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Dear Reader,
Telephone service was first brought to Denver, Colorado in 1879 through a man by the name of Frederick O. Vaille. A recent Harvard graduate, Vaille enlisted the help of Henry R. Walcott and Sam Morgan in creating a franchise of the American Bell Telephone Company. They garnered 161 customers, lines were strung, and the Denver Telephone Dispatch Company was born. It seemed like a budding operation, but then Western Union introduced the Colorado Edison Telephone Company, using superior equipment and technology, including a transmitter that had been invented by Edison. Surrounding areas such as Golden, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo were the recipients of this new endeavor. In retaliation, the Denver Telephone Dispatch Company sued the Colorado Edison Telephone Company for patent infringement and won. Offshoots of the Bell Company sprung up, and these companies eventually formed a company called Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Service (MST&T). Several of their buildings still exist and are on the national historic register.
On another note, from the various incidents in the story, you can probably tell the mystery in An Agent for Sarah was difficult for me to pinpoint. The culprits used guerilla-type tactics to weaken their target. Many of us, including myself, have been victims of such behavior from individuals who, for whatever reason, view us as enemies and can attest to the fact that these tactics are very effective at reducing confidence in one’s abilities and overall performance. With God’s help, we can overcome.
I want to thank the members of my reader group as well as members of the Pinkerton Matchmaker group on Facebook for helping me with the various facets of this story, and for Theresa B. for sharing her fabulous idea of having Sarah lift her skirt a fraction to distract Derrick during their race. This book involved a lot of research, and I hope that it accurately reflects the mood and atmosphere of American culture in the 1870s. Stay tuned for Amy’s story, coming in July 2020!
Julia
