The timeline of North American telegraphy is a chronology of notable events in the history of electric telegraphy in the United States and Canada, including the rapid spread of telegraphic communications starting from 1844 and completion of the first transcontinental telegraph line in 1861.

Timeline

Early events

* 1826-27:

Harrison Gray Dyar Harrison Gray Dyar (1805–1875) was an American chemist and inventor. Early life Dyar grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. As a young man he initially made a living as an apprentice watchmaker, working for the Concord clockmaker Lemuel Curtis ...

successfully experiments with electrical telegraphy but abandons the pursuit. * 1836:

David Alter David Alter (December 3, 1807 – September 18, 1881) was a prominent American inventor and scientist of the 19th century. He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Reformed Medical School in New York City. He had Ge ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

develops a working electrical telegraph system, but never develops the idea into a practical system. * Jan 1837:

Samuel Chester Reid Samuel Chester Reid (24 August 1783 – 28 January 1861) was an officer in the United States Navy who commanded a privateer during the War of 1812. He is also noted for having helped design the 1818 version of the flag of the United States, ...

proposes that the U.S. Congress fund an

optical telegraph An optical telegraph is a line of stations, typically towers, for the purpose of conveying textual information by means of visual signals. There are two main types of such systems; the semaphore telegraph which uses pivoted indicator arms and ...

(semaphore line) from New York to New Orleans.Hochfelder, David
The Telegraph in America, 1832–1920
p. 182 (2012) * Sept 1837: Morse employs

Alfred Vail Alfred Lewis Vail (September 25, 1807 – January 18, 1859) was an American machinist and inventor. Along with Samuel Morse, Vail was central in developing and commercializing American telegraphy between 1837 and 1844. Vail and Morse were the f ...

to improve his telegraph from demonstration purposes for a share of future patent rights. * Sept 1837:

Samuel Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

files for a patent for his electrical telegraph in the United States. * 6 Jan 1838:

sends his first public demonstration message over two miles of wire at Speedwell Ironworks in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. Morse also demonstrates his invention to the Franklin Institute and President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

in early 1838. * April 1838: Congressman Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith proposes to give $30,000 for Morse to build a line to demonstrate the telegraph, but the bill does not pass. * 20 June 1840: Morse obtains patent.Lester, C. Edwards
Our First Hundred Years: The Life of the Republic of the United States of America
p. 324 (1877) * 1843 :* 3 March 1843: The United States Congress appropriates funds for

to lay a telegraph line from Washington, D.C. to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

.Samuel F. B. Morse Papers at the Library of Congress, 1793 to 1919 - 1840-1872
Retrieved 7 April 2017 :*21 October 1843: Originally Morse decided to lay his wire underground, and asked

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as President of the New York Agricul ...

to lay the line using a special cable-laying plow that Cornell had developed. Wire began to be laid in Baltimore on October 21, 1843, but the project was stopped after 15 km of wire was laid because the line was failing. Morse learned that Cooke and Wheatstone in England were now using poles for their lines, and he decided to follow that lead. * 1844 :* 1 April 1844: Work begins in Washington on laying the line to Baltimore using poles. They used chestnut poles of seven meters in height, and 60 meters apart. Two wires were laid, Number 16 copper wire, covered by cotton thread with shellac, and a covering mixture of "beeswax, resin, linseed oil, and asphalt.". :* 1 May 1844: Test of line conveys news of the Whig Party's nomination of Henry Clay for U.S. President from the party's convention in Baltimore to the Capitol Building in Washington. :* 24 May 1844: Morse's first message over the Baltimore-Washington telegraph line, "What hath God wrought!" is transmitted, chosen from the Bible for Morse by Annie G. Ellsworth, because she knew Morse was religious. :* Summer 1844: To generate interest in building a line from New York to Boston, Cornell strings short exhibition line in Boston, from

School Street School Street is a short but significant street in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It is so named for being the site of the first public school in the United States (the Boston Latin School, since relocated). The school operated at various ...

and over Old City Hall to Sudbury Street, which generates public interest, but no investors. Cornell then sets up a similar exhibition in New York.

Spread of telegraphic lines

1845

:*1 April 1845: First public telegraph office opens in Washington, D.C., under the control of the

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsible ...

. The public now had to pay for messages, which were no longer free. :*15 May 1845: Morse forms the Magnetic Telegraph Company with

Amos Kendall Amos Kendall (August 16, 1789 – November 12, 1869) was an American lawyer, journalist and politician. He rose to prominence as editor-in-chief of the '' Argus of Western America'', an influential newspaper in Frankfort, the capital of the U.S ...

, Francis O.J. Smith,

, and Orrin S. Wood, with a goal to extend the Washington-Baltimore line to New York.Huurdeman, Anton A
The Worldwide History of Telecommunications
p. 61 (2003) :*16-18 September 1845: Orrin S. Wood builds a short telegraph line of about one mile from

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the fo ...

to the city fairgrounds (the site of that year's

New York State Fair The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New York's largest an ...

), for public demonstration.Gifford, S.B. (16 April 1901)
Early Days of the Telegraph
''Telegraph Age'', pp. 165, 357 :*September 1845:

Henry O'Reilly Henry O'Reilly (February 6, 1806 – August 17, 1886) was an Irish-American businessman and telegraphy pioneer. Early life O'Reilly was born in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland. He emigrated with his father to New York City in 1816, wher ...

commences building line intended to extend from Philadelphia to St. Louis. Work on first segment begins in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

, heading east to Philadelphia. :*October 1845:

Samuel Colt Samuel Colt (; July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of ...

partners with William Robinson (a New York book dealer) to form the New York and Offing Electric Telegraph Association. A line is laid from an observation tower built on

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

to Manhattan to get news from shipping traffic to the New York Mercantile Exchange more quickly. The first line laid across the East River from Brooklyn by Colt on October 23 or 24 quickly fails. The northern terminus of the line becomes the Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn, with news then ferried across the river. A second line across the East River at

Hell Gate Hell Gate is a narrow tidal strait in the East River in New York City. It separates Astoria, Queens, from Randall's and Wards Islands. Etymology The name "Hell Gate" is a corruption of the Dutch phrase ''Hellegat'' (it first appeared on ...

was operational by March 1846.Chapin, Charles L
Personal Recollections of the Early Days of the Telegraph
''The Manufacturer and Builder'' (September 1890)Lifshitz, Kenneth B. ''Makers of the Telegraph: Samuel Morse, Ezra Cornell and Joseph Henry'', pp. 245-46 (2017)(6 November 1845)
L.I. Telegraph
''New York Herald'', p. 2, col. 6.(27 October 1845)
Electric Telegraph
''American Republican''(30 May 1936)
Telegraph
''

Brooklyn Daily Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'', p. A86 (p 115 scan)(24 October 1845)
The Offing Telegraph
''New York Herald'' (reports that Colt succeeded in laying pipe across the river on the prior day, October 23)Brooklyn Affairs
''New York Daily Tribune'', p. 2, col. 6 ("Mr. Colt has abandoned his project of carrying the Offing Telegraph Wire across the bottom of the river, and it will not be carried over on poles from Fulton Ferry.")(9 April 1846)

''New York Herald'', p. 4, col. 6 bottom third (advertising new crossing of East River at Hell Gate)(26 October 1941)
Brooklyn One of the First Cities in World to Use Telegraph
''Brooklyn Eagle'' p. 8F (pdf p. 70) :*7 November 1845: Wood builds a line from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

Lockport, New York Lockport is both a city and the town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census figures, and an estimated population of 20,305 as of 2019. Its name d ...

(about 30 miles) that goes into operation on November 7 - the first line opened for regular commercial business. The first message announced the electoral victory of the Whigs in

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niaga ...

.Buffalo, N.Y., Local No. 41
''Commercial Telegraphers' Journal'' (June 1910, Vol. 8, No. 6), p. 189.
Scientific American
' (November 27, 1845), Vol. I, No. 11, p. 2, col. 5 near bottom ("Since the Telegraph from Buffalo to Lockport has been in operation the Lockport papers published western news twelve hours in advance of the mail.")The Magnetic Telegraph
''Scientific American'' (December 18, 1845), Vol. I, No.1 14, p. 3, col. 4 (anecdotes about early use of Buffalo-Lockport line)(10 November 1845)
The Telegraph between ...
''New York Daily Tribune'' (reporting that line between Lockport and Buffalo "was put in operation yesterday afternoon ..." as reported in the ''Buffalo Commercial Advertiser'' on unlisted date)(18 November 1845)
Magnetic Telegraph - Buffalo and Lockport
p. 1, col. 6 (reprint from November 15 ''Buffalo Advertiser'' about breaks in wire and poles being sawed down)Reid, James D
The Telegraph in America: Its Founders, Promoters, and Noted Men
p. 302 (1879)Buffalo Telegraphic History
''Commercial Telegraphers' Journal'', p. 189 (June 1910) :*November 1845: November 14, 1845 ''New York Herald'' notes another short planned line, the "Boston Marine Line", which, similar to the New York Offing Line would be a line from Nantasket outside Boston to inner Boston to transmit news from incoming ships.(4 December 1845)

''New-York Daily Tribune'', col. 3, near bottom ("The Magnetic Telegraph of Messrs. Hudson & Smith, from Nantasket Head to the Merchants' Exchange, is now nearly completed, and will be put in immediate operation.") In a letter to the ''Herald'' dated February 23, 1846,

noted that the Boston line had not yet been put into operation.Magnetic Telegraph
''New York Herald'', p. 1, col 5. :*24 November 1845: Line from

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

(about 35 miles) is completed, but not operational until January 8, 1846.Wilson, William Bender
From the Hudson to the Ohio
p. 32 (1902) :*November 1845: In the fall of 1845, the Magnetic Telegraph Company commences building a line from Philadelphia to New York. By early November, a 14 mile segment from Philadelphia to

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located along the Schuylkill River, approximately from the Philadelphia city li ...

had been laid, and opened due to great public interest in the work.Harlow, Alvin F
Old Wires and New Waves
p. 105-06 (Summer 1844 Boston line), p. 111 (Philadelphia to Norristown), 114 (Boston to Lowell) (1936), 172 (Coney Island line) Extent of North American telegraph lines at end of 1846

1846

:*8 January 1846: Line from

opens. The first telegram from Harrisburg to Lancaster was "Why don't you write, you rascals?"
Telegraphic Historical Society, p. 118 ("rascals") The line did not yet connect to Philadelphia, and only stayed in service until March 1, 1846; Harrisburg service restarted on October 5, 1846. :*20 January 1846: Philadelphia-New York line is completed to

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, and to

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, t ...

(just across the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

from New York City) two days later. Direct connection to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

is delayed due to failed attempts to extend wires across the river.Schwarzlose, Richard Allen
The Nation's Newsbrokers: The formative years, from pretelegraph to 1865
p. 44 (1989)Schwarzlose, Richard A
Early Telegraphic News Dispatches
(1973), p. 6.History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Volume 3
p. 2131 (1884)''Scientific American'' (12 February 1846), p. 2 (reporting on Albany-Utica and Philadelphia-Newark, and delay to New York due to Hudson River) :*31 January 1846: Line from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...

(96 miles) is open.''Scientific American'' (February 5, 1846), p. 2 col. 5 ("We are informed that the Telegraph between Albany and Utica is finished and has commenced operations. Several other lines are progressing.")14 February 1846
Magnetic Telegraph - Annihilation of Time and Space
''New York Herald'' (note that February 19 letter to editor clarifies there is no Boston to Nantucket line - it is to Nastasket)Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica, Volumes 1-5
p. 157 (1881) :*21 February 1846: Boston to

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as ...

line opens, with Sarah Bagley (generally credited as the first female telegraph operator) at Lowell end. :*22 March 1846: Boston line reaches

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...

.(23 March 1846
"The Mystic Meshes" of the Union-Magnetic Telegraph
''New York Herald'' :*26 March 1846: Boston line reaches

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

. :*7 April 1846: The New York and Offing Company (operating its short line to Coney Island for shipping news) opens an office in Manhattan in the ''New York Post'' building. :*13 April 1846: Line from Philadelphia to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

starts operations.Schartf, J. Thomas
History of Delaware : 1609-1888, Vol. II
p. 658 (1888) :*1 May 1846: Boston line reaches

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

about May 1. :*1 June 1846: Albany-Utica extends further west to

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city' ...

.Lee, Alfred McClung
The Daily Newspaper In America
p. 495 (1937) :*5 June 1846: With completion of link between

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, line from New York City to Washington, D.C. by Magnetic Telegraph Company is now operational.History of the Telegraph
History Wired (Smithsonian Institution), Retrieved 16 February 2015"The" Magnetic Telegraph Company - Anniversary of its Lone
''American Telegraph Magazine'' (April–May–June 1853) :*27 June 1846: Commercial line between New York City and Boston completed by F.O.J. Smith. On July 4, the next steamer from Europe to Boston (the Britannia) arrives. Does not appear that telegraph was used, and ''Herald'' reports how news traveled from Boston to New York in 10 hours. Next steamer (Cambria) arrives in Boston on July 18 and the New York papers use the new telegraph line. :*27 June 1846: First transmission over line from

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port ...

.(3 July 1846)
Another link in the chain
'' Geneva Daily Gazette'', p. 2, col. 5(27 June 1846)
'Lightning lines' in the United States
''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', p. 1, col. 1 (list of lines and status) :*3 July 1846: Albany line reaches

.Calvert, J.B.
The Electromagnetic Telegraph
last revised 26 December 2008) :*24 July 1846: Line from

Troy, New York Troy is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Huds ...

opens to

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

. Line is orphaned from larger network until Albany-New York City line opens on September 9.Weise, A.J
History of the City of Troy
p. 199 (1876)(30 July 1846)
Note
''Brooklyn Eagle'', p. 2, col 3 ("The telegraph between Troy and Saratoga, went into operation on Friday last.") :*September 1846:

connected to Philadelphia.The Magnetic Telegraph Office At Harrisburg
''Notes and Queries'' (1894) :*9 September 1846: Albany-New York City line opens. :*16 September 1846: Line from

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, ...

(43 miles) opens.(20 July 1846)
Telegraph from Ithaca to Auburn
''New York Herald''(30 September 1846)
Editorial Miscellany
''Northern Christian Advocate'' (

), p. 107, col.1 ("The Magnetic Telegraph from Auburn to Ithaca got into successful operation on the 16th inst.") Service is extended to

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 censu ...

later in the year.(2 December 1846)
Note
p. 2, col. 1, ''New York Post'' ("The telegraph wires have been extended from Ithaca to Elmira.") Elmira service stops after a few months due to lack of business; a new service begins in 1847.Janowski, Diane (24 April 2015)
Elmira telegraphs, telephones, took time
'' Elmira Star-Gazette'' :*5 October 1846: Harrisburg reconnected to service to Lancaster, and thus now to Philadelphia as well. :*19 December 1846: Line in the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

(about 40 miles) opens.Babe, Robert E
Telecommunications in Canada: Technology, Industry, and Government
p. 38 (1990) :*29 December 1846: Line from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is reached on December 26 and goes into service on December 29.Branch, E. Douglas
The Coming of the Telegraph to Western Pennsylvania
''Pennsylvania History'' vol. 5, no. 1, January 1938

1847

:* January 1847: The ''

New York Evening Express ''The New York Evening Express'' (1836–1881) was a 19th-century American newspaper published in New York City. Publication history The ''Express'' began publication on June 20, 1836, as the ''New York Express'', a Whig publication under the ...

'' uses the new Albany-New York telegraph line to beat the

pony express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pike ...

of ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

'' to press. :* 14 January 1847:

line is extended to

.Nova Scotia's Telegraphs, Landlines And Cables
''Acadian'' (1938) :* March 1847: Morse's Magnetic Telegraph Company buys the Baltimore-Washington telegraph line from the U.S. Government. :* By April 1847: Boston line extended to

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

.(31 July 1847)
Magnetic Telegraph (ad)
''Weekly National Intelligencer'', col. 6.Magnetic Telegraph
''Banker's Magazine and State Financial Register'' (June 1847), p. 731 (list of lines in operation as of April 1, 1847) :*21 April 1847: Service to

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg w ...

from Washington is established.(22 April 1847)
First (and welcome) Bulletin by the Magnetic Telegraph from the South
''The Daily Union'' (Washington, D.C.), p. 3, col. 2(23 April 1847)
Note
''Richmond Enquirer'' :* 10 May 1847: New line from Philadelphia opens to

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

.History of Berks County in Pennsylvania, Volume 1
p. 473 (1886) :* 17 May 1847: Line from

reaches

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of t ...

, the intended ending point of this new line.Publications of the Historical Society of Schuylkill County, Volume 4
p. 6 (1912) :* 8 July 1847: Telegraph station opened at

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

(then Virginia).The Telegraph in American and Morse Memorial
/ref> :* 25 July 1847:

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

reached from Washington, D.C. line.(27 July 1847)
Lightning Despatch
''Richmond Enquirer'' :* 3 August 1847: Toronto line extended to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

by the Montreal Telegraph Company (which had hired Orrin S. Wood). :* 5 August 1847: Station opened at

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...

. :* 11 August 1847: Station opened at

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. :* 20 August 1847: Eastern line reaches

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

.Scharf, J. Thomas
History of Saint Louis City and County, Vol. 2
pp. 1424 et seq. (1883) :* August 1847: Line from Pittsburgh reaches

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

.TELEGRAPHY AND TELEPHONES - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Retrieved 5 April 2017 :* 4 September 1847: Leg from north reaches

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...

.Scharf, J. Thoma
History of Baltimore City and County
p. 507 (1881) :*17 September 1847: First transmission to

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

.Early Dayton
p. 193 (1896) :*29 September 1847: Station opened at

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...

. :*2 October 1847: Toronto-Montreal line opens line to

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

.A Sketch of our Telegraph System
p. 3 (1883) :*12 October 1847: Line to

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflu ...

put into service.(13 October 1847)
By Telegraph
''Broome Republican'', p. 2, col 6 ("Our first report by telegraph came through yesterday at 3'clock ....")(1 August 1847)
Binghamton Telegraph
''Broome Republican'', p. 2, col. 3.(6 October 1847)
Note
("The telegraph wires, we understand, are all up o Binghamton..."), ''Broome Republican'' :*26 November 1847: Line leg between

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur ...

and

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

opens.(30 November 1847)
Telegraphic
''Tri-Weekly Journal'' (Evansville, Indiana) :* 29 November 1847: Line completed from

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, an ...

.Harrison, Jon (29 November 2016)
November 29, 1847 : Michigan's First Telegraph Line Completed, MSU Libraries
/ref> :* 1 December 1847: On Southern project, line segment between

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

and

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

opens. :* 6 December 1847: Line from east has reached

. :* 20 December 1847: Line operations from east reach

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

. :* 25 December 1847: Michigan line reaches

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...

1848

:* 1 January 1848:

O'Reilly O'Reilly ( ga, Ó Raghallaigh) is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaelic origin, who were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin Bréifne kindred a ...

Line reaches

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

.Nelson's Biographical Dictionary
p. 484 (1896) :*15 January 1848 Line opens from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

.Hoyt, Homer
One Hundred Years of Land Values in Chicago
53 (1933) :*21 January 1848:

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America ...

Cheraw, South Carolina Cheraw ( , ) is a city on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2020 census. The greater Cheraw area in the zip code 29520 has a population of 13,689 according to the 2019 ACS ...

leg operational.(22 January 1848)
First Despatches by Magnetic Telegraph From and to Fayetteville
''The North-Carolinian'' :*28 January 1848: Chicago line extended east to

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City- La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined st ...

.Goodspeed, Weston A
The History of Cook County, Illinois
p. 134 (2017) :*2 February 1848: Line from

opens through

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. Line enters

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

at Bennington and passes through

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

, Castleton, Whitehall,

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

, Brandon, Middlebury, and Vergennes. It was soon after carried through to

via St. Albans.Thompson, Zadock
History of Vermont
p. 63 (1853) :*14 February 1848:

connected to line from the North. :*1 March 1848: Eastern lines reach

.Detroit in History and Commerce
p. 153 (1891) :*March 1848: Line from

crosses

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

to St. Louis, Missouri. Storm on 4 May 1848 topples one of the masts used to string wire across the river. :*6 March 1848: Line extended to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. :*6 April 1848: Chicago line is attached to eastern line network via Detroit.History of the Board of Trade of the city of Chicago, Volume 1, Part 1
p. 135 (1917) :*7 April 1848: Line from Nashville extended south to

Tuscumbia, Alabama Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423. The city is part of The Shoals metropolitan area. Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller, who lived at ...

. :*1 June 1848:

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

reached by wire. :*18 July 1848:

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

reached with completion of link between

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of G ...

and

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the Gulf Coastal Plain, coas ...

's completion of the line from Richmond, Wilmington, Charleston, Montgomery, Mobile, and New Orleans.Cotterill, R.S
The Telegraph in the South, 1845-1850
The South Atlantic Quarterly, Volume 16 (1917) :*12 August 1848:

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

reached. :*December 1848: Line from

extended through

Belfast, Maine Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay and Penobscot Bay. Belfast is the county seat ...

and

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

. Belfast-to-Bangor leg opened on 23 November 1848.Williamson, Joseph
History of the City of Belfast in the State of Maine
p. 595 (1877) :*28 December 1848: Leg between

Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the third least-populous city in Maine (after Hallowell and Eastport). The city has three Canada–US border cro ...

and

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of ...

(80 miles) is operational.(5 January 1849)
The Electric Telegraph
''Weekly Chronicle'' (Saint John)

1849

:* 20 January 1849: After many trials, the line from Baltimore to New York City is finally extended across the

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. :* 13 February 1849: Line from Boston reaches

with completion of leg to

, and this spurs the start of the Nova Scotia Pony Express to take news from European steamers' first port of call in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...

. The ship ''Europa'' that reached Halifax on February 21, 1849, was the first to carry news that used the pony express.Blondheim
News Over the Wires
p. 81 (1994) :* 1 May 1849: Southern line at

extended north to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

.Georgia History Timeline / Chronology 1849
Retrieved 24 April 2017 :* 11 October 1849: Line reaches

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

. :* 17 October 1849: Extension of Boston line to

Sackville, New Brunswick Sackville is a town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It is home to Mount Allison University, a primarily undergraduate liberal arts university. Historically based on agriculture, shipbuilding, and manufacturing, the economy is now driven ...

used to transmit new Halifax news. :* 9 or 14? November 1849: Telegraph lines reach

, ending the short-lived Nova Scotia Pony Express :* 15 November 1849: First steamer to arrive in Halifax from Europe has news telegraphed directly to New York.

1850s

:*1850: About 12,000 miles of line from 20 companies now exist in the United States. :*29 March 1850: Line reaches

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activit ...

. :* 1851: The New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company, which later became

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company cha ...

, is organized in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. :* May 1851:

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

reached by line.Watson, Alan D
Wilmington, North Carolina, to 1861
p. 175 (2016) * 22 September 1853: First line in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

opens between Lobos Hill and Telegraph Hill, superseding a four year old optical line. * 26 October 1853: Service extended from San Francisco to San Jose, Stockton,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, and Marysville. * January 1854: Service from Sacramento extended east to

Mormon Island, California Mormon Island was once a mining town, which had an abundance of Mormon immigrants seeking gold in the American River during the California Gold Rush. Its site is in present-day Sacramento County, California. History Early in March 1848, W. Si ...

, Diamond Springs, California, and

Nevada City, California Nevada City (originally, ''Ustumah'', a Nisenan village; later, Nevada, Deer Creek Dry Diggins, and Caldwell's Upper Store) is the county seat of Nevada County, California, United States, northeast of Sacramento, southwest of Reno and northea ...

. * 14 February 1854:

Marshall, Texas Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Marshall was 23,392; The population of the Greate ...

connected to Louisiana line.Telegraph service
Texas State Historical Association Handbook, Retrieved 17 April 2017 * Later 1854:

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding G ...

, and other Texas towns reached by telegraph line. * 1855: Internal service within

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

begins, with link between

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

and

Oregon City, Oregon ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

.Terry, John (22 October 2011)
First delivery of news to Oregon by telegraph was news in itself
''The Oregonian'' * 1856: Service within Oregon extended south to Corvallis. Link to San Francisco not completed until 1864 (see timeline). * 1856: In the far northeast, submarine cable is laid across the Cabot Straight from

Aspy Bay Aspy Bay () is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean near the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Principal features along the bay's coast are the Wilkie Sugar Loaf hill and the Aspy Fault. Communities along the bay include Smelt Brook, White ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

to Cape Ray in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. A land line from Cape Ray is also run to St. John's. This eventually led to news boats being stationed off

Cape Race Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", mean ...

to get news from European steamers before they reached Halifax.Transatlantic Telegraph - Cabot Strait Telegraph Cable 1856
newscotland1398.net, Retrieved 23 January 2019(28 May 1859)
Boarding European Steamers Off Cape Race
''Daily Press'' (Cincinnati, Ohio) (from ''Boston Traveler'')(20 September 1860)
Advantage of the Cape Race News Enterprise of the Press
''New York Herald''

Spread to continental and intercontinental service

* 1858 :* 4 August 1858: Line from San Francisco opens north to

Yreka, California Yreka ( ) is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States, near the Shasta River; the city has an area of about , most of it land. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,807, reflecting a meager increase fr ...

(about 190 miles north from Marysville).(7 August 1858)
Northern Telegraph Line
''Shasta Courier'' :* 16 Aug 1858: The first

transatlantic telegraph cable Transatlantic telegraph cables were undersea cables running under the Atlantic Ocean for telegraph communications. Telegraphy is now an obsolete form of communication, and the cables have long since been decommissioned, but telephone and data a ...

between North America and Europe starts operation, but fails after three weeks; a reliable new cable is not established until 1866. :* 30 August 1858: First service to

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the stat ...

.(4 September 1858)
Another Cable Triumph
''Richmond Daily Dispatch'' :* October 1858: Line reaches

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census wa ...

. :* 29 November 1858: Line from

Placerville, California Placerville (, ; formerly Old Dry Diggings, Dry Diggings, and Hangtown) is a city in and the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,747 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,389 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sa ...

east to

Genoa, Nevada Genoa is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. Founded in 1851, it was the first settlement in what became the Nevada Territory. It is situated within Carson River Valley and is approximately south of Reno. The popula ...

(then Utah Territory) completed by

Frederick Bee Frederick Alonzo Bee (傅列秘) was an early opponent of Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States. He was a California Gold Rush pioneer, miner, merchant, manager of the Pony Express, builder of the telegraph over the Sierras, developer of Saus ...

.(10 November 1861)
History of the Pacific Telegraph
''Marysville Daily Appeal''(30 November 1858)
The Telegraph Finished to Genoa - First Telegram from that place
''Daily Alta California'' :* 20 December 1858: Line west to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

from

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri S ...

is completed.Whitney, Carrie Westlake
Kansas City, Missouri: Its History and Its People 1808-1908, Volume 1
p. 145 (1908) * 1859 :* Mid 1859: Western United States line reaches east to

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on th ...

and to

Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

by latter part of the year. :* 15 August 1859: Eastern lines reach

Atchison, Kansas Atchison is a city and county seat of Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri ...

.History of Atchison County, Kansas
p. 183 (1916) * 1860 :* 3 April 1860 The

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pike ...

starts operations, running from St. Joseph, Missouri (where the rail and telegraph lines from the east ended) to

(Sacramento to San Francisco leg by steamer, rest by horse). :* 3 April 1860 Line starts operating from

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...

to St. Louis, Missouri via Bolivar and Jefferson City. The line was later extended to

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington unt ...

and

Ft. Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

. The road from St. Louis to Springfield to Ft. Smith was known as Telegraph Road or Wire Road, later

Old Wire Road The Old Wire Road is a historic road in Missouri and Arkansas. Several local roads are still known by this name. It followed an old Native American route, the Great Osage Trail across the Ozarks and became a road along a telegraph line from St ...

. :* 28 August 1860: Line from St. Joseph, Missouri, constructed by W.H. Stebbins, reaches

Brownville, Nebraska Brownville is a village in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 142 at the 2020 census. History Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population ...

, and communications commence the next day.Brownville history
Retrieved 24 April 2017 :* 29 August 1860: Line reaches

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

.Gale, George
Upper Mississippi Or Historical Sketches
p. 445 (1867)Blegen, Anne H
The Early History of the Telegraph in Minnesota
''Minnesota History'' 8 (June 1927) :* 1860: Nebraska line reaches

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

. :* 8 October 1860: San Francisco-Sacramento line extended all the way to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and starts service. :* Mid-October 1860': Western line is extended east to Fort Churchill.(8 October 1860)
Arrival of Immigration and Stock at Miller's Station - Exteension of the Telegraph
''Sacramento Daily Union'' (reporting that easternmost telegraph station will move from Miller's Station to Fort Churchill, 20 miles east, the next week) This is as far east as line reaches before work to finish transcontinental line start in July 1861. :* 31 October 1860: Nebraska line reaches west to Fort Kearny,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

.Morton, J. Sterling et al
History of Nebraska
p. 84 (Rev. ed. 1918)(1 November 1860)
Telegraph to Ft. Kearny
''Nebraska Advertiser'' (Brownville, Nebraska)(2 November 1860)
From the Plains
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' :* 14 November 1860: Line opens in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

*1861 :* March 1861: The

reduces it route from

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. :* 4 July 1861: Work to complete the

first transcontinental telegraph The first transcontinental telegraph (completed October 24, 1861) was a line that connected the existing telegraph network in the eastern United States to a small network in California, by means of a link between Omaha, Nebraska and Carson City, ...

begins, with James Gamble in charges of the western crew starting in Nevada, and Edward Creighton heading the eastern crew. :* 20 July 1861: In the west, a California newspaper reports that line has now reached fifty miles east of Fort Churchill (in Nevada). The State Telegraph Company was sending one of their best operators to the eastern end so that news from the Pony Express could be immediately transmitted, and this plan would continue as the line advanced east. The portion of the line to be constructed west from Salt Lake City was starting to haul poles along the route and waiting arrival of wire from the East. In the East, the paper reported that wire should be up to Julesburg (now far northeast

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

), two hundred miles west of

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...

by August 1.(14 August 1861)
Progress of the Pacific Telegraph
''

'' (reprinted from '' The Alta California'') :* 25 July 1861: In west, transcontinental line reaches Middle Gate Station on the Pony Express line, 75 miles east of Fort Churchill.(27 July 1861)
Extension of the Telegraph
''Daily Alta California'' :* 5 August 1861: A team laying wire reaches

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

from the east.Fort Laramie
Retrieved 24 April 2017 :* 21 August 1861: California newspaper reports that its latest news from the Pony Express came from the Willow telegraph station 50 miles west of Fort Kearney, and then traveled by horse to the Dry Creek station, 168 miles east of Fort Churchill. The total gap between ends of the line was now about 1,159 miles, not counting the unconnected section under construction from Salt Lake.(21 August 1861)
Progress of the Overland Telegraph
''Daily National Democrat'' (Marysville, California), p. 2, col. 3. :* 17 September 1861: In west, telegraph line is operational to Diamond Springs (Nevada) station on Pony Express. Messages from San Francisco can now reach New York in six days.(18 September 1861)
Extension of the Overland Telegraph - Dispatches Overtake the Pony
''Daily Alta California'' :* 20 September 1861: Eastern line operational to a point 120 miles west of Fort Kearney.(23 September 1861)
From California
''Washington Evening Star'', p. 3, col. 4 near bottom :* 28 September 1861: California newspaper reports that line from Fort Kearney, Nebraska has reached about 200 miles west to Julesburg. Another eastern work team has reached 300 miles east from Salt Lake City, only about 200 miles west of Julesburg. In the west, the line has been completed to

Ruby Valley {{coord, 40.400, -115.300, display=title Ruby Valley is a large basin located in south-central Elko and northern White Pine counties in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. From Secret Pass it runs south- ...

(now Nevada, then Utah Territory), somewhat over 200 miles to reach Salt Lake. (The distances reported in the article are not exact.) The total gap in telegraphic connection between west and east is now about 550 miles, which the Pony Express can normally cover in less than four days.(28 September 1861)
The Overland Telegraph Line - Four Days to New York
''Daily Alta California'' :* 2 October 1861: Newspaper report shows eastern line now operating through Sweetwater Station (near Independence Rock in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

).(10 October 1861)
Note
''Smoky Hill and Republican Union'' ( Junction City, Kansas) :* 17 October 1861: A link between line headed east from

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

is joined to the eastern line at

Fort Bridger Fort Bridger was originally a 19th-century fur trading outpost established in 1842, on Blacks Fork of the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. It became a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, C ...

. Creighton telegraphs his wife "in a few days the two oceans will be united."Mullens, Patrick A
Creighton: Biographical Sketches ...
p. 18 (1901) :* 18 October 1861:

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as chu ...

sends first official telegraph message from Salt Lake City to the eastern United States. It is sent to Jeptha Wade, the president of the

Pacific Telegraph Company The Pacific Telegraph Company was one of the organizations responsible for constructing the telegraph line which resulted in the first transcontinental telegraph network in the United States. The company built the section of line between Julesb ...

. On the same day, Frank Fuller, acting governor of Utah, sent a message to President Lincoln.Spencer, D.S
Utah and Telegraphy
in ''Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine'' (October 1910), pp. 167-69. :* 24 October 1861: The

across the United States is completed at

, causing the

to close two days later. * 10 October 1863: Line opens to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

.Telecommunications History Group
Retrieved 6 April 2017 * March 1864: Service from San Francisco reaches north to

. * 25 October 1864: Service reaches north to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

.Lange, Greg (4 November 1998)
Telegraph line reaches Seattle on October 25, 1864
''Historylink.org'', Retrieved 14 January 2019Banel, Feliks (18 October 2017)
'Victorian Internet' hits Seattle October 1864
''MYNorthwest'' * 1865:

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

is formed * 18 July 1866: A new

between North America and Europe is successfully completed. * 1870: Telegraph lines from Britain are connected to India. * 20 November 1871: Service to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

opens.(20 November 1871)
Today in History
''Winnipeg Free Press'' * 1871: Practical duplex telegraphy system, allowing two messages to be sent over wire at the same time, one in each direction. * 1872:

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

reached by telegraph line.Communications in Dallas
Texas Historical Markers * October 1872: Australia is linked to the world system by a submarine telegraph line between Darwin and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). * 1874:

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

sells his invention of

quadruplex telegraph The Quadruplex telegraph is a type of electrical telegraph which allows a total of four separate signals to be transmitted and received on a single wire at the same time (two signals in each direction). Quadruplex telegraphy thus implements a fo ...

to Western Union for $10,000. It allows a total of four separate signals to be transmitted and received on a single wire at the same time (two signals in each direction.) * October 1902: The first trans-Pacific line links Brisbane, Australia to Vancouver, Canada (via Fiji and Norfolk Island).Australia and the global telegraph network 1854-1902
, ''Museum Victoria'', Accessed 16 February 2015

End of telegraph era

* 27 January 2006:

discontinues telegram services.Freierman, Shelley
Telegram Falls Silent Stop Era Ends Stop
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Indian company BSNL continues telegraphic service into 2013.Jeelani, Mehboob (18 June 2013)
Twilight of India's Telegram Operators
''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:North American telegraphy Culture-related timelines History of the telegraph