Can You Hear Me Now? – The History of a Telephone Booth in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

Summary

The Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness is an area that allows its visitors to experience solitude in the nation’s largest wilderness in the lower 48. Often unrealized, is that historically, this rugged landscape had quite an extensive communication network while it was managed as the Idaho Primitive Area. One related historic feature managed by the Payette National Forest is the Coyote Springs Telephone Booth. Telephone communications were developed in the area from the late 1920’s through to the 1930’s. During this time, telephones were installed, often at major trail junctions, on a tree. However, at this location the smoke chasers built a booth. The telephones were used by rangers, fire fighters, and others to contact dispatch on matters regarding daily administrative operations, fire activity, and emergencies. Such a system facilitated the development and management of the Idaho Primitive Area and the Wilderness on the Payette National Forest. Without the phone systems, managing the area would have been a different experience altogether, with firefighting operations being greatly impacted. This poster will present the results of field monitoring and archival research concerning the telephone booth.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22539