What was the named telephone prefix where you live(d)?

In Wildcatville, before the phone numbers became all numbers, the named prefix was WIldcat.

A Linfield grad, who grew up in Lakewood (Pierce County), Wash., remembers the prefix when he moved to Lakewood was LAkewood. Later, to his disappointment, LAkewood was dropped and replaced with JUniper. That made no sense. While the Lakewood prefix had a connection to Lakewood, Juniper (the tree) had no known connection to Lakewood. The prefix might as well have been JUpiter (the planet).

This brings us to McMinnville, Ore., the home of Linfield College. What was the named prefix in McMinnville before “Mac” went to the 472 prefix?

The answer, thanks to Linfield alum Gordon Gillmouth, is that there was none! That’s correct, when Mac went to 472 it replaced calling the operator and asking to be connected to a phone number.

One correspondent told Gillmouth, “When we moved to McMinnville in 1944 our first telephone number was 560J which was later changed to 5602. There was no prefix. When making a call you had to go through the operator. The 472 prefix came about when we got dial service. I am not sure when this happened but maybe about 1960?" This information, with different recollections, has been confirmed by others Gillmouth has contacted on behalf of Wildcatville.

So, even though McMinnville did not have named telephone prefixes, it does not prevent providing named prefixes, as if they existed. So, here are some:

DUurham - As in Coach Paul Durham
EVergreen – See Wine, need time machine to know Evergreen's Mac impact
FIlbert - Chosen instead of HAzelnut
GRizzlies - McMinnville High mascot

HAwaii -- Honoring Linfield's Hawaii connections. Tough choice. Could have been HArtford, honoring the "Hartford Connection"

JAane Claire Dirks-Edmunds - Long-time prof
LInfield - Famous college in McMinnville
MAc - Nickname for McMinnville
MCminnville - Name of McMinnville
OLdOak - Linfield's tree of fame

PIoneer - A Linfield hall
RAindrops - Rain falls in McMinnville
ROcket - As in the Rocket Cafe
RUtschman - Famous Linfield athlete and coach

TUrkey - McMinnville is home of Turkeyrama
UFO - Think flying saucer and 1950
WAlnut - McMinnville has been called Walnut City
WIne - This would work only if people hopped in time machine and saw how wine has flooded the Yamhill Valley

YAmhill - Name of county in which McMinnville is located

Others? Tell Wildcatville by e-mailing wildcatville@gmail.com