Lake County Past: Nov. 19

Talk about it

From Lake County newspaper archives.

100 years ago, 1910

Axel Swanson, in company with Robert Monilaws and Fred Beland went up to Skibo on Wednesday where they went for the purpose of securing their quota of deer. Swanson, not much of a woodsman, veered off too far into the forest and became lost. Train crews in the area blew their whistles in hopes of alerting the lost men to safety. Swanson was the last to be found safe and after his experiences in the woods ventures to say he will now stay at home.

Rookie luck

Wm. Penelton, an employee of the D&IR, who is in charge of the oil house nights, couldn’t stand the heat any longer, so in company with T. J. Brown took to the woods on Thursday. It is said on good authority that this is Bill’s first experience in hunting and having no claim in marksmanship he succeeded in falling a bug buck deer weighing 250 pounds. But his friends on the contrary claim that he had shot so many times that the “Buck” was scared to death.

75 years ago, 1935

Kenneth and William Ojard were setting nets in Lake Superior, suspending the nets at a proper depth with weights and floats to keep them in a perpendicular position. As the boys were dumping the anchor over the side of the skiff, a loop in the net became entwined about Kenneth’s wrist and he was rested over the side. William managed to grab his hand and hold against the weight as the boat rolled and it was a case of whether the strength of the boy would outlast the strength of the net. Grim determination won out on the part of William, who was able to save Kenneth from being counted as another victim of Lake Superior fishing.

New gas in town

Standard Oil has introduced a new gasoline, at standard gas prices, that offers a 35 percent greater warm-up speed in zero temperatures even in our bitter winters. Don’t think this new gasoline is so fast that your car is liable to take off before you are ready. Try the new Standard Red Crown and see what happens next time you step on the starter.

50 years ago,1960

With the close of loading iron ore near its end for the season, Two Harbors has had an increase of 5,608,256 tons shipped from here in the 1959 season. The Steamer Hobson will be the last to load here today to end the season. It also makes it the longest season in the past three years with 207 days having started on April 4.

From the woods

With hunting season now six days old, humorous stories dealing with red-clad nimrods are a dime a dozen. For instance, there is one local hunter who nabbed the first deer of his life only moments after walking a few yards into the woods. The story goes that the animal was a small doe and the hunter easily pulled it off the road, went to the cabin to return with a wheelbarrow. Some time later his companions found him at the cabin sitting near his trophy reading a book, “How to Clean a Deer.”

Want more history? The Lake County Historical Society is a good place to start. It’s at the Depot in Two Harbors, 834-4898 or visit lakecountyhistoricalsociety.org. There’s also the Bay Area Historical Society in Silver Bay, 226-4534; the Finland Minnesota Historical Society, 353-7380 or 353-7550; and the Historical Committee of the Isabella Community Council, 323-7644.

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