I came across an old photo of Fort Smith, circa 1890. After looking closely at the photo, I noticed what were clearly telephone lines - lots of them. I wondered: could there have been telephone service in Fort Smith in 1890? I did a little research and found out that the answer is yes. In fact, Fort Smith got its first telephones in 1883.

The following is a link for a .pdf file that discusses the history of Fort Smith telephone service. I include this because of the interest some of you might have concerning how people communicated. Telegraph service was used during the Civil War and afterwards. I would guess that there were telegraph stations at most of the towns in I.T. as well as much of the rest of the west. I just found it interesting that there was limited telephone service in Fort Smith all they way back in 1883. The .pdf link that I have attached even mentions a law suit between two telephone companies which would have been heard by judge Isaac C. Parker.

Anyway, here is the link for the .pdf file if anyone is interested.

www.uafortsmith.edu/attach/Lib...ny_in_Fort_Smith.pdf

Also, if Art Burton happens to be reading this, I am curious about the numerous communications you list in “Black Gun, Silver Star” between various deputies, such as Bass Reeves, and the court in Fort Smith. I would guess that most of these were telegraph communications. Would I be correct?

Telephone service was sporadically available in Indian Territory by the early 1890’s. However, it was local subscriber service only and did not reach many homes or businesses as folks thought it frivolous. Telegraph service as you noted followed the railroads but the military also put in lines. One ran from Caddo on the MK&T across the territory to Ft. Sill; this was eventually replaced with a wire from Sill to Texas. Another ran from Fort Reno north to Kansas with connecting service to Ft. Sill. Other wires ran to important places as determined by the amount of clamoring done by local businessmen or governmental offices, the main users. And this was all done before the 1889 land run. Deputies communicated by telegram and letter. The old files of the Ft. Smith court are full of letters between deputies and marshals and after 1888 an increased usage of telegrams. But remember, wires were more expensive than the mail and bureaucratic accountants were just as tough then, as now, and would not reimburse for what they considered unnecessary expense. So, telegrams were not the common means of communicating.

Tower is absolutely correct. Most of the time it was letters or telegrams. Letters were sent from railroad towns and telegrams where ever possible. I have seen where deputies used telephones between Tahlequah and Fort Smith. I am sure that mode was also possible between Muskogee and Fort Smith also. Otherwise it was mostly letter and telegram.

This may sound really stupid, but isn't a telegram just a letter written and sent via a telegraph wire, and then re-written at the other end by the telegraph operator? Or, is a telegraph message something different from a telegram? If so, there must have been a difference in price between the two. Again, I apologize for asking such a seemingly basic question.

A telegram is a written message sent over a telegraph wire.

Thanks to all of you for answering my questions, and providing the above information for me. Learning about the territories has been like sucking on a fire hose for me. Currently, I am reading Art's book "Black, Red and Deadly," plus Law West of Fort Smith, Let No Guilty Man Escape, The Last Cherokee Warriors (second read), Black Gun Silver Star (second read), and I just finished up with Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry. And, that doesn’t even count the book I am reading for a diversion “How Starbucks Saved My Life!” I've got timelines and maps, and I am learning a lot. But, for some reason the small details mean a lot to me. The telephone lines and telegraph lines, plus the location of post offices and such, how everyone communicated, the location of old roads, all of this is a curiosity to me. So, thank you all for being patient.

Your analysis of the telegraphic process is correct. The difference between the two was speed as the telegraph is faster but also expense. Most telegrams were less than 20 words because each word cost a few cents. When I was a kid, it was, I think, about 20 cents a word and I recall my grandmoter saying it was a nickel a word when she was young. May not sound like much but when your monthly income is less than $30, every nickel counts.

Hello Tower, and thanks for your input. I guess what is confusing to me is that I still don't really understand the process of sending a message via telegraph versus sending one via telegram. I am using my imagination here since I have never done either. I would guess that a telegram would be a letter that a person would present to a local telegraph office, and the operator would convert the letter into Morse code and send it to another telegraph operator, and then it would be translated back into a letter at the other end. I do not know if the telegram would then be sent via courier or U.S. mail to the recipient or if the recipient would simply pick it up at the telegraph office. What I don't understand is how a telegraph message would be different from what I have described above, or why it would be more expensive. Or, maybe my understanding of a telegram is wrong. I always thought that a telegram was the message, and a telegraph was the method. In other words, you sent a telegram via a telegraph. Is there such a thing as a telegraph message, and if so what makes it different from a telegram? Sorry for my ignorance.

As a quick add on to the above, maybe a telegraph message is delivered quicker. The telegraph operator types up the message and has it hand delivered immediately - the telegraph operator's version of FedEx. A telegram is the same message which is delivered via the U.S. mail. You don't get the telegram as fast. Is that the difference?

I am a broadband telecommunications engineer but this is really more of a business office thing than technology. The telegraph was originally run by and for internal use by the railroads. They soon found out they could make it pay by opening it up to the public. Short messages were tapped by hand but there were some automated systems for longer messages. This came from developments in stock tickers. Private telegraph companies came later and operated with typewriter style keyboards. This slowly gave way to facsimile (fax machines).

There are several good books from this era on the development of telegraphy that are available free on Archive.org These are out of copyight and in the public domain. I believe there are even some operators manuals.
These can e downloaded in PGF or text form.

There are lots of good history books available too.

Again, thanks to all for the great information. I find myself trying to visualize how a Deputy U.S. Marshal would have sent to Fort Smith for a writ or some other such need. It probably depended on the circumstance and the location, and probably even the year. It is clear that with the development of technology, one would have used different methods in 1875 than he would have in 1895. I truly do appreciate your patience.

In January, 1889, writing from Berwyn, John Swain filed a standard complaint form requesting a warrant thus showing court bureaucracy had advanced to the Ft. Smith court. The instrument was addressed to Jacob Yoes, U. S. Marshal. Swain enclosed the original accusation letter and included the newly garnered information. The beauty of the form is it could be used as a stand alone document sent through the U. S. Mail or as a telegraph request form. But, such forms were not always used. On August 29th, 1889, Swain wrote Yoes using stationary from the C. W. Henderson general store at Berwyn. This letter is an inside look at the frustrations of an Indian Territory deputy particularly in communicating with a superior some 180 plus miles away.
Hon. Jacob Yoes, U. S. Marshal
Fort Smith, Ark.
Dear Sir, yours of the 26 inst is at hand. Was glad to hear from you and glad to get the writs that you sent. Some of the writs will be easy served. Was glad to hear that Thomas had caught Asker Colter [sic: Oscar Colter.] I will start in the morning to Lebanon and will be gone two or three days. You had better send all mail to Berwyn. I will write to the Sheriff of Jack Co., Texas about Dillard, also to the Sheriff of Montaque Co. and if Dillard is in either county he will be caught. I will serve all papers as soon as possible that can be found. I will not become discouraged. But it is almost impossible to find any of the men that I have old writs for. They are all in the bushes and the leaves is too green to find. There is plenty of work here if J. Carroll got writs when I write for them. I have sent information in against John Williams for assault; let me know if Commissioner refuses to issue writ. With wishes for your success, I am yours respectfully, John Swain, Deputy.

It seems that Towana Spivey, director of the Fort Sill National Historic Site told me that the first telephone call made from Fort Sill was to Fort Reno and I'm thinking he said it was the early 1880s that this occurred.

From the Southwestern Progress, 1900, story about Mountain View shootout

“Deputy Sheriff Galloway, who was at Cloud Chief, was notified and came down at once. Sherriff Morrison, who was at Cordell, was also notified by telephone and came down with about twenty-five armed men for the purpose of starting posses in all directions for the purpose of hunting down and arresting the outlaws who had escaped.”

Even west Oklahoma had some service.