Early maps from 1899 show the Alberta Government
telephone lines from Cardston to Lethbridge. When the
Spring Coulee Trading Company was built in 1907,
there was a telephone exchange for many years,
but not many phones. In town, phones were owned
by Ralph Thompson, Harry Joliffe and the Trading
Company, and in the rural areas by John Thompson,
Ken Long, Herb Walters and Jesse Sherman. Agnes
Long tells how they always left their door open, so
anyone needing to use the phone, could. Sometimes
when they returned home they would find money on the
table for long distance calls. Primitive telephone lines
were strung along fences - speakers were old radios
and earphones used for hearing. Jim Hunter had one,
as did Rene Peirens, Bill Woods and Orville Malmberg.

In 1934, the telephone company, once controlled by the
government, was in disrepair, and our mutual - Spring
Coulee - was formed with Harry Joliffe as president
and Bill Woods as general handyman for telephones
and lines. Geneva Woods was secretary for many years
followed by Florence Fortner who continued until the
1950's when Alberta Government Telephones took over
once again.

Most farms were on Party lines with anywhere from 10 to
26 homes. Each house had it own coded ring. Using
a crank on the side of the phone, you called your neighbor
by sending out their code - e.g. I long ring, 2 short rings
. When anyparty was called the phone would ring in all
the houses. Some people found entertainment by
eavesdropping on others conversations. One long, long
ring meant an emergency - everyone would pick up the
phone and find out where the trouble was and go help.

By the mid 1960's we graduated to black dial phones with
only four families on a line. On January 16, 1974, the new
underground phone lines were installed and we now have
private phones.

Electricity in Spring Coulee

Calgary Power came to the town of Spring Coulee in
1948, but who will ever forget the first electric lights
from Paul Boettcher's little power plant with lines to
each dwelling. Lights went out at midnight except for
dance nights when they would stay on until the dance
was over. Then on special days the power would be
turned on, so the women could do the laundry.

The Rural Electric Association was formed in 1950
with Ernest Long as secretary and power turned on to
the farms in 1952. The Rural Electric Association was
sold to Calgary Power on November 21, 1979.

Post Office in Spring Coulee

The following records from, the Canadian Postal Archives
in, Ottawa show the first Post Office established, in
Spring Coulee on the first day of May in 1902 and the
first Postmaster was W.H. Brown. The location was
Section 29, then section 33, then the north west quarter
section 28, and again moved to section 33. Because
there was a gap of five years between 1903 and 1908,
we assume this was the period old timers remember
a Post office in an old log house in the Coulee run
by Amos and Estell Peterson.

This location Would correspond to the recording of
section 29. To complete the list up to the present
day, there was Kirk Godlonton, followed by the
present postmaster, Berry Gorham.

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