Iowa
Old Press
Allamakee Journal
Lansing, Allamakee co. Iowa
May 20, 1931
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that President
Hoover can see a real poorhouse by looking at the Treasury
Building.
HARPERS FERRY NEWS
A large number of folks were in attendance at the Harpers Ferry
community meeting Friday night, May 15, at the school hall.
The program consisted of music by the Harpers Ferry school band.
Several numbers were rendered, which were heartily enjoyed by
those present. Harpers Ferry has a perfect right to be proud of
their band, which performed wonderfully considering the short
time it has been in existence.
The rest of the program consisted of community singing, led by
Mrs. Fred O’Riley, and two very enjoyable readings by Alice
McCullough of the Busybodies 4-H girls club of Waukon.
Three reels of moving pictures were then shown, followed with
lunch and social hour.
The date of the next meeting for Harpers Ferry club was set for
Wednesday evening, June 10, with the following committee in
charge: Mr. (Chairman) and Mrs. James Corrigan, Lawrence
Livingston, Mr. and Mrs. M.J. Foley, Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Valley, Mr.
and Mrs. T. W. Melaven. At the next meeting, officers will be
elected for a permanent organization known as the Harpers Ferry
Community Club with regular monthly meetings.
Father Nolan baptized the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wm.
Cota, Sr., last Thursday and gave her the name Clarice Regina.
Urban Hawes and Agnes Conway were sponsors.
WATERVILLE NEWS
John McGeough, the Standard Oil man, recently purchased a new
Chevrolet truck from our local dealer, O.J. Moe.
Henry G. Larson, a former Paint Creek boy, arrived here from
Colorado last week for a few days visit with relatives. He
follows telegraphy for an occupation.
Harold Hanson of LaCrosse was here several days the past week
exhibiting a new model Hudson Eight car. He also sells the Essex
and has sold quite a number of them around here.
Quite a heavy rain and wind storm struck this section of the
country Sunday night. Albert G. Hagen, living 3½ miles west of
here, had a large silo and machine shed blown down, and the heavy
rain washed some fields quite badly.
LANSING NEWS
Bridge Dedication June 17, 18, 19, and 20.
“On to Lansing!” This will be the cry of citizens in
this section of the country next month when ceremonies marking
the dedication of the new $750,000 Black Hawk bridge spanning the
Mississippi river will be held here. The celebration will be a
four day affair, extending from June 17 through June 20.
The dedication ceremonies will serve as a climax to the
realization of a hope born in the minds of two Lansing citizens
30 years ago, that of a huge span over the Father of Waters at
this point. The bridge will connect northeastern Iowa with
Wisconsin. Iowa State Highway No. 9 will traverse the bridge
which will serve as a short cut to Madison and Milwaukee. The
bridge also will shorten the route between the Twin Cities,
Rochester and Chicago and will open up a trade territory that
will accommodate thousands of residents from these parts.
Outstanding among those who are expected to be guests of honor
are the governors of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Plans are
under way to have a number of speakers of national reputation
deliver addresses.
A public wedding ceremony, in which a Lansing girl and a young
man from Wisconsin will be the leading participants, also is
planned.
A fireworks display will feature the entertainment each night of
the four days of celebration.
LANSING PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTES
Last Thursday our Geometry class decided it was too hot a day to
spend droning over books. Consequently, we took a field trip in
quest of something practical to which we might apply our
knowledge. We walked out on No. 9 to the creek below Bechtel’s
and measured the length of an imaginary bridge. Needless to say,
we all enjoy that kind of class.
Highway No. 182, the Lansing-New Albin road, is in excellent
condition at the present time, thanks to patrolmen Frank
Schweinfurth and George Colsch. The first named takes care of the
first section of four miles north of town and Mr. C. the next
section, and it is a hard matter to tell just which piece of road
is the better kept.
McGuire Bros. of Lafayette township have purchased the pure bred
Percheron stallion “Buster,” and will offer his
services to breeders in this locality.
August Meyer of this township injured one of his eyes one day
last week by getting a piece of steel in it, while working on a
plow. The injury was quite painful and Dr. Fredrickson gave it
the needed attention.
George and Jake Zerbis drove in by car from Chicago, Monday,
where the latter had been visiting his brothers and sisters and
other relatives. Jake spent the past winter on the Deere pleasure
steamer “Kalatan,” as a deck hand. Capt. Harry Short,
of this city, has had charge of this boat for several years past.
Westby, the clever Waukon painter, last week put a large “Town
Crier” Flour sign on the wall of Aschom Bros. store that is
a most creditable piece of off-hand decorating work. He has
another one to paint for the Model Clothing Store, advertising
Oshkosh overalls, which will be put on the Herman Olson building
on Main street.
Chris Aswald, a cousin of Geo. Gordon’s, who spent the past
year in Norway, and had been here a couple of weeks visiting,
left Saturday for his former home at Bremerton, Wash., across the
bay from Seattle. The gentleman is a carpenter by trade, and was
unable to secure work of any kind hereabouts, and had not hope of
better conditions in the west.
One of the painters on Black Hawk Bridge suffered slight injuries
by being hit by a timber, as the false work on the Wisconsin side
was being taken down, but was able to be at the ball game next
day. One of the steel workers fell off the bridge into the river
the day before, and was rescued by his fellow workers, not much
the worse for his long drop. So far, there has been no serious
accident since construction work started, and everyone is hoping
it will be completed in the same way.
C.N. Smedsrud and Ole Moe left in the former’s car early
Sunday morning for Lanesboro, Minn., where they attended a
Norwegian 4th of July celebration and visited two brothers of the
latter, Gus and Nels. Everything was in Norwegian, even to the
oration of the day, which was by Congressman Wefald. Over 1200
tickets were sold for a Norwegian play in the community hall that
evening. The “boys” returned in time for supper,
Monday, well pleased with their trip
WAUKON NEWS
As their annual class day event the students of Waukon Junior
College, numbering about forty, motored to Iowa City last
Wednesday morning where they spent the day looking over the State
University and other points of interest and attending a play
given by University students in the evening.
Several parties of our trout fishing enthusiasts were on the near
by streams at daylight Friday to inaugurate the opening of the
season but those we have heard of report no trout. That’s
queer, too, considering the large number of young fish that have
placed in these streams during the last couple of years. Our idea
is that they are caught out too small. A six inch trout is caught
as easily as a chub, but a twelve inch one is something different
again.
By a rearrangement of the west end of the lower floor of the New
Grand Hotel, formerly taken up by a sample room and barber shop,
landlord A. T. Nierling has added four nice sleeping rooms, each
equipped with a bath and toilet, to the capacity of the hotel,
which will soon be ready for occupancy by the traveling public.
As the hotel has been filled up nearly every night the new rooms
will help to relieve the stringency in accommodations.
NEW ALBIN NEWS
Dr. Wilson, the new dentist on the west side, is nicely located
in rooms over the Kuehn Hardware store and fully equipped to
handle all business in his line. He is a young man and practiced
for several years in Dubuque.
One of the nicest afternoon or evening drives that we know is
Highway 182, between here and Lansing. The Misses O’Reilly
and Miss Louise Weymiller and her folks made the trip Thursday
and greatly enjoyed it and the view of Black Hawk Bridge, which
is rapidly nearing completion.
[transcribed by E.W., February 2007]