Calling Nowhere

Why would there be a phone booth in the middle of the desert?

1 At some point following World War II, a phone booth was installed in the Mojave Desert, 12 miles from the nearest interstate. It seems like an odd location for a phone booth, but there are two mines in the area, and the phone was originally installed for use by the miners and their families.

2 Godfrey Daniels, a computer programmer from Arizona, heard about the phone from a friend. He had the number and decided to call it one day, just to see if anyone might answer. He didn’t really expect a response, and sure enough, there was no answer when he called.

3 After dialing the number periodically, he was shocked to hear a busy signal one day. He assumed that there was a problem with the line, but he kept calling anyway. After several tries, someone actually answered the phone. Daniels spoke with a woman who worked at one of the mines. She lived in a remote area without phone service and used the phone for making calls.

4 Daniels loved the idea of a phone in the middle of nowhere. He was even more fascinated with the idea that someone might actually be available to answer the phone in such a remote place. He posted the phone’s number on the Internet, and people began calling it. Just as Daniels was intrigued by the idea of the phone booth in the middle of the desert, so were the callers who had visited his website.

5 Daniels eventually traveled to Southern California to visit the booth himself. Evidently, he wasn’t the only person to have that idea. As more people heard about the Mojave Desert phone booth, tourists decided to visit the secluded location. People who called the phone began to frequently hear a busy signal. When someone answered the phone, he or she had the opportunity to speak with callers from all around the United States, as well as Germany, England, Italy, France, Australia, and South Africa.

6 What did strangers find to talk about during these unusual calls? They usually identified themselves and discussed where they were calling from and how they had heard about the phone booth. One thing people love about the Internet is how it seems to make the world feel smaller. Maybe in some small way, the Mojave Desert phone booth accomplished the same thing.

7 In May of 2000, the National Park Service and Pacific-Bell, the owner of the phone booth, made the decision to remove the booth. The National Park Service felt that the area was receiving too much traffic as a result of all the publicity surrounding the booth. They were worried that it might somehow damage the environment, and they felt that it was their responsibility to protect the land of the Mojave Desert National Preserve.

8 Today, the place where the booth once stood is marked by a simple tombstone. People who don’t know that it was removed still call the number. There is no disconnect message on the line. The number just rings and rings, as the caller waits patiently for someone to answer.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

130

1. How did Godfrey Daniels publicize the Mojave Desert phone booth?

2. Do you think the National Parks Service and Pacific-Bell made the right decision to remove the phone booth? Explain.

3. What happens if someone calls the phone booth today?

4. Why was the phone booth originally installed?

5. On the lines below, write the main idea of paragraph 6.

Write T before the sentences that are true. Write F before the sentences that are false.

6. _____ The phone booth was originally intended to be used by miners.

7. _____ The phone booth is still in working order today.

8. _____ Godfrey Daniels posted the number of the booth on the Internet.

9. _____ The phone booth was located in Arizona.

10. _____ People seemed to like the idea of connecting with others in faraway places.

11. If the phone booth was still in place today, would you want to call the number? Explain.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

131