American Telegram: Reasons People are Still Sending Telegrams

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Western Union, a company synonymous with hand-delivered telegrams in yellow envelopes, sent its last telegram in January of 2006. The story received some human interest media attention as the end of an era in communication, and a number of people vied for the honor of sending the final Western Union telegram at the close of the month. While the once-pioneering company has opted to focus on their financial services (wire transfers, bill payment, and the like), the other federally licensed telegram company in the United States continues to send telegrams around the world. American Telegram, though not quite the household name of its former competitor, offers everything from conventional hand-delivered telegrams to more modern takes on the old school messaging system.

You may be wondering why on earth, in these days of cell phones, instant messages, email, and other rapid means of communication, anyone would ever use a telegram. I asked myself the same question when I learned that American Telegram existed and continued to offer this seemingly outdated service. Besides the pure novelty of telegrams and the entertainment value inherent in the anachronistic practice, I could not imagine a serious use for the telegram in today’s society.

And boy, was I wrong!

As it turns out, thousands of individuals and businesses still use telegram service for pressing legal reasons, unusual emergency situations, political statements, and more dramatic communication of personal messages.