The Transcontinental Telegraph - Nevada Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

History sign outside the fenced ruins of the old Cold Springs Telegraph Station. There is also at least one sign inside the fenced area. A telephoto image of the sign provided the following text about the Cold Springs Telegraph Station:
"Although the exact date of the construction of this facility is unknown, it was built sometime in 1861 just before the Overland Stage Station, quarter mile southwest of here. Like the stage station and the Pony Express station one and a half miles east of here, the telegraph station was constructed of volcanic lava rock from the surrounding area. This station was active until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869. At that time, the telegraph lines were moved to follow the route of the rails, and the station was abandoned."

Marker Title (required): The Transcontinental Telegraph Marker Text (required): On June 16, 1860, Congress passed a bill to subsidize the construction of a transcontinental telegraph line between the Missouri River and the Pacific Coast. Constructed in 1861 with lines extending from Omaha to Carson City, then connecting to local networks, the first high-speed link between the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts was established. Such instant communication between distant points was a modern miracle. Before the telegraph, coast-to-coast communication depended on the speed of either horses or ships. The Pony Express took eleven days to carry mail just from Missouri to California. Ships, having to travel around the southern tip of South America, required 45 days. The telegraph cut the time to minutes. Revolutionizing Communication The telegraph was invented by Samuel F.B. Morse, who was an artist rather than a scientist. Beating scientists to the punch, Morse figured out how to send impulses through wires over long distances. To be able to “talk” with someone on the other end of the wires, Morse devised a code system utilizing combinations of dots and dashes that represented letters of the alphabet. This is now known as Morse Code. The completion of the transcontinental telegraph line and its ability to send messages in minutes brought the Pony Express to a quick end. Did You Know? Although the telegraph was incomparably faster than the Pony Express, it was very expensive — as much as 75 cents per word! County (required): Churchill Marker Type (required): Metal Plaque Other Marker Type (optional): NA Is Marker Damaged? (required): No Other Damage Type (optional): NA Marker Number (If official State Marker from NV SHPO website above, otherwise leave blank): Not Listed URL - Website (optional): Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/05/2016 Volcanoguy visited it