Portland, Oregon and Oregon Prefixes one 6 digit prefix in the 70s

[markosjal]

So when I was a kid , I used to spend a lot of time phreaking and playing  from a Pacific Northwest Bell line. Back then, in the early 70s I made an odd discovery that haunts me to this day. This was a Portland, OR line when the entire state was 503 area code.

Officially (503) 922 NXXX was assigned to Umatilla or Pendleton Oregon which was at the other end of the state, and long distance from me in (503) 777.

I discovered however I was able to dial 922 XXX (just six digits , when 7 digit local dialing was required) and it would ring and I would get an answer often times.  Now I was in the (503) 777 prefix when I used to play with this most  but I am almost certain that it also worked from other prefixes as well. I might have considered this a carryover from 5 digit dialing such as was used in Seaside Oregon at least until the 1980s , however there was no 792 prefix in Portland at that time that I was aware of. Maybe however the 922 was pre-pended with a 2 which represented the first digit of the majority of Prefixes in Portland? This would have possibly meant that these calls were going to 292 prefix on the other side of town?

So this remains a perplexing question that maybe some old phone guy here may have some insight into. I am very curios to know why this was the ONLY prefix I could dial 6 digit numbers on and where the hell those calls went.

Thanks

Mark

[poplar1]

Was 777- a step-by-step central office?
Perhaps you were reaching 792-xxxx, if 7 was absorbed repeatedly by the 1st selector in your c.o.. Or, you were reaching a c.o. where the incoming first or the second selector absorbed a digit, thus allowing you to omit that digit. 9[5]2-2xxx where the call switched on 9 (connected you to the incoming 1st SEL at the other office), then 5 (or whatever the assigned 2nd N of the NNX) was absorbed at the 952 office.

[Alex G. Bell]

So when I was a kid , I used to spend a lot of time phreaking and playing  from a Pacific Northwest Bell line. Back then, in the early 70s I made an odd discovery that haunts me to this day. This was a Portland, OR line when the entire state was 503 area code.

Officially (503) 922 NXXX was assigned to Umatilla or Pendleton Oregon which was at the other end of the state, and long distance from me in (503) 777.

I discovered however I was able to dial 922 XXX (just six digits , when 7 digit local dialing was required) and it would ring and I would get an answer often times.  Now I was in the (503) 777 prefix when I used to play with this most  but I am almost certain that it also worked from other prefixes as well. I might have considered this a carryover from 5 digit dialing such as was used in Seaside Oregon at least until the 1980s , however there was no 792 prefix in Portland at that time that I was aware of. Maybe however the 922 was pre-pended with a 2 which represented the first digit of the majority of Prefixes in Portland? This would have possibly meant that these calls were going to 292 prefix on the other side of town?

So this remains a perplexing question that maybe some old phone guy here may have some insight into. I am very curios to know why this was the ONLY prefix I could dial 6 digit numbers on and where the hell those calls went.

Thanks

Mark

Was it necessary to dial "1" to make a toll call outside the local Portland area?

How do you know you were reaching Umatilla or Pendleton Oregon?

Line #s are always 4 digits.  So if you dialed 922 XXX you were reaching 92-2XXX with a 3rd unknown office code digit, probably X92-2XXX.

[markosjal]

I have no idea what kind of switching was used I was only a kid.

There was no 792 prefix in Portland at that time. So I think the theory that dialing 92 took me to 792 is not likely, but I suppose it could have been taking me to 292 prefix as the original prefixes in Portland (Pacific Northwest Bell) I believe mostly began with 2, excepting the prefix I was dialing from 777 and a few others.

Local calls were 7 digits NXX XXXX , no 1 or other digit(s) were required all of Portland was 7 digits

I do not know where I was calling but 1 503 922 XXXX would have dialed the other side of the state.

i was calling 922 XXX , not 7 digits and without 1

[Alex G. Bell]

I have no idea what kind of switching was used I was only a kid.

There was no 792 prefix in Portland at that time. So I think the theory that dialing 92 took me to 792 is not likely, but I suppose it could have been taking me to 292 prefix as the original prefixes in Portland (Pacific Northwest Bell) I believe mostly began with 2, excepting the prefix I was dialing from 777 and a few others.

Local calls were 7 digits NXX XXXX , no 1 or other digit(s) were required all of Portland was 7 digits

I do not know where I was calling but 1 503 922 XXXX would have dialed the other side of the state.

i was calling 922 XXX , not 7 digits and without 1

The question was NOT whether you had to dial 1 within Portland.  The question was whether you had to dial 1 to reach the rest of the state, or if not 1, then what?  It's unlikely you dialed the entire state on a 7-digit basis.

[Phonesrfun]

503-777 (Prospect) was probably crossbar in the '70's  Chuck Irwin would know for sure.  Perhaps Phil McCarter would too,

I have never been to the Prospect office but I grew up in SE Portland where our phone was in the Alpine exchange 503-254, then later switched to a new crossbar 503-761 exchange which I did visit once.

[SUnset2]

This may be getting a little off topic, but here is something that came from the PRospect exchange in Portland.

[markosjal]

This may be getting a little off topic, but here is something that came from the PRospect exchange in Portland.

I do not mind the off topic AT ALL in this case. I like it!


Phonesrfun
You know I have an uncle that Still has the Same Portland ALpine 2 number since the 1950s and still a copper line. Coincidently it was his basement where I had my first collection of antique phones stolen from.

[Babybearjs]

Mark, check with Phil... he still works for Centurylink there in Oregon, maybe he knows....

[Russ Kirk]

This little goody I have from Jan 1966 might help.