History of Huxley Communications Cooperative

In the early 1900s, a group of industrious and curious central Iowans heard about a new invention making it possible for people to talk over wires. New gadgets were bought and formed into a mechanism hooking telephone lines together. The excited gentlemen decided on a ring code to signal each other to carry on their conversation, most commonly spoken in Norwegian.

In 1902, an area in the back of the A. E. Nass Hardware Store was designated for the switchboard and operator with each phone line having a dedicated ring. The system evolved. Through the next years, the switchboard moved around town as space became available. When the operation moved into The Bank of Huxley, a new switchboard was installed. It was equipped with 12 country lines and 32 in-town “drops.” One popular toll-free circuit was provided to Slater while a toll line was also installed to Nevada where connections could be made to Des Moines.

• 1916 Huxley Mutual Telephone Company was formed.
• 1933 The building was bought where the switchboard was located and still is today! -- 102 North Main Avenue
• 1937 Reorganized as a cooperative and renamed: Huxley Cooperative Telephone Company
• 1956 Board meeting voted to install the dial telephone system, eliminating the need for operators
• 1972 Larger equipment room was added, consolidating all machinery under one roof
• 1976 Purchased the Kelley Mutual Telephone Company, added 150 customers and raising the total to 1200 people serviced.
• 1978 Tone dialing was added.
• 1980 Business office was temporarily moved across the street for a raze and rebuild of the office building.
• 2001 Changed name: Huxley Communications Cooperative reflecting wide range of communication services available
• 2002 Expands by offering all its services to the towns of Slater and Cambridge being the first telecommunications company in Iowa to install fiber-to-the-home technology.
• 2005 Once again expands to offer all its services to the communities of White Oak and Elkhart by installing a state-of-the-art fiber optic network.

Huxley Communications Cooperative includes low rates and cooperative allocations, equipment options and installation, and access to state-of-the-art technology. In addition to significantly lower rates, the Cooperative issues annual member allocations that dramatically reduce your cost of overall service. The attached cost comparison demonstrates the thousands of dollars in savings compared with surrounding telephone companies. These are dollars saved that go right to your bottom line.

The Huxley Communications Cooperative gives customers the best products and services in telecommunications technology while benefiting the membership by operating a successful coop. With its recent focus on expansion and community growth, Huxley Communications now services over 2000 households in seven central Iowa communities and rural areas. Huxley Communications became the first telephone company in Iowa to launch fiber-to-the-home technology. While providing state-of-the-art technology and delivering outstanding customer service, Huxley Communications is also very active in its communities, contributing annually to community-based, non-profit organizations.