120 Year Anniversary Story - Part 2 | 1960 - Present

120 Year Anniversary

Part 2: 1960s - Present

DirectLink is 120 years old! We want to take you through the history of DirectLink and how Canby Telephone Association and Mt. Angel Telephone evolved over the years and eventually came together. Decade by decade.

Click here for part 1 (1900-1950s)

1960 - 1969

Young woman from the 60s sitting in a vintage ball chair. Credit: iStock.

US Landline Adoption 1960

78.5%

Coming out of the 1950s, the DirectLink cooperative served 1,898 members with direct dial telephone service throughout the exchange. This now included Extended Area Service (EAS) routes to Woodburn, Molalla, Aurora, Monitor, and Colton. Demand for telephone service continued to climb steadily – 78% of U.S. households had a telephone in 1960, up from 62% in 1950.

While small independent or cooperative companies like DirectLink served rural areas, AT&T’s Bell telephone operations covered bigger cities like Portland and their surrounding suburban neighborhoods. In 1961, Oregon and Washington Bell telephone operations merged to create Pacific Northwest Bell. They had 300,000 subscribers in Portland by 1964 and over 600,000 throughout the state.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1960s:

1960: U.S. census counts 1,768,687 Oregon residents.

1962: Terry Baker is Oregon’s 1st Heisman Trophy winner.

Suburbia, art by Carl Evers.

More and more people began moving to the suburbs with the rise of the automobile and expanding road systems. Smaller telephone companies once again faced increased demand for their services with this new influx of people. Some struggled to update their aging systems, many of which still included party lines. DirectLink, however, worked hard to adopt new technologies to provide the best service possible.

Expecting the unexpected is always good business practice, but nobody could have predicted the damage from the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. On October 12, an extreme storm hit the West Coast with the force of a Category 3 hurricane. It ended up being the most destructive and costly storm in Oregon history. 80 percent of all DirectLink members were without service for weeks – historical documents show that most were reconnected by November 2 thanks to round-the-clock work by local crews.

Fun Facts of the 1960s:

1965: Congress passes the Voting Rights Act.

1967: Beach Bill is approved, ensuring public access to all of Oregon’s coastal beaches.

1960s Computer Office. Credit: Library of Congress

People and businesses recovered, and improvements continued. 1968 saw the conversion to automatic number identification (ANI), which meant that operators no longer needed to manually ask for phone numbers on long distance calls. By the end of the 1960s, over 90% of all U.S. households had a telephone at home.

The development of computers and other technology continued with rapid innovation. In 1966, the Carterfone was introduced – it acoustically connected two-way radios to the telephone network, allowing someone on the radio to talk to someone on the phone. This invention helped pave the way for future devices to use the telephone network, like answering machines, fax machines, and modems.

Fun Fact of the 1960s:

1969: Department of Environmental Quality is created.

1970 - 1979

Couple in 1970s living room. Credit: Depositphotos.

US Landline Adoption 1970

87%

The telephone industry was booming coming into the 1970s for both provider companies and subscribers – more than 90% of all U.S. households had a telephone at home with affordable local and long-distance rates. Advances in technology combined with Universal Service Funds from the FCC allowed the cost of monthly residential phone service to decrease by more than 50% since 1940, relative to other consumer prices.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s:

1970: U.S. census counts 2,091,000 Oregon residents.

1971: Bottle and can deposit program approved.

Ivo Bauman (right) and his son Tom pose for a photo outside of the Mt. Angel Telephone building in 1981. Tom currently serves on the DirectLink Board of Directors.

Heading into the 1970s, three generations of Baumans all worked at DirectLink (then Mt. Angel Telephone) when Ivo’s son, Tom, joined the company in 1972 after serving four years in the Air Force. Tom eventually became general manager in 1983, and he continues to serve the community to this day as a member of the DirectLink Board of Directors.

Longtime general manager John “Mr. Telephone” Bauman relinquished management to his son, Ivo, in 1964 but stayed on as secretary until 1975 when he was 90 years old. Mr. Telephone dedicated 50 years of his life to the local telephone company, overseeing its advancement through multiple technologically innovative periods and ensuring its continued success.

Fun Facts of the 1970s:

1972: Pong is released on the Atari home game console.

1973: Tillamook State Forest is created.

Close-up of electric cables on the ground in a construction site. Credit iStockphoto.com.

DirectLink has always been dedicated to providing the best service with thoughtfully planned infrastructure. Aerial cables strung along poles sometimes face challenges from weather events that can cause damage and service outages, so DirectLink began a concerted effort toward burying cables underground.

In 1976, the company received several loans from federal programs established by the New Deal back in the 1930s to do just that. DirectLink received funding totaling just over $6.4 million from the Rural Electrification Act (REA) and the Rural Telephone Bank (RTB) to benefit 6,445 subscribers with 437 miles of buried telephone wires. DirectLink became one of the first companies in the northwestern United States to place the majority of its facilities underground.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s:

1974: Oregon Health Sciences University is formed.

1976: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form Apple.

Home computer systems and computer store. Credit Library of Congress.

The company also became the first in the country to offer a fully digital-to-digital toll route as analog technology became less commonplace. Folks soon began enjoying call forwarding, call waiting, speed dialing, and 3-way calling. By the end of the 1970s, more than 92% of all households in the country had a telephone.

But the telephone wasn’t alone in this era of technological innovation – computer technology was also advancing rapidly. In 1971, a team of engineers from IBM invented the ‘floppy disc,’ enabling data to be shared between computer systems. Floppy discs could hold just over one megabyte of data, a tiny drop in the bucket compared to today’s USB thumb drives and cloud storage solutions that can store terabytes of information. The computer revolution was right around the corner.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s:

1977: Portland Trail Blazers win the NBA Championship.

1980 - 1989

Woman in 1980's fashion with old fashioned phone. iStock.com.

US Landline Adoption 1980

92.5%

The 1980s were an action-packed, innovative decade for the telecommunications industry, both locally and nationally. Canby Telephone Association (DirectLink) had 36 employees and served 6,297 members, over 90% of which were on single-party lines (which meant no neighbors or family members listening in on phone calls). And in 1983, 9-1-1 service was placed into effect for Canby.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s:

1980: U.S. census counts 2,633,000 Oregon residents.

Children Watching TV in Cozy Retro Living Room. iStock.com.

The company wanted to expand its product lineup to include cable television. DirectLink was one of the first small independent or cooperative companies in the United States to successfully receive the then-required certificate of compliance from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Several Canbyites traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for DirectLink, including current Board Chair Roger Reif. After the certificate was granted, DirectLink received a low-interest loan from the Rural Electrification Act (REA) to build out the needed cable TV infrastructure.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s:

1980: Mount Saint Helens erupts.

Radio Shack late 80s/early 90s. flickr.com.

To further diversify service offerings in the wake of continued technological advancements, in 1983, the company began offering equipment and components. DirectLink began to sell telephones, key and card lock systems, burglar and fire alarms, and PBX phone systems (Private Branch Exchange) for local businesses.

Near the end of the 80s, the company partnered with Radio Shack to open a local franchise (stay tuned for more info next month).

Fun Facts of the 1980s:

1980: Compact Discs (CDs) start being sold in record stores.

Robert E. Allen President of AT&T between 1986 and 1988. nytimes.com.

Nationwide changes were underway that would permanently change the landscape of the telecommunications industry. American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) had become one of the largest corporations in the world since the invention of the telephone.

Originally called the American Bell Telephone Company in an ode to Alexander Graham Bell, AT&T became the parent company of the research and development arm (Bell Labs), telegraph communications (Western Union), manufacturing (Western Electric), and of course long-distance telephone calling.

By the mid-70s, AT&T’s long-distance system was used by over 90 percent of all households in the U.S. AT&T was the target of several antitrust lawsuits as folks claimed that their monopoly on the long-distance and telephone equipment industries was stifling innovation.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s:

1984: First Oregon lottery is ratified by voters.

An 1982 aerial view of the United States Capitol Building. archives.gov.

AT&T was the target of several antitrust lawsuits as folks claimed that their monopoly on the long-distance and telephone equipment industries was stifling innovation.

Oregon Senator Bob Packwood, the Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee at the time, proposed sweeping legislation that would allow AT&T to remain as a “dominant carrier” while allowing competition to enter the market.

Fun Facts of the 1980s:

1985: Microsoft releases the Windows operating system.

Telecom 1983, Geneva: The Exhibition. itu.int.

The bill passed the Senate 90-4 but did not make it through the House of Representatives. After years of antitrust litigation, AT&T agreed to a Justice Department proposal to break up into seven smaller regional companies known as “Baby Bells” in 1982.

One of these companies was the Denver-based US West, which eventually became Qwest and is now CenturyLink. This breakup of the AT&T corporation essentially allowed innovation to flourish, until wireless cellular technology started to replace landline telephones.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s:

1986: MAX begins light-rail train service in Portland.

Thanks for Reading

Come back next month to see more of DirectLink's history. We'll be adding more segments every month, decade by decade.

References and Sources

Mt. Angel Historical Society

Music

"In The Saloon" by PianoAmor from Pixabay

"Hyperfun" Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

"Poppers and Prosecco" Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

"On Hold for You" Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

"Lazy Bones Cheesy Jazz" by Geoff Harvey from Pixabay

"Ghost 50s Track" by James Milor from Pixabay

"British Invasion" by Vasileios Ziogas from Pixabay

"70's Music - Take Me Back" Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay

"80s Retrowave" Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha from Pixabay

Play music from this decade.

"British Invasion" by Vasileios Ziogas from Pixabay

"70's Music - Take Me Back" Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay

"80s Retrowave" Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha from Pixabay

1960 - 1969

1970 - 1979

1980 - 1989

US Landline Adoption Rate

1960

79%

1961

79%

1962

80%

1963

81%

1964

82%

1965

85%

1966

86%

1967

87%

1968

89%

1969

90%

1970

87%

1971

88%

1972

88%

1973

89%

1974

90%

1975

90%

1976

91%

1977

91%

1978

92%

1979

92%

1980

93%

1981

93%

1982

93%

1983

92%

1984

92%

1985

92%

1986

93%

1987

93%

1988

93%

1989

93%

Previous Next

120 Year Anniversary

Part 2: 1960s - Present

DirectLink is 120 years old! We want to take you through the history of DirectLink and how Canby Telephone Association and Mt. Angel Telephone Company evolved over the years and eventually came together. Decade by decade.

Skip to Decade:

1960 1970 1980

Click here for part 1 (1900-1950s)

Slide #01: Young woman from the 60s sitting in a vintage ball chair. iStock.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1960s

1960: U.S. census counts 1,768,687 Oregon residents.

1962: Terry Baker is Oregon’s 1st Heisman Trophy winner.

Slide #03: Suburbia, art by Carl Evers.

Slide #04: Oregon Columbus Day Storm. Credit Seattle Municipal Archives.

Fun Facts of the 1960s

1965: Congress passes the Voting Rights Act.

1966: The Astoria-Megler Bridge is completed, connecting Oregon to Washington over the Columbia River.

Slide #05: 1960s Computer Office. Library of Congress

Fun Fact of the 1960s

1967: Beach Bill is approved, ensuring public access to all of Oregon’s coastal beaches

1969: Department of Environmental Quality is created.

Slide #05: Couple in 1970s living room. Depositphotos.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s

1970: U.S. census counts 2,091,000 Oregon residents.

1971: Bottle and can deposit program approved.

Slide #06: Ivo Bauman (right) and his son Tom pose for a photo outside of the Mt. Angel Telephone building in 1981. Tom currently serves on the DirectLink Board of Directors.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s

1972: Pong is released on the Atari home game console.

1973: Tillamook State Forest is created.

Slide #07: Close-up of electric cables on the ground in a construction site. Credit iStockphoto.com.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s

1974: Oregon Health Sciences University is formed.

1976: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form Apple.

Slide #08: Home computer systems and computer store. Credit Library of Congress.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1970s

1977: Portland Trail Blazers win the NBA Championship.

Slide #9: Woman in 1980's fashion with old fashioned phone. iStock.com.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s

1980: U.S. census counts 2,633,000 Oregon residents.

Slide #10: Children Watching TV in Cozy Retro Living Room. iStock.com.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s

1980: Mount Saint Helens erupts.

Slide #11: Radio Shack late 80s/early 90s. flickr.com.

Near the end of the 80s, the company partnered with Radio Shack to open a local franchise (stay tuned for more info next month).

Fun Facts of the 1980s

1980: Compact Discs (CDs) start being sold in record stores.

Slide #12: Robert E. Allen President of AT&T between 1986 and 1988. nytimes.com.

Oregon Fun Facts of the 1980s

1984: First Oregon lottery is ratified by voters.

Slide #13: An 1982 aerial view of the United States Capitol Building. archives.gov.

AT&T was the target of several antitrust lawsuits as folks claimed that their monopoly on the long-distance and telephone equipment industries was stifling innovation.