The world's first long-distance telephone line, established in 1877, connected French Corral

French Corral

French Corral is an unincorporated community in Nevada County, California, United States, off State Route 49 via Pleasant Valley Road, and northwest of Nevada City....

 with Bowman Lake (previously known as French Lake) at the headwaters of the Yuba River

Yuba River

The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...

. It was strung across trees and poles for a distance of 60 mi (96.6 km) in Nevada County, California

Nevada County, California

Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of California, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2010 its population was 98,764. The county seat is Nevada City.-History:Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County....

, passing through Birchville

Birchville, California

Birchville is a former settlement in Nevada County, California. Birchville is located north-northeast of French Corral. It was situated at an elevation of above sea level....

, Sweetland

Sweetland, California

Sweetland is a former settlement in Nevada County, California. Located approximately east of Marysville, It is situated at an elevation of above sea level.-History:...

, North San Juan

North San Juan, California

North San Juan is a census-designated place in Nevada County, California, United States, along State Route 49 on the San Juan Ridge in Gold Country. The zip code is 95960...

, Cherokee, North Columbia

North Columbia, California

North Columbia was a California Gold Rush town on the San Juan Ridge in Nevada County, California. Originally known as Columbia, Columbia Hill, or The Hill because of its proximity to Columbia Hill, it started as a gold miners' camp around 1851...

, Lake City, North Bloomfield

North Bloomfield, California

North Bloomfield is a small unincorporated community located in Nevada County, California, United States, northeast of Nevada City, California....

, Moores Flat

Moores Flat, California

Moores Flat is a former settlement in Nevada County, California. It is situated at an elevation of above sea level. Moores Flat is located on the north-northeast of North Bloomfield....

,
Graniteville

Graniteville, California

Graniteville is a small, unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Nevada County, California, United States. The town is located on a ridge separating the Middle and South Fork of the Yuba River, northeast of Grass Valley...

, and Milton.

The line was operated by the Ridge Telephone Company for the service of Milton Mining and Water Company, as well as other water companies. The line was an improvement over the system used in nearby Downieville, California

Downieville, California

Downieville is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Sierra County, California, United States. Downieville sits at an elevation of...

.

Historical landmark

The site is now a California Historical Landmark. The marker is inscribed:

WORLD'S FIRST LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE LINE


The first long-distance telephone in the world, built in 1877 by the Ridge Telephone Company, connected French Corral with French Lake, 58 miles away. It was operated by the Milton Mining Company from a building on this site that had been erected about 1853.

See also

• History of the telephone
• Timeline of the telephone
  Timeline of the telephone
  Below is a timeline of the telephone that covers many important dates in the history of the telephone.- 1844 to 1875 :* 1844: Innocenzo Manzetti first mooted the idea of a “speaking telegraph” ....