Opinion

Memories spring eternal ...

Friday, June 27, 2008

100 YEARS AGO

(1908)

A report is sent out of the Missouri Pacific general office that the company intends jerking out phones in the stations where phones months ago went in the place of telegraph instruments. The report says that the company has decided to return to its old system, as the phone business wasn't a signal success. If this is done, telegraph instruments will be placed in the offices at Redfield, Devon and Uniontown in this county and at Richards, a small station over the Kansas-Missouri state line.

75 YEARS AGO

(1933)

The Kiwanis Club visited Fort Scott's half-million dollar institution, the Borden Condensery, at the invitation of the supervisor, Joe Zuber. Program chairman Verne Dixon made arrangements and cars were provided for all, including the pianist and reporter, who carried home two choice cookbooks as souvenirs. The group viewed the marvelous scientific machinery that converts Bourbon County and Southeast Kansas milk, fresh from the herds, into Borden's Evaporated Milk and Eagle Brand Condensed Milk, and special kinds for certain sections of the country.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Dollar wheat was reached and passed on the board of trade today in one of the wildest sessions seen since the war. A minute before the close, while the market was making another swing from the extreme high, a marker collapsed from the heat and fell on the cat walk along the walls. So great was the rush of business and so busy were his comrades that the man lay where he had fallen for several minutes before aid reached him.

50 YEARS AGO

(1958)

Ray Shepherd Motors 4th of July Sell-A-Bration! Make it a sane 4th with a "Safe Buy" Used Car: 1955 two-tone Holiday 2-door hard top 88 Oldsmobile, radio, heater, lots of extras, 1-owner car that carries 100 percent guarantee; 1955 Ford V-8 pickup, 2-tone color, heater, side mount carrier, undercoated, $895; "Special bonus" 1957 Ford V-8 2-door, big radio, heater; sea spring green, like new, $1,450. No payment till Aug. 15. Special harvest terms.

Robert Kibble, Uniontown, reports that they are having good luck with their poultry venture. They are going into egg production on a big scale. They started in the spring by buying 2,400 chicks which have been housed in the big new plant constructed for their operation. Kibble said they had lost only four chicks to date.

Among 90 students listed on the School of Education Honor Roll at the University Kansas for the spring semester are Cherie Miller, senior, Fort Scott, and Nancy Holt, junior, Uniontown.

25 YEARS AGO

(1983)

Photo caption: "Lisa McKenney received congratulations from her teammates after hitting a third inning, inside the park homer for Fort Scott Payne Oil against Iola in the opening game of a women's district fast-pitch tournament. Although the homer helped Payne Oil to a nine-run lead, the Iola team came back for a 14-12 win." -- Photo by Dave Wagner

Photo caption: "Wheat stalks bowing under the weight of the heavy grain are not as plentiful this year in Bourbon County. Frank Hereford, Route 4, looked over his wheat field west of Fort Scott this morning attempting to decide when harvest should start." -- Photo by Tom Braker

Photo caption: "Prices jumped 2 to 3 cents at area gasoline stations at midnight Thursday as gasoline taxes increased, along with those on cigarettes and liquor. Mark Demas, manager of the Hall's Food Mart, 1135 East Wall St., upped his posted gasoline price on regular unleaded to $1.13.9 before closing Thursday. Sales in gasoline were brisk Thursday," -- Photo by Tom Braker