The Long Lines site in Slater, Missouri was part of the AT&T (Bell System) Long Lines network between the 1950s and 1980s. The Slater site, like all other Long Lines microwave sites, relayed telephone and television signals via microwaves before they were discontinued in favor of fiber optics and newer technologies.
The Slater site is located on Highway P about four miles outside of Slater, only about 3/4 a mile from the Orearville School. Due to its location (being half-way between two major cities, Saint Louis and Kansas City, as well as having a spur line to Moberly and Kirksville), this site would’ve endured high traffic during its operation.
This site originally had two pairs of KS-15676 horns – one pointing towards Prairie Home and the other pointing toward Dover – before they were removed. There was also another hop to the northeast towards Roanoke (according to the 1966 map), but I don’t recall the antennas for that hop. I remember those horns, as well as a shrouded parabolic antenna pointing towards Dover, being heavily worn and damaged.
I grew up near this site and my parents drove by it every time we went to town. Although the tower always interested me (as I describe in this entry), I never knew what it was used for until recently when I learned about AT&T/Bell System’s Long Lines system. I remember the tower’s horns before they were removed, as well. My dad recalls AT&T and Southwestern Bell (SBC) trucks and agents working on the tower and inside the base building.
A strange fact about this tower would be its size. It’s short enough that it doesn’t require any obstruction lighting, but still bears the white/orange paint.
Like other Missouri sites – for example Prairie Home and Holts Summit – this tower’s base station is a basic white cinder block/concrete building, an outhouse, and a fenced area in which the tower’s base sits and the waveguides would run into the building through. This site would’ve originally been a remote – or un-manned – site.
Although the site was once owned by American Tower, the site is currently owned by a company called “Sedalia Smiles.” While your first thought would be some type of dentist, a preliminary search returned that they at least owned one other tower. Although the site seems to be unused and the tower vacated, this can’t be confirmed. Attempts to call the number on the door were futile; the number has been disconnected. There is also no FCC records on this tower. (The audio player below plays recorded audio from the attempt to reach the number on the door.)
Update (May 2022)
The purposes regarding the small parabolic antennas now attached to the tower may have been revealed.
Sedalia Smiles also owns another Long Lines site near Dayton, Missouri in Cass County. A viewer commented the parabolic dishes found on that tower — which match the ones found at Slater — are used for fixed wireless broadband internet service.
Update: June 22, 2024
I revisited the Slater site. Not much has changed, but the site has become extremely overgrown and continues to appear inactive.
I captured the below photos with my iPhone SE, second generation. While processing them, I ran a maprad.io search for this site — discovering an expired license for “Wireless Investments LLC” in the citizens’ broadband band. The license was active Oct. 5, 2016-Oct. 12, 2021.
The former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Slater, Missouri, seen June 22, 2024. Although bare looking, there are antennas on top of the tower along with some small parabolic down lower. The site is completely overgrown and appears to never be visited, although power was still present at the building. As a child, the five KS-15676 “Hogg” horn antennas on top of the tower and on the outrigger (middle right on tower in picture), along with the massive shrouded parabolic dishes intrigued me as a child decades ago. The antennas, removed sometime in the early 2010s, supported hops to Dover (west, two KS-15676 horns on left side of top platform along with a shrouded parabolic), Prairie Home (southeast, two KS-15676 horns on right side of top platform along with a shrouded parabolic), and Roanoke (northeast, single KS-15676 horn on outrigger).Some “welcoming” signs posted on the door of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site base building near Slater, Missouri, seen June 22, 2024. The bottom sign displays the name of the owner, Sedalia Smiles, and a disconnected phone number. The top sign is a familiar sight at Sedalia Smiles sites as a deterrent for vandals and thieves. An AT&T sign with the “Death Star” logo — similar to one I came across at the Holts Summit site — would have been hung in the unpainted portion of the wall right of the door.The eastern side of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay base building near Slater, Missouri, seen June 22, 2024. A boarded-up exhaust vent is seen in the middle left with a scoop hood, while grills below provided ventilation air. To the right of the ventilation intake grill is an air intake for the diesel generator that would’ve provided backup power in case of a main power interruption. The exhaust for the generator is above the intake. A nearly-identical site Slater had a link to, Prairie Home, was equipped with a General Motors diesel generator — the standard for most smaller, unmanned sites built in the 1950s-60s.Looking through the fence at a roof access ladder and waveguide racks at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Slater, Missouri, seen June 22, 2024.A view of the tower base and waveguide rack from the southwest at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Slater, Missouri, seen June 22, 2024. Note the small shrouded parabolic at the top of the photo, slightly right of center.A closeup taken June 22, 2024, of the waveguide rack that would’ve fed waveguides up to the antennas on the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Slater, Missouri. The waveguides were likely removed along with the antennas in the early 2010s. Wires feeding antennas on top of the tower are still fed through the rack. Like many other Long Lines site, old writing can still be seen on the racks. “Slate(r)” is visible on one of the diagonal braces of the rack. Call-signs are still visible on some parts of the rack, too.Looking up at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Slater, Missouri, on June 22, 2024. Aside from a couple antennas on top and a couple smaller shrouded parabolic antennas that appear to have possibly been decommissioned some time ago, the tower is pretty bare. There is no light on this tower because it is shorter than the FAA’s obstruction lighting guideline. Originally, this site was equipped with two KS-15676 horns and a shrouded parabolic antenna facing west (left) toward Dover, two KS-15676 horns and another shrouded parabolic facing southeast (right) toward Prairie Home, and a single KS-15676 horn on a lower outrigger (obstructed in this view) supporting a spur route to Roanoke.Another view of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Slater, Missouri, seen June 22, 2024, from the southeast. Four KS-15676 horn antennas on the top platform supported hops to Dover (bottom) and Prairie Home (top), along with shrouded parabolic dishes for each hop mounted below the platform. The outrigger platform nearly halfway up the tower pointing northwest (right) supported a single KS-15676 horn for a spur route to Roanoke. The horns and waveguide were removed sometime in the early 2010s.
Photos (July 2018)
This Long Lines site, like others here in Missouri, featured a basic, white concrete brick building with a door and some windows.
Through the door would’ve been some TD-2 radios, telephone equipment, the generator, and some other equipment and binders.
This side of the base station shows some of the interesting items. The big vent under the hood would’ve been an air intake for the exhaust fan. (These remote site buildings had no air conditioning.) You can see the exhaust stack for the diesel generator which this site would’ve originally been equipped with, along with the fresh air intake for the generator right below the stack.
The front door reveals the true owner of the site… Sedalia Smiles. Although that seems like the perfect name for a dentist or orthodontist office, a preliminary search returned that they own at least one other tower. Notice the unpainted cinder block where the “AT&T” sign would’ve likely went. (See the Holts Summit site to see the sign.)
The rear of the building reveals another door for entering the tower area, as well as a cage for the waveguides to run through into the building. This is a part of this site I never saw before.
Similar to other Bell Long Lines offices from around the nation, the Bell System allowed their technicians do their business in style with their own outhouses. Some of the “fancier” Long Lines sites had restrooms built in, some with incinerating electric toilets. Since this was a remote station, that luxury wasn’t included.
We’ve finally made it to the meat and potatoes… the tower! Missing from this tower is the four KS-15676 “cornucopia” horn antennas that was on this tower, as well as a parabolic dish on the side opposite from the camera. The lower (outrigger) spot would’ve been pointing at the Roanoke station, but it seems odd since there is no spot for another antenna pointing towards Roanoke to go. Hmm? Also note the waveguide holders.
This cable marker was found on the utility pole next to the driveway for the tower. The marker dates from the Southwestern Bell days. Those cables would’ve ran to and fro the tower site.
A much newer and nicer AT&T cable marker just down the road next to the Orearville elementary school. Note the tower in the distance.
A zoomed distant view at the tower, from nearly 3/4 a mile down the road. This tower is fairly short in comparison to the Prairie Home and Holt Summit towers that are downstream.
A Google Maps street view of the tower from August 2009 reveals how the tower appeared prior to the horn antennas being removed. The top horns facing the camera are pointed towards Prairie Home, while the top pair facing away are at Dover. The lower horn, on the outrigger, is pointed towards Roanoke. (Click on the image to view street view in Google Maps, which opens in a new tab.)
In “AT&T Long Lines – A Forgotten System”, I briefly discuss my personal connection to this specific site along with general information and history of the Bell System/AT&T’s Long Lines microwave relay network, and its deep impact on the telecommunications industry.
Photos taken July 16, 2018 using a Samsung Galaxy Express Prime 2. Updated 7-28-2021.
