Looking Back
130 Years Ago
August 13, 1892
Leon Rains had one of his fingers badly mashed while assisting in putting out a traction engine at Cook Bros. one day last week. A little later Harry Cook tackled the same job and got his toe mashed.
This week saw the consummation of a real estate deal that has been talked of for some time. G. Steidinger purchased the blacksmith shop and business of George Westervelt and will take possession Monday. Mr. Westervelt has been in business here for twelve years, and with one exception, has never been absent from his shop in that time on Saturday afternoons. T. T. Babcock purchased the lot and shop now occupied by Steidinger, and after some repairs it will be for rent.
Baseball has kept pace with the progress of the country until now it is dubbed the national game. In our boyhood days it was 'two old cats" and "rounders." From our exchanges we notice that the surrounding villages are enjoying the game as played by "nine young cats" and the audiences are principally made up of bald headed "rounders."
120 Years Ago
August 15, 1902
This morning about six o'clock when Charles Sutton arrived at Walton Bros. Co. store to open up the hardware department he found one of the large plate glass windows in the door broken out. Investigation followed, a number of razors and a revolver was missing in the hardware department, the money drawer at the desk containing about ten dollars in change was broken open and the money taken, and some clothing and shoes were taken out of the clothing department. The thief or thieves stopped in the grocery department and opened a can of peaches and ate a lunch.
The cement mountings for the two cannon for the city park were completed this week by Joe Paternoster. The foundations were laid some time ago and are about three feet below the surface. Next Wednesday the cannon will be placed on the mountings.
John Holsten, a farmer living south of Fairbury on the John Weeks farm, was instantly killed Tuesday afternoon by falling from a load of hay in his own barnyard. Mr. Holsten was returning home with a load of hay, when in some unknown manner he slipped from the load and a wheel passed over his neck, killing him instantly. His wife was in the yard at the time and witnessed the awful accident. Help was at hand immediately and medical aid summoned, but to no avail. The unfortunate man did not speak or move after he was lifted from the ground.
110 Years Ago
August 16, 1912
C. J. Claudon sold another 1913 electric lighted, electric started 50 H. P. Hudson auto to Frank Cole of Bloomington this week. Mr. Claudon sold five of these 1913 Hudsons in the last three weeks without a demonstrator, but is expecting his demonstrator this week sometime.
The Electric Theatre is putting on some of the best picture shows that have ever run in Fairbury and every show is well attended. Miss Fleta Rankin, the popular singer is heard there each evening and her singing adds to the pleasure of the entertainment. The Electric is a pleasant place to spend an hour.
Over at Forrest Tuesday night Mr. Frank Kruger, the yardmaster of the Wabash railroad, discovered seven men rifling a box car of merchandise in the Forrest yards. Kruger captured four of the men and took them to Pontiac where they were placed in jail. The men had robbed one car and were at work on the second when they were discovered. The men had a hearing in Pontiac before Justice Goff and were bound over to the grand jury. They were unable to furnish bail and are now living at the expense of the county. Mr. Kruger deserves a good deal of credit for the capture. This is not the first time he has caught a bunch of thieves either.
100 Years Ago
August 11, 1922
Carl Goudy's radio equipment has been installed in the Bon Ton for the benefit of their patrons and others who wish to enjoy the programs received. Mr. Goudy has a fine set of instruments and with the improved amplifier which he uses, the concert programs received can be heard for several blocks away.
The expected or unexpected (just as you care to look at it) happened in Forrest Tuesday afternoon, when the federal authorities, assisted by Sheriff Gorman and a few deputies, swooped down on the unsuspecting people and proceeded to raid a few alleged moonshine joints. While the raids were being conducted things were pretty lively in Forrest, and during the excitement while one fellow was trying to get to the scene of action he ran over a child with his car. The child had a tooth or two knocked out.
Harold Hanna was badly injured in a runaway last Saturday morning at the James Lester home, south of town. They were threshing at the Lester home and Mr. Hanna had just come in from the field with his first load of bundles. As he was driving through a gate, he was standing near the front of the rack on the load of bundles when the horses stopped, throwing Mr. Hanna from the wagon down onto the horses, where he fell off between them and the wagon. The horses started to run and kick and as Mr. Hanna fell to the ground both wheels on one side of the wagon passed across his back and shoulder. One of his shoulder bones was crushed and several ribs broken.
90 Years Ago
August 12, 1932
The annual dress-up parade of children in various types of costumes, ancient and modern, some of them with their pet dogs, cats, chickens or goats, and some without, was put on Wednesday afternoon by the youngsters who had taken part in the play at Marsh park, looked after by the Woman's club. Some nifty racing cars were a new feature in the line. A pony in gay circus attire and its rider proudly led the parade, followed by the high school band to Marsh Park, where ice cream was served by the committee in charge, and the summer's supervised play came to a close.
In the circuit court at Pontiac last Friday a suit was instituted against William V. McKinzie, of that city, by Mary Jones, administratrix of the estate of Don Francis Jones, wherein she is seeking damages in the sum of $10,000. The late Don Jones was a son of Mr. and Mrs. M. N. Jones, of this city, and spent the greater part of his life here. In the bill as filed it states that Mr. Jones on June 30, 1932, was riding in an automobile driven by William V. McKenzie, of Pontiac, when an accident occurred two miles north of Pontiac, in which Mr. Jones received injuries which caused his death on July 3, 1932.
Automobiles in automobile accidents, are often chronicled as doing some queer things, but it is doubtful if one ever did a more unusual trick than the one last Saturday morning that ran up a side railing on a bridge and then lit in a tree that had very obligingly grown up out of the creek bottom. The accident occurred at the bridge that spans Indian Creek about a quarter mile south of the Will D. Spence home, six miles south of Fairbury.
80 Years Ago
August 14, 1942
The obstetrical unit of the Fairbury hospital which has been under construction for some time past, is coming along nicely. The structure is fireproof in every detail. The foundation, the basement and main floors are of concrete, with the walls of brick. The roof is also of concrete. The walls are up roof-high and half of the roof has been poured. So far this year 97 babies have come into the world at the Fairbury hospital, and the fact that they are going to have a section all to themselves will give them something to crow about.
When the First Baptist church was remodeled back in Spanish-American war days, the bell in use at that time had developed a flaw, gave forth an unmusical tone, was taken down and replaced by a new one. It has since done duty as a sunken flower pot in the northeast corner of the church grounds. Little was it suspected at that time that the bell would someday join the army. Yet that is what has happened. Several days ago some Baptist people were assembling some scrap metal to contribute to the war effort. A neighbor suggested that the bell join the heap. The suggestion was acted on and the bell is now resting in the Shulman scrap metal depot. Later it will quit the form of bell and take that of shell casings, bullet jackets, and the like, to find its affinity in the bosoms of Japanese soldiers.
Under the supervision of John Joda Post, American Legion, 2,250 old phonograph records have been collected here and shipped to their proper destination, where they will be ground up and made into new records for those in the service.
70 Years Ago
August 14, 1952
One of those "million dollar" rains fell on Fairbury and vicinity Monday, breaking a dry spell of almost a month. The rainfall, officially recorded at 1.4 inches at city waterworks rain gauge, came in time to fill out the growing corn and even do some good to the bean crop, which was in dire need of moisture. The rainfall Monday was almost twice as much as the entire precipitation here since the middle of July.
Fairbury's second oldest resident celebrated a birthday Saturday. Mrs. Belle Cottingham observed her 95th birthday on Sunday with a family dinner at her home. A large birthday cake was the center of the decorations which adorned the table. Mrs. Cottingham was born in Chautauqua County, New York, August 9, 1857, daughter of Henry and Harriet Odell Hilton. She came to this vicinity with her parents in the spring of 1865, when the family settled on what is now the Dirks farm, located about a mile north of Fairbury. W. B. Decker is two years older than Mrs. Cottingham. They are the two oldest Fairbury residents.
John Tollensdorf left Monday for Washington, D. C., where he will report for active duty aboard the destroyer USS Coolbaugh. John had been discharged in January 1950 and was recalled. His brother Bernard is stationed in Washington, D. C., also having been in the Naval Air Force for eleven years. They are both sons of Mr. and Mrs. B. A. Tollensdorf. John's wife has returned to Chenoa, where she will stay with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Newkirk.
60 Years Ago
August 16, 1962
Gurid Bjornstad, 17, Norwegian exchange student who will spend the next 10 months in Fairbury, attending the Fairbury-Cropsey High School and living with the Erwin Waschers, arrived here Monday. The Waschers met her at 10 p.m., at the bus station in Chicago, where the students arrived following a 17-hour bus ride from New York, where the group had a 4-day orientation course at the American Field Service headquarters. Gurid's flight from Norway required only 7 hours. She is a native of Brottum.
A rifle bullet smashed the left windshield of the Fairbury Water Department truck last Tuesday as it was sitting beside the plant. Superintendent Dave Schlipf said he heard rifle shots while working inside the building, however he never thought much about the incident until seeing the truck windshield. Identity of the rifleman is not known.
A friendly rivalry between two Fairbury 4-H club members reached a showdown for grand champion Corriedale sheep at the Illinois State Fair Monday with Bill Mies winning grand champion Corriedale female and Buddy Gerber taking the reserve with his ewe lamb in the Junior Land of Lincoln show. Bill had won the honor last year, and Buddy, 14, had won the grand championship at the Livingston County 4-H Fair, in Pontiac, last week.
50 Years Ago
August 17, 1972
Don Runyon of Chatsworth nearly drowned in the Illinois River near Peoria Sunday morning. Runyon, who does not know how to swim, walked off the edge of the river bank into the deep part of the river, while sleep walking. Luckily, several other persons with whom he was camping, heard him and rushed to his aid. Larry Stemke of Chatsworth pulled him from the water. He suffered an injury to his legs, but the extent was unknown at press time.
Mrs. Louise Stoutmeyer of Chatsworth won fifth place in the County Slide contest, with her picture slide of "The Chatsworth Train Wreck of 1887 marker." The contest was sponsored by the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce. Project Chairman William Morse of Pontiac said the winning slides will be made into 75,000 postcards and distributed to Chambers and tourism outlets (motels, hotels and service stations) throughout the county and the state.
Ostriches race in sulkies! Gene Holter, the famous Hollywood animal trainer, is suppling the racing ostriches and the Fairbury Fair is supplying the local drivers for the match races on the opening day of the 96th Fairbury Fair next Wednesday afternoon and evening, Aug. 23. You don't steer ostriches like a horse because you have no bridle or reins. you have a broom. When you want the bird to go left, you hold the broom in your right hand parallel to your shoulder. The bird turns away from the broom. The main thing is to hang on tightly to the sulkie at all times so you don't fall out, especially on the fast starts, quick turns and the unpredictable finish. Driving the huge birds will be John "Buddy" Gerber, Bob Nussbaum, Bill Kelleher, Warren Olson, Bob Ward, John Luttrell, Ken Jenkins, Jim Cottrell, Don "Sam" Hedrick, Jerry Stephens, Jim Steidinger and Wayne Hammer.
40 Years Ago
August 12, 1982
Tuesday afternoon, Chicago radio station WMAQ aired an interview with country and western star Louise Mandrell, one of the three singing Mandrell sisters. It was a talk-type show, and soon they had a caller who said he was "Butch from Fairbury", and did Louise remember that next week she would be playing in Fairbury?" She sure did, Louise stated. So "Butch from Fairbury", whoever you are, stand up and take a bow for helping to publicize the 106th Fairbury Fair, over a multi-state area. Quick thinking!
It is hard to keep track of the "comings and goings" of the Fairbury chapter of the American Field Service as it welcomes the 1982-83 student Lesley Nolan, who arrived last week from England, then bids bon voyage to Alicia Trezise, who leaves next week for Israel. Alicia, daughter of the Walwyn Trezises and a spring graduate of Fairbury-Cropsey High school, will fly to New York Aug. 21, and will stay at C. W. Post College on Long Island for a brief orientation before she flies out of La Guardia to arrive in Tel Aviv on Aug. 22. During the next 10 months, Alicia will be living with the Golan family in the city of Afula, population 20,000, which is about 15 miles from Nazareth, and an hour's drive from Tel Aviv.
Mr. and Mrs. Freddie Immke of rural Forrest will observe their 25th wedding anniversary on August 18. Barbara Kindelberger and Floyd F. Immke, Jr. were married in the Saunemin Methodist Church by Rev. Walter D. Krech. Mrs. Carol Cantrall, Mrs. Shirley Wiegers, Howard Freeland and the late Charles Wiegers were their attendants. They are parents of Mrs. James (Connie) Rebholz of Forrest, Richard of Dwight and Debbie of Peoria. Immke is an auctioneer and farms.
30 Years Ago
August 13, 1992
It was old home week – in more ways than one when "Capt. Stubby", the lead guy and home-spun humorist of Capt. Stubby and the Buccaneers," who regaled the Cornbelt from 1949 to 1960 on the old WLS radio National Barn Dance, highlighted Tuesday night's Agri-Appreciation night, hosted by the Fairbury Association of Commerce at Indian Creek Country Club. For the audience of 210, it was a nostalgic reunion with the man who came into their homes via radio waves each week, and who have continued to read his columns in the Prairie Farmer publication.
Supplying the cartoons for two weekly newspapers are seven Ridgeview High School art students. Subject matter for a weekly cartoon is submitted to their teacher, Pam Rahke, and the students take pen in hand and create their version of the assignment. Their works have been appearing in The Blade since the end of May and more recently in The Colfax Press. Both papers are published by American Publishing Company at Pontiac. The artists include Jeni Webb, Lindsey Morefield, Dawn Tull, Jennifer Pense, Jeff Powell, Ginger Jacobs and Michelle Jacobs.
Winners in the 1992 Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts Auxiliary Poster Contest were recognized at the AISWCD Annual Meeting held July 26-28 in Springfield. Eric Fuller, Fairbury; Jason Kinter, Cropsey; and Bridget Heavilin, Strawn, all won the State Poster Contest in their respective divisions. Eric attends Westview Grade School and Jason and Bridget attend Prairie Central High School.
20 Years Ago
August 14, 2002
Randy Weber of Fairbury has nearly completed restoration of a 1920 Maxwell fire truck, and hopes to have it done in time to exhibit during the Fairbury Fair on Sunday. The truck was purchased by the Fairbury Fire Department April 8, 1920, the chassis for $1,340 from John Purdeem, and the truck bed for $1,000 from Obenelain Boyer Equipment Chemical Co., Logansport, Ind. The FFD answered the first fire call with the new rig on Aug. 17, 1920.
Jennifer Ann Hofmann and Jason Whitfill, both of Fairbury, were united in marriage on June 1, 2002, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pontiac. Their parents are Gary and Patty Hofmann and Tom and Becky Whitfill, all of Fairbury. Rev. Thomas Mack officiated at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony. A reception was held immediately following the ceremony, at the Pontiac Elks Club. Following a Western Caribbean Cruise, the couple is at home in Fairbury.
The 55th annual Kilgus reunion was held Saturday, Aug. 10, in the Gridley Community Center, hosted by the George and Fred Kilgus families. After dinner, a short meeting was held and a moment of silent prayer was held in memory of the loved ones who passed away in the last year. Alma Stevenson was the oldest attending at 94 years and Dakota Altorfer was the youngest. After the meeting, there was a time for visiting and fellowship. The 2003 reunion will be hosted by the John Kilgus family.
10 Years Ago
August 15, 2012
More than 186,000 was collected during the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Livingston County. Casey Stadler, event chairperson, said that a great crowd participated, although she figured the numbers were down because of the heat the area felt over the weekend. Stadler said the big draw for Relay was between the survivor celebration lap and the luminary ceremony. A total of 1,044 luminaries lined the track at Pontiac Township High School as many joined the 210 survivors present. The three top teams finished with big numbers this year. Heidi's Gang brought in $16,867; Team Taylor raised $15,708. 36 and in third place was Jane's Angels with $11,991.63.
Eight-five descendants of the late Ernest and Esther Sutter Hofmann met for the annual Hofmann reunion at the Ziller pit on Saturday, July 28. Their seven children were present: Delores Headley, and Ernie (Carolyn) Hofmann, Fairbury; Wilbur (Jeanne) Hofmann, Towanda; Erna Lou Kelly, Inverness, Fla.; Janet (Richard) Steidinger and Ida (Wayne) Ziller, Fairbury; and Dallas (Patricia) Hofmann, Downs. The oldest was Delores Headley, who turned 82 the next day. The youngest was Boston Alec Gerber, 3½-month-old son of Andrew and Carlee McCulloh Gerber.
Richard and Judy Rhoda of Fairbury will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house hosted by their children on Sunday, Aug. 19 at the Davis Lodge, Lake Bloomington. Rhoda and the former Judy Atkins were married Aug. 19, 1962. Their attendants were Sandy Atkins Whalen and David Rhoda. They have three children, Todd (Janni), Kurt (Kim) and Darin. They also have five grandchildren. The Rhoda's are engaged in farming.
Kari Kamrath
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Looking Back at the pages of The Blade from years ago
