Column - 1987: Mayor's bathtub stolen from front yard

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

Holverson Drug Store is giving a pocket billfold with the purchase of five Black and White cigars for 25 cents… G.A. Kortsch represented the Douglas County Auto Club at the Minnesota State Automobile Association meeting… Ira Towers of the North Dakota Agricultural College is helping prepare the Alexandria school farm for spring… Constant Larson has announced his candidacy for the state Legislature… The school board is to decide the sale of Ward School building and its acre of land to Red River Presbytery for $480 for church purposes… The local Odd Fellows bought the James Walker building for $6,000 with plans to occupy the upper level. The lower level will be leased… Uncle Sam has spent $5 million to import bugs to fight gypsy moths, cabbage butterflies and boll weevils.

50 YEARS AGO

APRIL 1962

Milton Trenham, former Alexandria resident, predicted Alexandria would reach a population of 25,000 in 20 years. During his recent visit, he recalled some 1870’s history when the original Cowing Building on 7th and Main was sold to the city to serve as the town hall and fire hall… Governor Elmer Anderson was presented with a replica of the Kensington Runestone for the rotunda of the State Capitol… Margaret Leuthner was honored at an autograph party for her recently released book, Mystery of the Runestone. Park Region Publishing was also recognized for their first venture in the publishing field… Mayor Marvin Hanson and City Clerk Earl Lamb were pictured signing $125,000 in fire hall-police station bonds… “Dad” Erickson, one of the founders of the 4-H movement, was the cover story in the current issue of National 4-H News.

25 YEARS AGO

APRIL 1987

Dr. Larry Novotny rolled a perfect game of 300 in league play at Garden Center… Don Johnson was pictured driving his tractor, preparing the land for small grains at least three weeks ahead of schedule… The Douglas-Pope County Solid Waste Management incinerator will soon be test-burned and in operation by May 1… Bob Hines of KXRA Radio has requested FCC permission to build a 700-foot, 100,000-watt tower seven miles northwest of Alexandria… Ljamar Llamas, owned by Jim Arvidson of rural Parkers Prairie, is one of only a few such farms in the state. Llamas make great pets and their soft wool is valued at $2 an ounce… Some sudsy fun trickled down from council members after Mayor Paul Nelson’s bathtub was stolen from his front yard, left there for the city metal pick-up program.

10 YEARS AGO

St. Mary’s safety school patrol captain Kathryn Del Zoppo is being honored with the AAA School Safety Patrol Life-Saving Award for saving the life of a kindergarten boy who ran into the path of an oncoming vehicle. She was one of only six students nationwide to receive the award this year… The value of all construction in Douglas County last year topped $50 million, a 40 percent increase from the previous year… Long-time football coach Jim Roforth of Osakis will be inducted into the Minnesota State High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He retired with a 114-47 record with the Silverstreak gridders.

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

Tags: opinion, columns