Remembering When Michigan Called ‘1212’ For the Time

I admit that I took 'Time' for granted. It seems like just yesterday I was a kid standing at the microwave, my mom at the oven, my sister in the living room at the VCR, and my dad at the grandfather clock with one hand on the dial and the other holding a phone (with a long cord on it). You're familiar with this situation if you're a certain age in Michigan. It coincided with Daylight Saving Time, which was the bi-annual changing of the clocks. Each family member was stationed at a device that needed changing while my dad was on the phone with the 'Time Lady.'

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If you ever called her, you can hear it now: "At the tone, the time will be..." The phone company usually provides the time and temperature service in Michigan. The number was typically your area code, followed by a specified exchange and '1212', although I remember the Jackson area ending with 3111.

What Happened to Michigan's 'Time' Phonelines?

What happened to the 'time' line? Technology and progress. It is the same reason our predecessors let their carrier pigeons into the wild once the telegraph and phone were perfected. We didn't need it.

Though all of our old 'time' Michigan phone lines are no longer in operation, here's some good news. There is still a number you call to hear the time, but you're on your own for the temperature. Call 202-762-1401, and you'll be in touch with the US Naval Observatory Master Clock.

I wonder what service the next generation will look at in Michigan with nostalgic fondness in 30 years? Will phones be a thing of the past? Will we finally get hoverboards and jet packs?

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Whatever it is, I'm sure the McDonald's shake machine will still be broken.