Pinnacles Telephone Co.
About Us
Our History
Rex Bryan got started in the phone business in 1953.
At that time there were about 50 small companies in the
state. The number now is far less. While many of
the larger phone companies had thousands of subscribers,
Bryan's phone company had 180 subscribers.
Growing up on the family farm several miles south of
Paicines, Rex Bryan knew the area as well as any
resident. His father, Ellis Bryan, a merchant marine,
settled there in 1907 with his young bride he had brought
back from the north island of New Zealand. He
purchased this 100 acre parcel of land for $4,000. The
Bryan farm specialized in dairying, chickens and alfalfa,
giving Rex a strong background in agriculture. Farming
was just a part of why Rex loved this property, but it was
the telephone company that piqued his interest.
In 1953, Rex and his brother Loren took over the management
of Butts Telephone Company, owned by William Butts.
Soon the two brothers negotiated to buy the William Butts
Telephone Co. for $500. In those days there was
a single line which handled three to four carrier
channels. Each could handle about ten
subscribers. The subscribers shared party lines which
in many cases was the way of socializing.
The Bryan brothers' business partnership lasted until
1958. Rex bought out Loren's share, dividing up the
100 acre family farm. Loren got the larger share,
while Rex got the telephone company plus some 40 acres of
the farm land. Rex, while growing alfalfa, also ran
the phone company. About the same time Rex bought out
the neighboring New Idria phone line from Lily Berg, and
changed its name to the Bryan Telephone Co. There were
about 30 subscribers on the New Idria line, comprising of
people who worked for Idria quicksilver mines together with
area farmers and oil-producing families.
There was a lot to do, more than one-person could handle, so
Rex hired three to four people to help him out, particularly
to run the plow for laying cable. His wife Martha, who
had grown up nearby, did the company's secretarial work
until her passing in 1984. At that time Rex hired a
secretary to take over some of the tasks while Rex continue
to do much of the bookkeeping himself.
Rex's two sons were included in the company, now named
Pinnacles Telephone Co. at the time of incorporation and
remained stockholders until Bryan brought them into the
business in 1992. The oldest son, Steve, had been an
electrical engineer in San Jose area, and Harvey, who had
been helping in the outside plant maintenance as well as
working in the service industry in Hollister became an
integral part of the telephone company. During this time,
Harvey's wife, Rosemary did much of the secretarial work.
They all worked together until their dad's passing in
1999. Steve and Harvey took over the business and
continued to grow the company with the same personalized
service that their father was so proud of. When Harvey
decided to retire several years ago, Steven Bryan Jr. heard
the call, and left his career as an Engineer to work with
his father, Steve. Just like his father, he never
thought that he would work at the Pinnacles Telephone Co.,
but the memories of summer vacations at the ranch, and
helping his grandfather, Rex, made this decision an easy
one. Steven now works side-by-side with his father
Steve. They continue to modernize and upgrade
equipment.
References:
Alta Vista, The Sunday Herald Magazine
He Owns The Phone Phone
Company.
Sunday, March 18, 1995
By Judy Karas
Our Vision
To provide personalized, excellent services to our neighbors and subscribers.