POTEAU POWERS UP – LIGHTS, WATER, TELEPHONE!

Poteau was quickly becoming the most important city in what would become eastern Oklahoma.  By the end of 1906, the thriving town would be as modern as any found in the rest of the country. 

The Poteau Telephone Company

Stringing up telephone lines across Indian Territory was not an easy task.  Since this land was owned by Native Americans, companies had to gain permission from the United States Government, as well as permission from the Native American government that owned the land. 

One of the first telephone lines in Indian Territory was built by E. D. Hicks in the year 1886, ten short years after the invention of the telephone.  This line ran from Tahlequah to Muskogee, and was, in those days, quite a feat of accomplishment.

This primitive line was mostly hung on trees, with a few trees cut for poles where native trees were not available.  In securing the consent of the Cherokee tribe to build the line, it was with the understanding that it should not parallel any roads or paths.  Consequently, it was built through the forest and from tree to tree in a very crooked and disorderly manner, without any surveys or other plan being attempted than the running of a wire.

Installation of telegraph and telephone in Oklahoma was made easier by the Indian appropriation act that was approved March 3, 1901.  This authorized the Secretary of the Interior to grant rights of way through any Indian reservation or Indian tribe within the Indian Territory. 

It literally took an act of congress to allow the railways to construct lines throughout Indian Territory.  This act empowered the railroad companies "with the right of locating, constructing, equipping, operating, using, and maintaining a railway, telegraph, and telephone line through the Indian Territory".  Each railroad company that wished to establish a line through Indian Territory had to make a special request to the U.S. Government. 

When the St. Louis and San Francisco and the Kansas City Southern railroad companies constructed railroads through Poteau, they established telegraph lines that ran the length of the railway.  These telegraph lines were used for the sole purpose of communicating between depots, mainly for safety reasons. 

By 1902, the Poteau Telephone Company was busy erecting telephone poles along the St. Louis and San Francisco right-of way for an extension of the telephone line from Poteau to Cameron.  Additional lines were also run from Hackett City and to Fort Smith.  At the same time, the company was in the process of securing a franchise from both Congress and the Choctaw nation in order to operate the phone company within the town of Poteau. 

The Poteau Telephone Company secured this franchise in 1904.  By this time, the company had run slightly over 36 miles of telephone line that connected Poteau with many of the surrounding towns. 

Typically, Small towns had the telephone switchboard installed in the operator's home or in a prominent business.  The switchboards were used to connect one phone line to another.  The person making the call would pick up the phone and be greeted by an operator.  They would then tell the operator whom they were trying to reach.  The operator would then connect two wires on the switchboard to establish the connection.

In Poteau, this small switchboard was most likely installed either at the St. Louis and San Francisco depot or in the McKenna building, since that building also contained the federal courthouse.  Very few residents had personal telephone lines, so one had to travel to the closest business that had a telephone in order to make a call.

This served Poteau well for a number of years.  Because of Poteau’s rapid expansion through the 1910’s, it soon became apparent that this system had to be upgraded.  By 1916, the Poteau Telephone Company had established a massive switchboard on the second floor of the building located on the corner of Dewey Avenue and S. McKenna.  By this time, the majority of Poteau residences had telephone service and could quickly connect with anyone throughout the country in moments.

Poteau Water Works

Prior to 1906, residents and businesses in Poteau had to rely on well water for their water supply.  Simply getting enough water for cooking could be a major chore. People would sometimes have to walk several blocks to get to the closest well.  Once there, a mechanical water pump would be used to fill their wood buckets.  After the buckets were filled, they would once again begin their trek back to their home or business.  Most often, children would be sent several times throughout the day to fetch water. 

While bringing back the water was a chore, the task was easy work compared to building the well.  Once a suitable site for a well was found, the man of the house set about digging. 

The wells were dug by hand, using a pick and shovel.  Many times, a pulley system was devised to help haul out the dirt and rock.  A simply A-frame would be constructed over the top of the well.  A horse would be used to pull a rope that ran through the pulley installed on the frame, effortlessly raising the bucket to the surface.

The deeper the well went, the harder it was to dig.  Compacted dirt and rock were sometimes impossible to move.  One landowner, desperate to water his stock, used dynamite to shake the rocks and dirt loose.  During those days, this was a common practice.

Wells were shored up with whatever material was at hand.  Brick or rock was preferred, but scrap wood was also used.  These wells were dug anywhere from 30 to 100 ft. deep.  When they got to the ground water level and the water came in they just keep digging.  When the water got over their heads, they dived in to scrape the buckets as full as they could get them.  Finally, when they could go down no farther, they simply had to settle for what amount of water they had in the hole.  Many times, it could take several months to get the hole dug out.

Later, the wells were dug with a drive point.  A drive point looked like a long spike with a sharp end on it.  It was pounded into the ground.  It was then raised up and dropped down the hole.  This was repeated until the depth needed was reached.  Using a drive point was a tremendous improvement over the hand digging.

With Poteau’s rapid expansion, it was obvious that the town could not rely on wells and cisterns alone.    Gerhard H. Witte, Poteau’s first elected mayor, was aware of the problem and decided to act.  One of the chief events of his administration was the voting of bonds for the construction of municipal water works.  Public works projects such as water treatment plants and sewage removal aided a lot in curbing sickness and disease.

In 1906, the O'Neill Engineering Company operating out of Dallas, Texas, secured the contract to construct Poteau’s municipal waterworks.  The cost of this construction would add up to close to $80,000.

The Poteau water works pumping station was located one mile north of the post office at the edge of Poteau Lake.  Water was pumped from the lake through two 8" pipes into the pumping station, where it was cleaned and processed.  The pump station ran on coal-heated steam and could pump 300 gallons per minute.  In order to supply the city of Poteau with water, the pump only had to be operational two days out of the week.

From the pump station, the water traveled south into Poteau through a single 8” water pipe.  Six-inch lines were laid down the center of the main streets in Poteau. 

Although most business and homes had access to a water supply at first, it would still take several years before many buildings would be outfitted with indoor plumbing.  For several years, most of the population still depended on outdoor privies and washbasins.

The Poteau Electric Light Company

With the coming of the Poteau Electric Light Company, the town would enter in to a heightened age of energy and prosperity.  

In the early days, residents of Poteau had to rely on kerosene or gas lamps for lighting in their homes.  Simply keeping a house lit during the night was a big chore.  A story states that, “My mother wrote that in the morning when daylight came, her grandmother would check the wick of the oil lamp and trim off the charred top with scissors.  Next, she would top up the oil.  Then she would wash the globe with soap and water using a wash-leather, and then polish it with a duster.  If there were any sooty smears left, she would polish it repeatedly.  This was to make sure that the lamp gave out as much light as possible.” 

While homes mainly had to rely on kerosene lamps, the town’s government and industry relied heavily on gas lighting.  An old photo dating back to the early 1900’s shows a large gas light on the corner of Dewey Ave and McKenna.  Even though this is the only photograph that shows gas lighting in use, it’s almost certain that the city used this type of lighting elsewhere.  Compared to kerosene, gas was much more cost efficient for extended periods. 

This all began to change in 1906.  That year, Poteau’s city council granted a twenty-year franchise to R. C. Alexander, of Abilene, Texas, for an electric light and power system in that city.  Almost immediately, work began on an electric generating station.  Within a few months, electric poles and telephone poles began to dominate the sky above Poteau.

Even though oil lamps were the main source of lighting in rural areas up until the 1930’s, Poteau’s newfound fascination with electricity seemed to take over.  New electric lights began replacing the older, more costly gas lamps. The carbon incandescent, or “hot hairpin in a bulb,” had been in use for several years prior to this.  Cities found a new brightness in the electric arc lamp.

All along Dewey Avenue, electric streetlights were being installed on either side of the road.  By 1908, the downtown streets of Poteau .were finally well-lit during the night time darkness. While the Poteau Electric Light Company helped make the town a little brighter, they also provided new ways for companies to conduct business.  Mills and factories began to use electric motors instead of steam.

The Poteau Electric Light Company quickly expanded.  They installed an ice plant in 1907, and by 1910, they began moving forward with a massive electric light, water and ice plant for the newly named Poteau Electric Light and Ice Company.  This new plant, designed by engineers H. L. Nichols and company of Muskogee would be built at a cost of $15,000.  The plant would continue to serve Poteau and the surround area for many years.