Lake Co. Past: Sept. 21

Talk about it

100 years ago, 1912

There may be some noise when the rural carrier goes by your home after January 1, 1913. When the parcel post goes into effect, the farmers may be sending live chickens to their patrons in the city, by mail. All eggs laid in transit will no doubt belong to the rural carriers although Uncle Sam may make a claim for the same.

Deposits building

The Postal Savings Bank at the local post office is being favored by local patrons. Wednesday was the largest deposit for one day since the bank was opened a year ago, Aug. 4. The deposits were $495 – the total amount on deposit is now $16,149 – being an average of $143 for each depositor.

75 years ago, 1937

The City Council has instructed City Attorney J. Gilbert Jelle to bring suit against all those who have failed to appear to clear up indebtedness for coal sold by the city on credit during the time employment has been scares. A great many of those people now have steady employment at good wages but are ignoring the claims due to the city. The coal department is supposed to be on a strictly cash basis.

Old timer visits

F. W. Thaxter spent the weekend visiting friends in Two Harbors. Mr.Thaxter was the first baggage, mail and expressman employed at the Duluth & Iron Range and filled all three positions from 1887 to 1893. Drawing pay from the three sources, as a side line, he received a half dollar for carrying a dog or a quarter for a lumberman’s packsack. Those were in the good old days when the passenger conductor, taking in $112 cash fares, would turn in $12 to the company.

50 years ago, 1962

Kenneth Nyberg found an abandoned cabin recently north of Paradise Lake and inside he discovered an old relic made of paper mache or plaster of paris with an iron pipe. Not knowing what it was, it has been on display in the window of the Chronicle and several passersby have stopped in to try to identify it. It is suggested that the object is an amplifier used within the cabinet of the first radio sets back in the Roaring Twenties. Other suggestions have been part of a phonograph, a furnace, a small tuba or part of a “still” which old-timers will recall as standard equipment in the prohibition era.

THHS Homeciming

The entire student body and alumni of THHS will go all out to help the ’62 Agates football team “clean the green” on Friday when the Proctor Rails invade the local field. Along with the football game there will be a contest involving three girls vying for the title of Homecoming Queen and an afternoon parade. Queen candidates this year are Linda LaBounty, senior class; Cheryl Anderson, junior class; and Pat Ann Olson, sophomore class.

25 years ago, 1987

Several dozen Contel workers got busy after midnight working all night to connect 3,200 Two Harbors area customers to the company’s new digital switching equipment. The new phone equipment will offer touch-tone, call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling and speed dialing. Also to remember is the fact that the old “54” prefix will no longer work; local callers will have to dial all seven digits of a number including the “834” prefix.

Car thefts

Leaving keys in the car and not locking them at night has been a way of life for residents of Two Harbors…until recently. Six cars have been stolen in Two Harbors in the past five weeks according to Patrolman Rick Hogenson. Fitting the same pattern of unlocked cars with keys left in them, most stolen autos are taken for a joy ride and then abandoned. Per Hogenson, the thieves have broad tastes, having stolen an ’86 Dodge Caravan, an ’87 Volkswagen, ’80 Buick, ’84 Ford Tempo, and an ’83 Ford pickup. In an unrelated case however, a new Ford Thunderbird was stolen from Benna Ford and recovered in Ohio.

Tags: lake county past, life