Douglas County Past: Eisenhower catches limit of trout on Brule; Superior men encounter quicksand

Sep. 5—Sept. 2, 1912

Saloon man badly knifed

Pending the outcome of wounds inflicted upon Hjalmar Hekkala, a bartender at the Child's Hotel bar on Saturday night, the police are holding in custody Frank Hill, 31, Matt Lambi, 25 and Frank Lambi, 21. The men are alleged to have been connected with the stabbing of Hekkala, who is at St. Mary's hospital with a knife wound in his breast which may prove fatal.

The members of the party had been drinking during the evening and were more or less under the influence of liquor. Shortly before 10:30 o'clock they became involved in a fight. It appears that one of the three men under arrest leaped upon Hekkala and commenced beating him. The others joined in the fray. In the course of the struggle a knife was driven into Hekkala's breast close to the heart. It was twisted after being plunged into the body, tearing the muscles and ligaments near the heart in a terrible manner.

Sept. 2, 1947

Eisenhower arrives at Superior

Motors to Brule for rendezvous with big trout

General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the midst of a two-day vacation on the Brule River Tuesday, trying his hand at fishing the famed trout stream and for the most part "just taking it easy."

The five-star general, who arrived in Superior Tuesday morning by train and then motored to Cedar Island lodge, is the guest of John G. Ordway, St. Paul, owner of the extensive Pierce Estate, which encompasses some of the finest timber and fishing water on the Brule.

Asked if he expected to land any "big ones" in the Brule, he admitted he was something of a dub of a fisherman. "But ... I'm persistent, if not skillful," he laughed, and the crowd surrounding him joined in.

During his brief appearances outside the special railroad cars, General Eisenhower signed his autograph on dollar bills, in autograph books and on sheets of paper.

First of the several score of successful autograph hunters was 10-year-old Lee Solin, 1920 Ohio Avenue. Lee was wearing a baseball cap, and the general asked: "Are you a pitcher or an infielder?"

"Nope, I'm a catcher," Lee replied as he thanked the general for his autograph.

Brothers trap 21 coyotes in county

Douglas County's predatory animal population is being given a setback these days by two Douglas County brothers, Earl and Harold Cheever, professional trappers in the town of Gordon.

Thus far this month their traplines have netted them a total of 21 coyotes and two red foxes.

Earl Cheever has collected bounty of $20 each on 14 coyotes and $4.50 each on two red foxes for a total of $289, while his brother Harold has collected $140 on seven coyotes. Last year Earl trapped 45 coyotes during September and October.

The Cheevers turned their animals in to game Warden Wesley Newcomb at Solon Springs for their bounties.

Elsewhere in Douglas County, trapping has not been overly successful. Deputy Clerk Elmer Bloom quist said that only four animals had been brought to the courthouse for payment.

Art B. Samdahl, Kingsdale, collected bounty on a mature gray fox; Emery Thayer, general delivery, Superior, on gray fox; Normal Chilstrom, Kingsdale, red fox; and Leonard Mattson, Poplar, one coyote.

Sept. 3, 1947

Breaking cable injures worker

Max Kluge, 47, Wentworth, who received hip and spine injuries Tuesday afternoon in a saw rig accident, was reported in "good" condition Wednesday at St. Francis Hospital.

Kluge was thrown four feet into the air by a cable which snapped while being used to pull logs to a saw rig.

Eisenhower catches limit first day on Brule River

Trout on the Brule River will probably heave a collective sigh of relief when General Dwight D. Eisenhower ends his vacation on the family upper Wisconsin stream early Thursday.

When the man who guided the Allied forces to victory in Germany arrived at Cedar Island Tuesday he told his host, John G. Ordway, that he laid no claims to being a skillful fisherman, but "I am persistent."

Members of the general's party are willing to attest that General Eisenhower is both persistent and has a much better-than-the-average know-how when it comes to luring the wily trout.

The general, in fact, caught his limit of trout — rainbows, browns and brooks — in the private lakes that lie well secluded above Cedar Island lodge.

"Well, I caught enough to feed us at lunch-time," the general replied in response to a "how's fishing" query from an Evening Telegram reporter and photographer who had poled up the Brule with a guide to get a first-hand, exclusive insight into the general's fishing expedition. The biggest one of the day went about 2 pounds.

Sept. 4, 1947

Barn, 35 tons hay destroyed in $5,000 fire

Fire Wednesday totally destroyed a barn, burned 35 tons of hay and killed a calf at the farm home of Webb G. Monaghan, about six miles from Superior on the Darrow Road, causing an estimated damages of $5,000.

Am engine company from the South Superior station, especially equipped for fighting farm fires, responded to the alarm at 5:43 p.m. but the fire had gained such headway that its efforts were confined to saving nearby structures.

Spontaneous combustion was said to be the cause of the blaze, starting in the loft of newly cut hay. Firemen used booster tanks to protect other buildings on the farm including the family dwelling, a garage, pig sty and chicken coop.

Eisenhower carries away good memories of Brule stay

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was on his way back to Washington Thursday with pleasant memories of a 25-minute battle with a 5 1/2 pound brown trout in the Brule River still fresh in his head.

"Boy, that was a honey," General Eisenhower declared when asked a bout the big brown he caught in the Brule late Wednesday night. "It took me about 20-25 minutes to land him. He sure gave me a terrific fight."

The big lunker was hooked by the general after he had gone out for a night fishing trip after dinner at Cedar Island lodge.

Eisenhower came to the Brule on Tuesday with the avowed intention of getting in a lot of fishing. As he left Thursday, none could deny that "Ike" had gotten in a maximum amount of angling, and plenty of fish, most of them liberated after being brought up to the canoe.

Girl cuts thigh climbing tree

Bonnie Rae Remington, 8, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Remington, 2306 East Third street, was treated at St. Francis hospital Wednesday afternoon for a laceration of her thigh, received in a fall while playing in the yard at her home.

Hospital attendants said that five stitches were necessary to close the wound which was suffered when the child fell from a wooden box on which she was standing to gain a start in climbing a tree.

Sept. 5, 1912

Bicyclists swell August arrests

The police made 275 arrests in the month of August, according to a report made today by Secretary McKenna. The number was 45 in excess of the total arrests for July. The increase is said to be due to the activities of Officer Welcome E. Barber, the special curfew officer who arrested a large number of bicyclists for violating the ordinance.

Fines collected by Judge F. S. Parker of the municipal court during the month of August Aggregated $2,512.10. This is the largest amount ever collected in the municipal court in one month.

The size of the fines is due to the large number of blindpiggers and saloonmen arrested and fined during the month for violating the city ordinance governing the sale of liquor.

Sept. 5, 1947

Quicksand on Flagg River fought by two Superiorites

Treacherous quicksand of the Flagg River bed near Port Wing gave three Superior men much concern Tuesday as they were fishing the stream for trout.

Caught in the sucking grasp of the sand were Clarence Meteraud, 902 Winter St., and A. L. Marx, 1305 John Ave., who had a third companion on the trip, Ted Theilen, 911 Clough Ave.

Marx said he was drawn into the sand when trying to reach Meteraud, who was desperately trying to free himself from sinking. Meteraud's boot was torn in the attempt to pull free from the suction. Mar had one foot engulfed when stepping from the bank into the innocent appearing bubbly surface of the bed. Although he was aware of the treachery of that part of the river, he said, he was taken by surprise. The spot, he said, is on an "S" turn of the Flagg, two miles upstream from the iron bridge.

Four years ago, Marx recalled, a fisherman caught in the quicksand at this identical place and nearly drawing was rescued by Rudy Tollers, Superior, with the aid of a stalky tree. Tollers immediately posted a warning sign, which has since been taken down.

Articles and pictures courtesy of retired librarian Judy Aunet with Superior Public Library.