The telephone system still in use in Mattawa in the 1950's was operator handled . At the CPR section house , you would pick up the ear receiver , turn the side crank which would ring the operator and speak into the voice receiver on the front of the wall case. When the operator plugged into your line , she would ask for the number you wanted , then plug your line into the phone line of whoever you were calling .
Her switchboard was a mass of wires poked into holes . Only she could figure it out . However , there were only a limited number of connections she could produce at any one time . During busy moments , you would queue up for a turn at one of them . Often the operator ...
