Column – 1984: Douglas County Hospital is back in black

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

100 YEARS AGO

April 1909

The city council has agreed to the following fixed rates set forth by the Board of Public Works: $75 for each lamp, $18 per street light, $44 for water hydrant, $100 for street sprinkling and $50 for trough service… So great was the demand for a liquor license in Parkers Prairie, that it was sold to the highest bidder, Nels P. Nelson of Henning. He will pay an annual fee of approximately $8.75 for each day his saloon is open… Question: Why was Joe Meyer’s automobile hitched behind a lumber wagon, as reported in last week’s column? Answer: Because the engine died when he collided with a mud hole, hence the need for the wagon to bring them home.

50 YEARS AGO

April 1959

The worst fire in Alexandria history destroyed the Woolworth Building and threatened all the buildings in the block. Heroic work by the local firemen and those from Osakis and Garfield kept the blaze confined to one building… Friends of Warren Tvrdik, who farms about 300 acres and has been in the hospital for several weeks, worked a full day getting his farmland plowed, disked, harrowed and seeded… Margaret Johnson, commercial artist for the Park Region Echo, put the final touches on a mural for the museum, which marks the Vikings’ route from Norway to Kensington… Top beaver trapper this season was Everett Knack. A 45-pounder was the largest of the 10 he captured near Spruce Creek… “Gidget,” starring Sandra Dee, is a delightful comedy now being shown at the Andria Theater.

25 YEARS AGO

April 1984

After three months in the red, Douglas County Hospital is back in the black. Administrator Bill Flaig attributed the savings to not replacing personnel when a vacancy occurred and through voluntary leaves of absences… Steve Podratz claimed the 80-pound boxing championship in the Northern Junior Olympic tournament and will advance to the next round… All of the ice left Lake L’Homme Dieu on April 17… In the field of photography, Art Berg joined the staff of Yerka Studios, and the new owners of Olson Studios are Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hauptli… Ten years after Mavis Issendorf learned the Heimlich maneuver, she rescued a choking man. With two attempts of the maneuver, she dislodged a piece of meat and saved his life.

10 YEARS AGO

April 1999

Law enforcement officers broke up a burglary in progress at Precision Electronics and arrested three suspects… An all-day every-day (ADED) kindergarten decision is under discussion between parents and schools. From 125 surveys, 63 parents would participate and pay a fee, 25 would participate and were not willing to pay a fee, and 31 would not participate… Animal Doctor is having a grand opening this weekend… Under new ownership, the former Brede Logistics, a customized daily delivery service from West Central Minnesota to the Twin Cities, is now called Competitive Express LTD… A picture is proof that ALP workers Pat Goetz and Jerry Wurm are on the job burying conduit that will contain electrical wires. This project, necessary to keep up with Alexandria’s power needs, will be completed this fall.

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

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