Column - 1962: The worst storm in 25 years ripped through Douglas County

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

AUGUST 1912

John Olson lost a horse when coming home from Erik Hanson’s. When the horse saw the grain along the roads and thought what hard work it would be to pull a binder in grain like that, he simply gave up the ghost right then and there… Fashion Editorial: What has become of the mother who taught her daughters to dress in simple, sweet girlish clothes? Not long ago the press hurled innuendos against the girls whose dresses did not even reach the ankles – Would they label the skintight waists of today as “freakish?”… Jack Zalusky, captain of the Alexandria ball team, says he has never seen a classier ball club. Their only trouble is that other teams do not want to tackle the “cannonaders.”

50 YEARS AGO

AUGUST 1962

The worst storm in 25 years ripped through Douglas County, leaving in its wake a damaged roof over 10 rooms of the Viking Motel, two flipped-over airplanes at Chandler Field, uprooted trees and damaged buildings. The Alex Haabala farmhouse in Moe Township was ripped from its foundation, causing injury to two of its occupants… Minnesota Power and Light Company “joined hands” with their neighbors when the newly completed 115,000 volt transmission lines of Ottertail Power, Northern States Power and Minnesota Power and Light Company were energized… “The Music Man” with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, and “El Cid” starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren were playing at the local theaters this week.

25 YEARS AGO

AUGUST 1987

The first 100 feet of tower for Alexandria’s television KSAX was erected this week. The 1,178 foot-high tower is expected to be completed within two weeks… Karena Hanson, a Cardinal varsity golfer, gave an account of golfing in Australia through an exchange program. She is a Resorters’ participant who made the Women’s Championship Flight again this summer… A proposal by Governor Perpich to have all Minnesota kindergartners attend school all day will be brought before the1988 Legislature. Local school officials believe the students would benefit educationally but these hours would probably not be favored by the public… Jason Malvin was one of several Jefferson High School students who raised pheasants as an agricultural project under the supervision of Bernie Van Zommern.

10 YEARS AGO

AUGUST 1987

Three days of safety checks on trucks and drivers traveling through Douglas County resulted in about one-third of the 150 vehicles checked being placed “out of service.” Out of 73 trucks hauling hazardous materials, 32 were in violation… From the Historical Society column: The headline of the August 9, 1936 Minneapolis Journal sports page read as follows: “The Resorters: The world’s largest golf tournament in Alexandria.” The article stated there were 537 entries. As they played into the dark, cars lined up alongside the 18th fairway to shine lights on the final competitors… Volunteers from Alexandria Extrusion remodeled the interior of employee Lynnette Kemerling’s home following an accident that left her in a wheelchair.

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

Tags: opinion, columns