Column - 1963: A 17-pound northern speared in Maple Lake

Talk about it

The following is a collection of stories and other items that were included in Alexandria newspapers over the years.

100 YEARS AGO

FEBRUARY 1913

L.E. Lund’s team got spooked and went on a run-away trip through Nelson, throwing Gilbert and a cream can against the post office steps. Each escaped with just a few dents and bruises… Districts 22 and 15 at Nelson will vote on consolidation this week… Things are quiet around Nelson. All of the ice houses are full, the files and mosquitoes are not bothering anyone and the cold winter’s blast has kept most everyone indoors… Fred Wallin of the People’s Store has filed for bankruptcy, showing debts of $15,000 and assets of $8,000… A natal day for “Immortal George” will be celebrated on February 22 at the Congregational Church. The “Marthas” of the Missionary Society will be on hand to serve the proverbial cherry pie.

50 YEARS AGO

FEBRUARY 1963

Top fisherman in the Jaycee fishing contest was Gene Hagedorn with a 4-pound 13-ounce northern. He won a Johnson Sabre rod and reel, a Shakespeare reel, a canned ham and a minnow bucket. Alexandria educator Erlin Wittenburg won the Las Vegas Hacienda Holiday for two… Thomas Prchal proudly displayed a 17-pound northern that he speared in Maple Lake… The County Board of Commissioners will apply for a federal grant for matching funds to help finance the $175,000 courthouse addition… D.C. Rubink, manager of the Garfield Co-op Creamery, accepted third place honors in Central Minnesota’s butter making contest… Karen Thunberg of Nelson is the new sweetheart of the Alexandria Future Farmers of America… Harvey Hammergren presented a replica of the Kensngton Runestone to Einar Hammer, director of fraternal affairs in Norway.

25 YEARS AGO

FEBRUARY 1988

The retail service window at Alexandria Post Office will close one half hour earlier on weekdays. The cutback is necessary because of a mandated nationwide $150 million budget cut for 1988… Judged by the St. Paul Winter Carnival as the best logo depicting the battle between King Boreas and Vulcanus Rex was one created by Tarran Pitschke of Osakis. The design was created in blue and aqua to represent ice, and red and orange for the qualities of fire… Julie Ann Nelson, granddaughter of Maude Ellis of Alexandria, was selected as Miss Minnesota USA. The former Miss Dream Girl 1986 has talent in acting, dancing and mime.

10 YEARS AGO

FEBRUARY 2003

Wendy’s Restaurant, managed by new Alexandria resident Yancey Halbleib, opened last week… Pete’s County Market won Supervalu’s prestigious Northern Region Master Marketer Competition award for its spring promotion “Cruise in for Savings,” in which they gave away a cruise. Their Long Prairie store won the fall promotion in which it featured a country band and western wear in their store… Tom and Linda Boesch of Garfield posed in their Civil War costumes on the movie set of Gods and Generals, a film to be released later this month… Dori Otterson no doubt wrote her Douglas County Historical Society column specifically for non-Scandinavians. It was a document that explained “The Legend of Lutefisk”… The proposed cost of building a new high school and renovating Jefferson High into an elementary school has been lowered by about $5 million.

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Marge Van Gorp of Alexandria is a regular contributing columnist to the Echo Press Opinion page.

Tags: opinion, columns