Long Lines Site: Cole Camp, MO

The former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri, was a part of the AT&T Long Lines microwave relay system — which was used by the Bell System to relay telephone calls, television broadcasts and other data from coast to coast between the 1950s to 1980s-90s in the United States.

The Cole Camp site was located along the Kansas City-Halifax route through Missouri. The site had two hops: one to the northwest to Windsor, and another to the east to Barnett. (The tower has lower outrigger platforms for additional horns. It may have been possible additional hops were added, although the 1979 map shows the site as still only having two hops to Barnett and Windsor. These horns may have also been used for spacial diversity due to the surrounding rough terrain.)

The site consists of a hardened concrete building found elsewhere along this route, such as in Holden and Brinktown. Most sites along this route were developed/constructed in the mid-1960s. As such, Cole Camp is absent from the 1960 map but is listed as “active” in the 1966 map. Also located on the site is a newer prefabricated base building, which is likely used for cell repeater equipment.

Today, the site is owned by Sedalia Smiles — the same firm that owns the Slater and Dayton sites. According to a Twitter user, the Dayton site is used as a wireless broadband base site. Cole Camp may be used for the same purpose. As with Dayton and other facilities owned by Sedalia Smiles, the Cole Camp site has fallen into disrepair. The concrete main building has become overgrown with vegetation.

Cole Camp is registered on the FCC ASR (Antenna Structure Registration) database with registration number 1005489. The site is listed as being constructed in 1964 in the ASR database, which is likely accurate.

Photos: August 2022

The photos were submitted by C. Vance, who also photographed the Dayton and Oak Grove sites. He has listed these photos under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Creative Commons license.

A view of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Cole Camp, Missouri, from a distance. (Photo: C. Vance)
A view of the concrete main building for the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri. (Photo: C. Vance)
A sign on the front of the main entrance to the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri, reveals its owner: Sedalia Smiles. (Photo: C. Vance)
The “blast shield” on the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri. Behind the shield is the generator air intake, with the exhaust/muffler seen directly above the shield. (Photo: C. Vance)
An air intake vent on the Cole Camp, MO AT&T Long Lines site. (Photo: C. Vance)
The generator exhaust on the Cole Camp, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site. (Photo: C. Vance)
Another entrance into the main building at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri. The building is heavily overgrown with vegitation. (Photo: C. Vance)
The outhouse for the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri. (Photo: C. Vance)
A small prefabricated building sits right next to the base of the tower at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri. The prefabricated building likely houses cell repeater equipment. (Photo: C. Vance)
A view of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Cole Camp, Missouri, from another angle. (Photo: C. Vance)
A photo of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Cole Camp, Missouri. According to the 1979 map, the site had two hops: one to the northwest to Windsor, and one to the east to Barnett. (Photo: C. Vance)
A close-up view of the top of the tower at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Cole Camp, Missouri, reveals some hints at its modern purpose: a cell and two-way repeater site. Parabolic dishes on top, cell repeaters below, and dipole arrays at the bottom of this photo. (Photo: C. Vance)

Photos submitted Aug. 28, 2022, by C. Vance.

Page published Sept. 15, 2022. Last updated: Nov. 20, 2022 (added Creative Commons notice).