The Telephone Exchange

The Telephone Exchange (HM21MA)

Location: Baker City, OR 97814 Baker County
Buy Oregon State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 44° 46.604', W 117° 49.849'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 371 views
Inscription

Baker City Historic District

—Established 1874 —

Hand-cranked telephones first rang in Baker City in 1889. Not until 1898, however, did a company succeed in establishing 24-hour, central exchange service. When inaugurated, the system had 40 subscribers and one operator on duty.
The first exchange was in the Wisdom Drug Store at the southwest corner of Main Street and Valley Avenue.
Pacific Telephone and Telegraph (later to become Pacific Northwest Bell) acquired the system in 1900. In 1910, the company built this building for its exchange and offices.
The telephone company moved in 1954, and the building remained vacant for many years. It was renovated as a restaurant in the 1970s.
Details
HM NumberHM21MA
Tags
,
Placed ByHistoric Baker City, Inc
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 11th, 2017 at 1:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11T E 434265 N 4958484
Decimal Degrees44.77673333, -117.83081667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 46.604', W 117° 49.849'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 46' 36.24" N, 117° 49' 50.94" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)541
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1934 1st St, Baker City OR 97814, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?
© 2025  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us