During the next ten years local residents became interested in telephones, and on April 20, 1895, the Journal stated: "Some five or six houses northeast of town are connected by telephone with a line four or five miles in length, the Lees, Kingdons and others being on the line." The Journal didn't say so, but that telephone line was actually an insulated barbed wire fence, held up high by taller poles at either side of the gates and crossroads.
Charles M. Westcott was granted a franchise in December, 1896, and installed a few telephones, with his hardware store as headquarters, but discontinued it after a few years. Dewitt York perhaps was the first person in El Paso to install his own telephone, if his tin cans and wire combinations could be dignified by that name. According to A. E. Smith, it connected his home and barber shop, and you could talk over it. L. J. Sturm reported that the Sturm, Van Meter and Hodgson barns were connected with the same type of telephone service before the conventional types were installed in homes, the builders of the line using directions from a popular magazine.
James Carroll was local manager for the Peoria and Eastern Co., a part of the Bell system, which had its office in the North Building, south of the T. P. & W. railroad on Elm Street. Minnie North was one of the operators. It published a list of thirty-two patrons on September 9, 1899, which included many business houses but very few homes. At this time the rates were set by the city council for various utilities, and this company later raised its rates, contending they had purchased the franchise on June 6, 1898 originally granted the Central Union Co. which had no rate stipulation; consequently, they claimed they were not bound by the requirements. This brought about litigation and the Peoria company discontinued its service around 1900.
Dr. R. E. Gordon had early recognized the importance of this new medium and he experimented with equipment rented from the Farr Construction Supply Co. In 1898 he acquired two transmitters and two receivers, paying a rental on the Bell patent, and connected them with wires between his home and office. This was successful, so he contacted others in, the community who were interested in such communication. The first group included the families in Panola Township