[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING SAND CREEK TELEPHONE COMPANY

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                          HON. TIMOTHY WALBERG

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 1, 2008

  Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Sand Creek 
Telephone Company of Adrian, Michigan on the celebration of its one 
hundredth anniversary. Despite its small start, this company has 
flourished and remains an independent telephone service provider 
faithfully serving the people of south central Michigan.
  In 1908, the Sand Creek Telephone Company began doing business with 
one switchboard and operator in the back of the Tuttle family's grocery 
store. Started by local farmers and business owners, the telephone 
company was created to serve the rural areas south of the city of 
Adrian. The original stockholders needed telephone service to check the 
weather, market prices, train schedules, and to order or sell goods. 
Purchased in 1912, its first telephones were old-fashioned, 
rectangular, wall-mounted wooden box telephones with a side crank and a 
Bakelite receiver. These telephones were used up until 1957 when the 
company upgraded to an automatic dial system.
  In 1912, the Sand Creek Telephone Company moved from the Tuttle 
grocery store to a house on a property called Lot Six, which provided a 
central location within the town. From here, the company continued to 
experience enormous growth. By 1928, 270 households were serviced by 
Sand Creek Telephone Company and its lines connected to areas as far 
away as Lyons, Ohio. The massive web of wires that draped above the 
town were evidence of the rapid expansion of the company during this 
time. As Sand Creek Telephone Company changed hands over the years, the 
Board of Directors continued to hire families to run the company. Many 
times the husband did the maintenance and business work while the wife 
ran the switchboard. Children of the operating family also helped out 
when needed.
  With technological advances came changes for the Sand Creek Telephone 
Company. In 1957, the company upgraded its system to Automatic Dial 
Operation. Customers received a letter detailing how calling procedures 
would change. New equipment from Stromberg-Carlson was purchased to 
support the new direct dial technology. The old wooden telephones were 
collected and replaced with updated ones. Switchboard operators were no 
longer needed; however, business was still conducted at the Lot Six 
location until 1995.
  The last twenty years brought more change for Sand Creek Telephone 
Company than throughout the previous eighty years. The company has 
prevailed in the struggle to keep up with ever-advancing technology. By 
1990, it was able to provide cellular phone service to customers and in 
1995 the company installed its first fiber-optic cable and was 
officially ready for the Internet age. By this time, the company had 
over nine hundred subscribers. In 1996, the company became Sand Creek 
Communications Company and expanded to its current location on the 
southeast corner of West Gorman Road and Sand Creek Highway.
  Sand Creek Telephone Company, a valued communications provider, has 
long been a source of pride in the Adrian community. In the old days, 
customers often stopped in to pay their bills in person and catch up on 
town news or gossip. One couple even decided to get married while they 
were sitting on the wooden plank in the front office. Although the 
company has changed with technological advances, it continues to be a 
part of the community that gave it a start, never forgetting its 
original purpose--connecting neighbor with neighbor.
  Madam Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Sand Creek Telephone Company for its one hundred years of service to 
the rural areas of south central Michigan. From one hundred subscribers 
in the beginning to over eleven hundred today, Sand Creek Telephone 
Company remains a treasured small-town success. May others know of my 
high regard for its esteemed service, as well as my best wishes for the 
future.

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