Window on the Clearwater
Traditional news Today's technology
triviahead.JPG - 10433 Bytes

Ray Norton, John Werner and Betty Ells are the winners!

Heliograph is the answer for Week 284 of Orofino History Trivia a special feature to celebrate the history and heritage of Clearwater Country.

Join in the discovery!

Monday: Early communication

Tuesday: Done with a code

Wednesday: No wires to connect the parties

Thursday: Used the sun

The heliograph is a "solar telegraph" used to send Morse code flashes of sunlight reflected by mirrors. The flashes are produced by briefly pivoting the mirror or interrupting the bean with a shutter. It is a simple, but effective instrument for optical communication.

It was widely used in the U.S. by the Forest Service which had a portable heliograph with a single-tripod and shutter with the mirror. However, there were drawbacks with the mode of communication if it was night, cloudy or smoky. It could also take a lot of time to send a message. Due to these drawbacks, the Forest Service set out to establish a telephone system to link lookouts and ranger stations in the Clearwater area.

For further information and photos, see the Wikipedia info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliograph

Trivia Archives

Sponsored by:

Want accurate, daily news for Orofino and Clearwater County?

Subscribe to:

Window on the Clearwater
Traditional news Today's technology

It's a bargain at $3 per month, $18 for 6 months or $30 per year. (Idaho residents, please add 6% sales tax)

Subscribing is easy:

  • Drop us a check with your email address and we will sign you up. (See the mailing address at left)
  • Pay online: Click this Registration link and follow the Pay Pal instructions.

Window on the Clearwater
P.O. Box 2444
Orofino, ID 83544
Orofino 476 0733
Lewiston 208-503-7107
Toll Free 1-866-376-9810
Fax: Toll Free 1-866-376-9810
Email