Column - 1912: Men told to leave their collars at home

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

APRIL 1912

Parishioners of Swedish Baptist Church in Holmes City approved a $1,600 budget to build a new church. It will be 36’ by 26’ with a 10’ by 12’ addition and a full basement… Knute Nelson was waiting in Ellis Island when his wife and their infant son arrived from their home in Norway… Mrs. James Walker opened a bakery in the upper level of the Ruggles Building in Carlos… Who knows what is in store at the next meeting of the Lady of the Lakes Rebeccah Lodge, as all ladies are asked to leave their jewelry at home and the men should come without their detachable collars… Spanish American War veterans are invited to attend a meeting on Monday night for the purpose of forming an organization.

50 YEARS AGO

APRIL 1962

Rhoda Bjelland was awarded the Minnesota Academy of Science scholarship to any accredited U.S. college of her choice… Debbie Krueger, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Krueger, was pictured beside a blackboard displaying “incendiary,” the word that made her the Douglas County spelling champion… “Rusty” Rustad, retired implement man, conceived the idea of a farm equipment mechanics course in Minnesota vocational schools. The idea was first adopted by Austin, then in Staples and now in Alexandria… Lt. Gov. Karl Rolvaag brought Bue Fjermeros of Mode, Norway to view the Runestone. He has a lifetime appointment as governor of a northern Norwegian province… A crowd of 3,000 attended the 29th annual meeting of the Runestone Electrical Association… Thieves hit the new Elks Club and got away with $311 and six bottles of expensive liquor.

25 YEARS AGO

APRIL 1987

A “Lutefisk Feud” began to stink up Minnesota when Madison boasted their town as “Lutefisk Capital” of the state. Don Kraska, sales manager for Mike’s Fish and Seafood in Glenwood, along with the Glenwood Chamber of Commerce, “stepped up to the plate” to challenge Madison to a Norwegian Lutefisk Olympics during Hagar Days in Glenwood. Time will tell which city is the “flakiest”… Bill Maynard and Dave Pederson were presented Life Saving Awards for saving the life of Leon Bruen whose canoe had capsized at Spring Camparoo last year… Legislation is being considered in Congress that would allow states to raise speed limits from 55 to 65 miles per hour on rural interstate highways.

10 YEARS AGO

APRIL 2002

Tanner McKay was pictured as he got his socks wet snowboarding across a puddle created by melting snow from Andes Tower Hills, which had closed last weekend… School District 206 board members approved a school calendar that establishes Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day as official days off for at least the next two years… The second half of the Minnesota State High School Rodeo competition will be held at the Runestone Recreation Center April 13-14. Among the many events are steer wrestling, bareback riding, barrel racing and calf roping… Eighth grade wrestler Patrick Barrett will compete in the National High School Coaches Association Tournament in Norfolk, Virginia this summer. He was the NHSCH champion last year and made the All-American National Wrestling Team in 2000.

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

Tags: opinion, columns