California State Telegraph Company facts for kids

The California State Telegraph Company was an important business that helped connect people across California using telegraph lines. It started by offering telegraph service between San Francisco and Marysville, California. By 1861, the company had grown a lot. It reached places like Los Angeles in the south, Yreka in the north, and Fort Churchill in the east. It grew by taking over other telegraph companies in California. This was partly because it had the special right to use Morse's telegraph technology.

In 1861, the company helped create the Overland Telegraph Company. This new company built part of the telegraph line that led to the first telegraph network across the United States. The California State Telegraph Company later became part of the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1867. Its lines then became part of Western Union's network in the Pacific region.

How the California State Telegraph Company Started and Grew

Building the First Telegraph Line

On May 3, 1852, the California government made a special law. This law gave Oliver C. Allen and Clark Burnham the only right to build and run a telegraph line. This line would connect San Francisco and Marysville. They created the California Telegraph Company and started building that fall. But a fire and not enough money stopped their work.

The next year, in 1853, the company was restarted with a new name: "California State Telegraph Company." This new company took over the special right given to Allen and Burnham. They began building on September 1, 1853. Just a few weeks later, on October 24, the line was finished! This new line allowed people to send telegraph messages between San Francisco and Marysville. It went through cities like San José, Stockton, and Sacramento.

Joining Forces with Alta California Telegraph Company

The Alta California Telegraph Company was another early telegraph company in California. It first ran a line between Sacramento and Nevada City. Later, it added service to other mining towns and cities. In July 1856, this company finished a line between San Francisco and Sacramento. This line reached San Francisco by going through Benicia and Oakland. It even used special underwater cables to cross the Carquinez Strait and San Francisco Bay.

Sometimes, these underwater cables caused bad connections. So, in 1857, they decided to replace the connection between Oakland and San Francisco. They would use a new cable strung on poles around the bay. Since the State company had the only right to telegraph communication between San Francisco and Marysville, they sued the Alta company. This lawsuit wasn't settled until 1863. The Supreme Court of California then said that the State company's special right was legal.

Both the State and Alta companies used telegraph machines based on Samuel Morse's inventions without permission at first. But the State company eventually bought the special right to use Morse's invention in California. After this, the State company and Morse sued the Alta company for using Morse's technology without permission. In July 1860, a court ordered the Alta company to stop using Morse's technology. Newspapers thought this would make the two companies join together. Facing more legal problems, the Alta company agreed and merged with the State company in 1860.

Growing Bigger: Other Telegraph Companies Join In

During the 1850s, other telegraph companies started up. They offered service to different parts of California and even into nearby Utah Territory. The State company used its special rights to Morse's invention to buy and combine these companies. This combining of companies also helped them get the money needed to build a telegraph line all the way to the eastern United States. The State company officially reorganized in April 1861. Their new company papers showed their much larger service area. All these mergers were finished by May 1861. The companies that joined the State company at this time included:

The Northern California Telegraph Company

The Northern California Telegraph Company started in 1856. Its goal was to build and run a telegraph line north from Marysville to Yreka, in Siskiyou County. The line from Marysville to Shasta was completed on April 17, 1858. The company first planned to build from Shasta to Yreka along the Sacramento River. But they changed the route to go through Weaverville, Trinity Center, and Scott Valley. In August 1858, the line reached Yreka. This connected northern California with Marysville. Later in 1858, the company finished a line between Marysville and Sacramento.

The Northern company did not have the right to use Morse's equipment in California. So, the State company and Morse sued them in December 1860. By May 1861, the Northern company's line had become part of the State company.

The Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Company

The Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Company was created to build and run a telegraph line between San José and Los Angeles. They also planned to continue it to the eastern United States along the Butterfield Overland Mail route. The line reached Los Angeles on October 15, 1860, but it did not go any further east.

The Placerville and Humboldt Telegraph Company

The Placerville and Humboldt Telegraph Company was started in 1858. It aimed to build and run a telegraph line from Placerville, California, along the Central Overland Route to Salt Lake City. Since this company's line would go into Utah Territory, the Utah government created the "Placerville, Humbolt and Salt Lake Telegraph Company." This company was controlled by the same people as the California company. Frederick Bee was the president of the company. The first telegraph poles for this company were put up on September 2, 1858, in Placerville. The line was finished to Genoa on November 29, 1858. It reached Carson City in August 1859 and ended at Fort Churchill in October 1860.

The Placerville and Humboldt company did not have the right to use Morse's equipment in California. So, the State company and Morse sued them in May 1860. By April 1861, plans were being made for the Placerville and Humboldt company to join the State company.

Connecting the Country: The Transcontinental Telegraph

In April 1861, the California State Telegraph Company helped create the Overland Telegraph Company. This new company was responsible for building the telegraph line from Fort Churchill, Nevada, east to Salt Lake City, Utah. In Salt Lake City, it would connect with the line of the Pacific Telegraph Company. This connection completed the First transcontinental telegraph, linking the East and West Coasts of the United States.

Becoming Part of Western Union

In 1866, the Western Union Telegraph Company bought a major share of the California State Telegraph Company. Then, in May 1867, the State company stopped operating on its own. Its telegraph lines became part of Western Union's Pacific Division.