Phone Service

August 1, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Well, Menasha comes in second in this situation, but our neighbor to the south has the distinction of having had the first telephone exchange in the state. This article gives a nice summary of phone service since its inception in the Twin Cities.  And though it is 1969, the phone industry was already trying to find new and unique ways to utilize the recently introduced touch tone service, by interfacing with computers to do credit checks for retailers and home listings for realtors.  This all seems so primitive now, but progress is often measured in baby steps.  The internet would have blown their minds!