The earliest telephones were very basic. One telephone couldn’t call another phone directly unless the two were connected. The caller needed an intermediary. Phone users called an exchange instead of the person or business they wanted to reach. Telephone operators connected them. On this date in 1878, Emma Nutt became the first woman to work as a telephone operator. She started a trend, and it wasn’t long before virtually all telephone operators were women who worked out of their own homes.
The first telephone to arrive in North Dakota was installed by J.L. Grandin. He saw them at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and bought two of them to install at his bonanza farm. The battery-operated devices were used to facilitate communication between the main farm and one of the divisional farms. The first telephones came with a price tag of $100, which would be about $2,500 today, although the price did include installation.
While the telephone was considered a luxury by the general public, the advantages for businesses were apparent from the beginning, and North Dakota gradually got connected. The Fargo-Moorhead Telephone Exchange was incorporated in 1880 and began operation the following year with 25 connections, all of them businesses. Bella Thompson, age 15, was hired as the first telephone operator in North Dakota. The exchange hired a female because “boy operators often indulged in practical jokes and many times talked back to customers.”
Most people today don’t know what a party line was. Several users shared the same line. The downside was that if one person was making a phone call, none of the other users could make a call until that person hung up. The advantage was that it was cheaper. In 1881, telephone rates were $4.98 per month for a private line, $4.10 for a two-party line, and $3.51 per month for a four-party line.
The telephone significantly improved communication in North Dakota. Businesses could function more efficiently. It also connected people and was especially important in rural areas. It alleviated rural isolation and allowed people to call for help if needed. Today, we carry our phones in our pockets, but in 1880, it was a big deal to have one in the home.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- ND Studies. “Telephone.” https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iv-modern-north-dakota-1921-present/lesson-3-building-communities/topic-4-communications/section-1-telephoneAccessed 8/9/2026.
- History. “The Rise and Fall of Telephone Operators.” https://www.history.com/articles/rise-fall-telephone-switchboard-operatorsAccessed 8/9/2026.
- NDSU Archives. “Telephone.” https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/index2311.html?q=content/telephoneAccessed 8/9/2026.
