Grandfather Abram Hey, 1908
"We delivered milk using horses probably till 1930 or near there. We did not turn to trucks at once because the horses would follow the driver to the right spot if he went to the customers at the other end of the block. When we did buy trucks it was found they were just as fast if not a little faster. One driver was a real pal to his horse. The horse got lame and we swapped with a farmer where he would not have city pavement work. In a couple of weeks the horse got loose and as the driver had left our barn for the route, the horse, on arriving at the barn, found the wagon gone and went around the route till he found the driver. We swapped back." (from "The Story of My Lifetime of 86 Years," by Clement Hey.
Note on photo: For years this photo existed with the back of the wagon cropped. My mom found a negative and I had a print enhanced in sepia for hanging in my shop. And to our surprise, the entire wagon, uncropped, was on the negative. You are looking at the enhancement in sepia.)
After the 1894 Bell patents expired, local companies competed with AT&T. These companies' systems were unconnected, and businesses were obliged to own numbers for "Both Phones" if all their customers were to be able to call them.