The Telephone Girl

The telephone girl sits still in her chair.
She listens to voices from everywhere.
She knows who's happy and who's got the blues,
And who's got a sweetheart and all kinds of news.
She knows all our sorrows, she knows all our joys.
She knows every girl who is chasing the boys.
She knows all our trouble, she knows all our strife,
She knows every man who is mean to his wife.
She knows every time we are out with the boys,
She knows the excuse each fellow employs.
She knows every woman who has a dark past.
She knows every man who's inclined to be fast,
In fact there's a secret 'neath each saucy curl,
Of that quaint and demure looking telephone girl.
She could keep the whole town in a terrible stew,
If she'd tell the truth of what she knew.
Now doesn't it set your head in a whirl
When you think what you owe the telephone girl!

 

Telephone Operators

St. Ansgar, Iowa 

Hegland, Alice
*Mae, Annie
Priem (Miller), Selma
Welch (Bunker), Mabel 
Bernstein (Mueller), Rose
Burroughs (Albertson), Belle - Nov 1, 1920 to Dec 1, 1920
Dodge, Abigail
Wilke, Magdalene -- Nov 1, 1916 to Jan 1, 1919
                  Mar 15, 1920 to Sept 15, 1920
                  Oct 1, 1920 to ?
Tollefson, Mae -- Apr 1, 1917 to ?
Simmering, Emma -- July 1, 1917 to Apr 1, 1918
                  Jan 1, 1919 to July 1, 1921
Baldner (Dahn), Sadie -- Apr 1, 1918 to Nov 1, 1920
Rowland (Nobles), Katherine - June 1, 1920 to Oct 1, 1920
Winer (Schroeder), Lillian - Dec 1, 1920 to May 1, 1921
Feldt, Ella - May 1, 1921 to ?
Winer, Thelma - July 1, 1921 to ?
Robertson, Esther - July 1, 1921 to ?

         ------------------------------------------------

NOTE: There were operators in St. Ansgar until 1954 when an
automatic telephone exchange was installed.  At that time, all
of the old "magneto" (crank) phones where removed,
and dial phones were installed.  Belle Albertson was an
operator up until that time, as I recall. -- K. Kittleson


NOTE: According to Vivian DuShane, Della Assorson (Mrs. Alfred) was a
chief telephone operator in St. Ansgar for many years, in the late 1920's
and 1930's.

 

 

Source unknown.
HTMLization by Kermit Kittleson, 8/2001
Updated 8/10/2002