Western Union Telegram

Letter

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Kaysville - Fruit Heights Museum of History and Art

Name/Title

Western Union Telegram

Description

Western Union Telegram sent to J Forest Barker on October 20, 1961, from P. L. Lane of the Western Union Telegraph Company.

Context

Barker was a native of Kaysville and a principal at Hilltop School, Layton, Utah, when the telegram was sent. He was asked to encourage his students to celebrate the centennial of the completion of the transcontinental telegraph by viewing a television special entitled "The Singing Wires." Another Kaysville native, David Kinyon Egbert, was trained in telegraphy and earned a position with the Union Pacific Railroad Company as an operator in Woods Cross and was later transferred to the Kaysville office. His duties were of a telegraph operator, ticket and freight agent. Source: Memories from Sketch of the Life of David K. Egbert written by his son Albert Leroy Egbert, Sr.

Collection

Forest Barker Collection

Web Links and URLs

https://hub.catalogit.app/11021/folder/entry/195179b0-f254-11f0-bafe-f91f90b082b2

Copyright

Copyright Holder

Kaysville-Fruit Heights Museum of History and Art

Restrictions

Use of the image reproduction is limited to non-commercial, educational and personal purposes with citation directed to Kaysville - Fruit Heights Museum online catalog.

Research Notes

Research Type

Researcher

Notes

The centennial of the telegraph in Utah is marked by the completion of the first transcontinental telegraph line on October 24, 1861. This historic event connected California to the existing telegraph network in the eastern United States, revolutionizing communication and allowing for almost immediate communication between the east and west coasts. Utah played a significant role in this development, with the Pacific Telegraph Company completing its line from Omaha, Nebraska, to Salt Lake City, and the Overland Telegraph Company from Carson City, Nevada, to Salt Lake City. The completion of this telegraph line was a major engineering feat and marked a pivotal moment in the history of communication in the United States. Accessed online January 15, 2026 at Only In Your State site.

Research Type

Researcher

Notes

A Deseret News article printed on February 2, 2006, stated, “Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.”