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“Bell Telephone Magazine” (1922), image from Bell telephone magazine, published by American Telephone and Telegraph Company (contributed by Prelinger Library; digitized by Internet Archive Book Images), Public Domain (U.S.). Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Telephone lines stretch over Argentine Pass in 1922, at an elevation of more than 13,000′.

Area codes

By Jon Pinnow
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The telephone was patented in 1876, the same year Colorado became a state. 161 early adopters picked it up in Denver soon after. By 1929, Mountain Bell had built an ornate gothic tower in downtown for the advent of direct dialing. But within decades, switchboards were swamped with long-distance calls. To allow national direct dialing, area codes were deployed. After Delaware’s “302,” Colorado got "303," and it covered the state for 40 years. But numbers kept growing. In 1988, “719” came to southeastern Colorado. Then “970” to the west. Landlines, faxes, modems, pagers, a proliferation of cell phones: “720,” “983,” “748." Still the numbers grow — and migrate. An area code now doesn’t necessarily say where you are. But it may show where you started.

The words "Colorado Postcards" overlaid on top of a sun beams

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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.

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