Mountains

Building teams started the line in 1912, working east from Sacramento through some of America’s roughest land. Crews faced 130-degree heat and blinding sun while working between Salt Lake City and Wendover.

They put up 130,000 wooden poles and hung four copper wires across 13 states. The phone line stretched 4,750 miles from coast to coast.

Bell Telephone Company of Nevada and Mountain States Telephone teams raced toward each other, meeting at the Utah-Nevada border.

The Last Pole Went Up Without Much Fuss

Workers raised the final phone pole at Wendover on the Utah-Nevada line on June 17, 1914. Pacific Bell lineman Ralph Eric Knudsen made the last connection that linked East and West.

The finishing ceremony was simple, they just put flags on the cross-poles and took photos. The project used over 13,600 miles of copper wire to create the line.

New York City and San Francisco could now talk to each other for the first time ever.

Secret Test Calls Crossed the Country

Theodore Vail made the first test call across the country in July 1914 but kept it secret. His voice traveled coast-to-coast, helped by booster stations in Pittsburgh, Omaha, and Salt Lake City.

AT&T used smart testing methods so no single worker could claim they were first to cross America by voice. The company held off announcing their success.

They wanted to time the big news with the Panama-Pacific International Expo for more publicity. Public service would wait until January 1915.

A Broken Leg Changed the Course of History

Vail planned to join the first official call from New York, but life had other plans. A leg injury kept him at Jekyll Island Club in Georgia where he spent winters in early 1915.

AT&T added 1,100 miles of copper cable to connect the fancy resort island to the network. This change let Vail join the historic call from the Jekyll Island Clubhouse.

J. P. Morgan Jr. and William Rockefeller sat with Vail at Jekyll Island to watch the big moment on January 25, 1915.

Famous First Words Traveled Coast to Coast

Alexander Graham Bell started the big call from New York at 4:30 PM on January 25, 1915. He said the same words from his first phone call: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.” Thomas Watson answered from San Francisco with humor: “It will take me five days to get there now! ” Hundreds of guests watched at both New York and San Francisco spots.

Everyone got headphones to hear the talk happening across the country. The clear voices amazed everyone listening.

Four Cities Joined in America’s First Conference Call

President Woodrow Wilson got on the line from the White House in Washington.

He told the Panama-Pacific Exposition head: “It appeals to the imagination to speak across the continent. ” The mayors of New York and San Francisco traded greetings over the wire.

New York Mayor John Mitchel talked about how the cities were “doubly joined” by both the Panama Canal and now the phone.

The talk became the first cross-country conference call in American history, linking four major cities at once.

Jekyll Island Set a Long-Distance Record

Vail’s talk with Watson from Jekyll Island to San Francisco broke the record for the longest phone call in U. S. history. The call traveled 4,750 miles through Boston to reach the West Coast.

About 1,500 AT&T workers stood ready along the whole line to fix any problems. Staff prepared for any trouble that might cut off the special call.

The line worked perfectly, carrying voices clearly across the huge distance.

Cheers Echoed from Coast to Coast

Someone suggested three cheers for Theodore Vail during the historic call. The cheers rang out at the same time from all the cities taking part across the continent.

One observer wrote: “And all the way across the continent, the cheers were given. ” Vail “plainly heard them” at Jekyll Island, showing how clear the connection really was.

This moment showed how America had conquered the barrier of distance through technology. People who had never met could now talk to each other instantly across thousands of miles.

Making a Call Across America Cost a Week’s Pay

Regular folks could start making coast-to-coast calls on March 1, 1915. A three-minute call cost $20.70, about $485 in today’s money – roughly a week’s salary for most Americans. The first regular customer call came from a San Francisco man phoning his mother back east.

The service connected previously isolated regions instantly for the first time.

Jekyll Island’s role in this breakthrough got its own historical marker in 1965, commemorating the spot where Vail helped shrink America through the power of voice.

Visiting Jekyll Island Historic District, Georgia

You can explore Jekyll Island’s 240-acre Historic District for free after paying the $10 daily island entry fee.

The Jekyll Island Club Hotel at 371 Riverview Drive houses the original clubhouse where AT&T’s President Theodore Vail made the first transcontinental call in 1915.

Take a trolley tour for $20 that includes Mosaic Museum entry, departing at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm from 100 Stable Road, or visit the museum separately for $10.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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