Lake Co. Past: Aug. 10

Talk about it

Lake County Past

100 years ago, 1912

Steamer Gayley Stinks

In a heavy fog on Lake Superior 43 miles east of Manitou Island, the steamer James Gayley of the Cleveland Steamship Company with M. M. Steward in command, sunk in a collision with the Rensselaer of the Pittsburg fleet at 1:35 o’clock yesterday morning. Immediately following the collision, the Rensselaer was swung to the side of the Gayley and the crew and passengers of the unfortunate vessel were transferred in safety.

Road to…where?

It has been officially announced that the new road west of the city and north of the D. M. & I. R. Duluth track is now ready for use and the public is requested to use the new road and pack it down as it is desired to abandon the old road just as soon as it can possibly be done.

75 years ago, 1937

Rich café owner kidnapped

Two Harbors experienced its first kidnapping Saturday when three members of a notorious gang lifted James Poulos, proprietor of the Paramount café, into their car in front of the First National bank and took him for a ride. Attracted by the reports of large profits by Poulos in the stock market, they were disappointed and angered when all they were able to shake him for was 75 cents and a two-for-a-nickel cigar, and they dumped him out on the pavement at Third Avenue and Fourth Street. Torstein Grinager, one of the gang leaders, decamped at 3 o’clock the next morning and was seen in St. Paul on Sunday and is believed by D men to be in hiding somewhere on the north shore.

Raspberries rain on driver

Richard Aho, driver for the Hines Economy Market, had the experience Thursday of having it rain tomatoes and raspberries. Coming from Duluth with a truckload of fruits and vegetables, he was suddenly confronted with a car parked in the middle of the French River bridge and two cars approaching him. Taking the lesser of two evils, he rammed into the back of the parked car. The load shifted and buried Aho under tomatoes and raspberries. Aho has driven for Hines for three years without an accident and he avers this is the first accident in his driving experience.

50 years ago, 1962

Shortcut to range from area planned.

Preliminary plans for construction of a blacktopped two-lane forest highway linking the west Missabe Range with Silver Bay have been announced. The suggested highway will be 48 ½ miles long running from 10 miles south of Aurora to Silver Bay extending eastward along the present Toimi Road, crossing State Aid Road 2 and extending eastward along the forestry road east from Jordan and then southeast into the Lax Lake area and to Silver Bay.

Man on the moon?

The Russians are practicing up on sending a man to the moon and as this is written, those two cosmonauts are still circling the earth. The Kremlin said the other day that a “surprise” was in the making with the two long orbital flights. Could the surprise be that they don’t know how to get the two back to earth? Some U.S. officials are saying that we could have done the same thing, but Mr. Kennedy could not decide which two senators to send.

25 years ago, 1987

Past fair history to repeat itself

Creative minds are busy making plans for the 1987 Lake County Fair to be the best ever. A stroll through old Chronicles at fair time located an ad by O.M. Hopper & Sons Jewelry reading as follows: “Catch it. Keep it.” The store ad of plans to drop a Hopper watch from an airplane to fair attendees was a huge draw to the event, so this year Gould’s Jewelry is donating a watch and Dick Helgeson, manager of the Two Harbors airport, has offered to make the drop. The model to be dropped is now on display in the store window. “Catch it. Keep it”!

County will hire computer consultants

The Lake County Board plans to hire a consultant to help it figure out how to buy computers and better use the ones the county already owns. With more departments buying computers, the board felt the need to develop some kind of control or plan to make sure the country gets good equipment that fits in with the computers already in use and the knowledge needed to operate them.

Tags: lake county past, life