Column - 2000: 3M donates more than $8,000 worth of coats to UW

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

December 1910

O Little Town of Bethlehem, written by Wilbur Nesbit, was copyrighted by W.G. Chapman… Lawrence Olson and Andrew Jacobson Auto Sales is now a dealership for the four-cylinder, 36-horsepower “Cole 30” car. The men drove one home from the Minneapolis Auto Show… Adry Radcap will sing “When the coon wants to spoon, he don’t need a moon” during the upcoming  minstrel show at The Crystal Theater… Fringed Moorish prayer rugs, excellent coverings for piano benches and tables, are great Christmas gift choices at Gregorson’s… Authorities brought a well-known businessman into court after finding illegal intoxicants stashed inside shoe boxes in his Osakis store… The waiting room at the Forada Soo Depot will be the scene for the annual Co-operative Creamery meeting this week.

50 YEARS AGO

December 1960

The first snowfall of the season wreaked havoc, knocking out power lines to three-fourths of REA customers. Ten of 11 telephone circuits to Minneapolis and all four to Sauk Centre were without service… The official census report lists Douglas County with a population of 21,313, including the  6,713 residents of Alexandria… Ralph Tillitt, Everett Walters and George Anderson met with representatives of St. Cloud State College to discuss the possibility of the college establishing a summer theater here… Work started this week on the new Elk’s Lodge on the corner of 11th and Fillmore. Cost of construction is expected to be $62,000… Grand opening of the Viking Beer Garden, south of the airport on Highway 29, will be held this weekend.

25 YEARS AGO

December 1985

The art work of Elaine Mayer Wadsworth, former Alexandrian, is on exhibit at the Women in Wildlife Art Show in Edina. She has been a finalist in the Minnesota Migratory Waterfowl Stamp and the Minnesota Trout Stamp contests. Her painting, entitled “Recharging the Lindsay – 1945,” depicting her father-in-law, Roy Wadsworth (also of Alexandria), became the 40th anniversary calendar art for the Lindsay Water Company… On the Road reporter Jason Davis interviewed Ray Bielke in a live broadcast from KSTP-TV. Bielke talked about the 40 acres of corn he could not pick because of the 19-inch snowfall. People who tuned in saw two deer running through a wooded area… The Douglas County Historical Society Heritage Column gave a history of the century-old Gothic Revival Cowing house. It has been placed in the Register of Historical Places.

10 YEARS AGO

December 2000

Bob Baas’ 1931 two-door Plymouth sedan previously was a second place winner at the National Plymouth show in Faribault. Now, it will be the September car in the 2001 issue of Snap-on’s customer calendar… Alexandria Evening Lion’s Club presented 11-year-old visually-impaired Amber Lenz with a computer and software that will read back to her what she is typing… 3-M donated more than $8,000 worth of coats to the United Way to help local residents keep warm this winter… Barbara Bursch Eysselinck is a resource speaker for schools in District 206. Having lived in Egypt for 14 years, she explains to students the cultural difference between that country and the United States… Todd Hendricks, former Cardinal running back, has been inducted into the first Minnesota Minor League Hall of Fame.

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

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