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1922 – 100 YEARS AGO
The contractor on the Lincoln Highway job is making good progress now that something of a supply of brick has been received. This afternoon with any kind of luck, the workers ought to be at the Third Street intersection and then the work in the last block will only take a few days. The Highway is now open from Second Street doing away with the trouble detour and conferring a great boon on traffic. The asphalt gang is today finishing up on Linden Pace and will be moving down Augusta Avenue tomorrow, if everything goes well.
Another splendid crowd was in attendance at the Elks exposition at the carnival grounds last night, and without doubt tonight will be one of the banner nights of the week. The seaplane started out very well last night but after carrying over 100 passengers, was compelled to close down for the remainder of the night. The equipment has been repaired and the device should do a shale of a business tonight.
Henry Halverson, living on Hickory Street, states today he wants the people of DeKalb to know that his boys were not concerned in the affairs of the latter part of last week when several petty thefts were uncovered. When the matter was reported by the police it was not learned which family the boy belonged to but investigation today brings out the fact that the Hickory Street resident is correct.
Sycamore has a choice of two roads in coming to DeKalb while Contractor Jacks is at work finishing the addition to the cement road. It is expected that in another six weeks the road will again be open to the motorists. Autoists may now drive around by way of Cortland to DeKalb or may go by the way of Electric Park and enter DeKalb by what is known as the First Street road. Both roads are in good shape, although it is thought by those in charge that the Cortland road is in the best shape at present. Except for the road between Genoa and Sycamore, the roads around Sycamore are in good condition. People driving over the Genoa road complain about the many chuck holes.
Farmers of Malta and vicinity who drive to this place, according to one of the town officials, would be doing a great favor by using wider-tired wheels instead of the narrow tires. These narrow tires cut into the thoroughfare in such a manner that within the next day or two after a rain, the surface of the road is badly damaged. If the village undertakes the oiling of the streets again this year, it has been suggested the narrow tired wagons use some other highway in getting to the elevator.
1947 – 75 YEARS AGO
Tomorrow afternoon, June 15, residents of the DeKalb community will have an opportunity to inspect three of the new homes which have been completed on South Second Street in what is known as the Rogers subdivision. Sixteen homes are being built by the DeKalb Homes Association Inc. Three, one of each type, have been completed and are ready to be inspected and several others are nearing completion. All of the homes are of brick construction.
Proceeds from the Girl Scout affair in Kirkland were $14.75, the money to be used to help send Scouts to the day camp at Russell Forest Preserve.
George Sweeney, Sycamore electrician, had a narrow escape from death at 12:25 o’clock today when he accidentally touched a wire carrying 2,400 volts of electricity. Sweeney was on a pole at the corner of Sacramento and Exchange streets in Sycamore repairing wire for the Central Illinois Light Company when the accident happened. Knocked unconscious by the “juice,” Sweeney recovered when comrades freed him from the wire and brought him to the ground.
Bernard Osmond, executive secretary of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce announced today that the stores in Sycamore would be closed on Thursday afternoon, July 3, except the food stores which will remain open on this date until 5:30 o’clock in the afternoon. All of the stores close on Thursday afternoon, but due to a legal holiday, being July 4, the food stores will remain open to allow the housewives to shop for groceries for the holiday.
At a meeting of the Malta Firemen’s Association on Monday evening, it was voted to change the method of signaling the location of fires. In the future one long blast will designate a rural fire. A long blast and a short blast for the northwest portion of town, a long blast and two short blasts for the northeast. A long blast and three short ones for the southeast and a long blast and four short ones for the southwest.
1972 – 50 YEARS AGO
Wednesday’s thunderstorms and its accompanying torrents of rain and lightning pushed the Kishwaukee River over its banks in some areas and backed up storm sewers to cause flooding throughout DeKalb. DeKalb was hardest hit by the electric storm and the rainfall, it appears. At the counties only official weather station, 4.32 inches of rain has been recorded since Monday. However, the station’s records go up to only 4:30 Wednesday and Wednesday night’s rainfall has yet to be recorded.
The footbridge at the rear of Hopkins Park was completely washed away last night during the river flooding. Plans are already underway and parts ordered for a permanent footbridge which will replace this one later in the summer.
Donald ”Red” Blanchard, nationally known entertainer who has been the star of television’s “Barn Dance” for 40 years, provided the entertainment for the annual banquet of the Somonauk High School Alumni Association. “Red” resides in Villa Park, and was a guest of the Alumni Association for the banquet, which nearly 200 attended.
A special use permit for a sports complex, which includes an ice arena, was approved by the DeKalb Planning Commission. The 20-acre site for the sports complex is located on the Annie Glidden Extension just south of Lincoln Highway and bounded on its northern border by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad tracks.
1997 – 25 YEARS AGO
The Air Force has dropped one of the charges against Crista Davis, the former DeKalb resident who accused the Air Force of persecuting her for attempting to expose racism and sexism. Originally, Davis faced a maximum penalty of 55 years if she was found guilty. But the Air Force last week dropped nine specifications of “willfully disobeying orders,” reducing her possible sentence by 45 years.
Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra spoke to the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees about the future of the “virtual university” yesterday, but the board was most interested in expanding the real university. The board gave the university the authority to purchase 200 acres west of the campus for $2.95 million.
If you drive by the future location of the DeKalb mall this summer, don’t expect to see any concrete or bulldozers. Originally slated for July groundbreaking, the work has been moved back to give the developer more time to complete leasing arrangements and financing.
– Compiled by Sue Breese