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1923 – 100 YEARS AGO
Excavators are busy on the property recently purchased by Sawyer & Sons of this city, who plan to erect a garage on the premises. Wagons are seen hauling the dirt away while a good force of men are digging for the foundation. The DeKalb businessmen have made a wonderful success since starting in the game in DeKalb, and as they have built up a splendid business so far it is anticipated that their future business will be larger.
Following a meeting of the Glidden Memorial hospital board, it has been decided to place the order for the bronze plates to be placed on the door of every room at the institution, showing who furnished the rooms, individuals or clubs. The order is being held up until next week to give those people who have not yet carried out their promise to furnish rooms an opportunity to do this work that all plates may be ordered at the same time. At this time, according to an announcement by the board there are four rooms yet to be completed. Two of these are single rooms and can be equipped for $300 each while the other two are double bed wards, costing $375 to furnish.
Owing to the great demand for dictionaries in our recent sale, we are continuing this sale for one more week. Every home needs a dictionary and every home can afford this large, complete, well printed work, containing all the latest words and several illustrations, at the price we ask. By an immense quantity purchase we are now offering for this week a regular $4.00 value dictionary for only $1.50. Come early as our supplies and stock is moving rapidly. H. E. Secor.
City of DeKalb department heads had a force of men at work on Huntley Park yesterday and today raking and cleaning the park for the spring and summer months. Several large bonfires were burning during the day and considerable debris was removed. Residents of the city too are busy at this time of the year cleaning their yards and arranging flower beds and gardens. Planting time is not far off for many of the early risers who are already at work.
Somonauk Reveille – Henry White, noted breeder of Big Type Poland China swine, has been studying for some years how to raise hogs just a little bigger than the other fellow. According to the nature of a pig born on his farm north of Somonauk Wednesday, he is destined to become the breeder of an unusually large type. The pig, while it lived but a short time, actually had the resemblance of a baby elephant. It had ears twice the size of a normal pig, a trunk where the nose should be and a tough hairless hide, resembling that of a baby elephant.
1948 – 75 YEARS AGO
Sycamore fire department had one call over the weekend. This was on Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock in the 400 block of North Cross Street. A two-wheel trainer, owned by Walter Clarner, was damaged slightly. The trailer was carrying rubbish and apparently hot ashes had been dumped on some paper.
Announcement has been made that the service of dedication for the new organ, chimes and tower music system, recently installed in the Malta Methodist Church is to be held on Sunday.
Officials of the State Department of Conservation, as well as leaders of the Sportsmen’s Clubs of this vicinity, congregated about Kirkland, Kingston and Genoa Saturday afternoon and Sunday, where the surface of the Kishwaukee was covered with dead fish. The fish were first noted floating on the surface on Saturday morning, and followers of Ike Walton, who had been looking forward to an active and interesting summer as the stream gave signs of becoming good fishing territory, were highly incensed.
Proceeds from the cookie sale given by the Kirkland Brownie Scouts were $34. They will buy caps and uniform with the money.
Starting on April 25, Hinckley will be one of the “isolated” towns with train service being discontinued for any commuters in this vicinity. Bus service is planned but it will probably be some time before it goes into effect what with the closing of Route 30 while it is being rebuilt.
DeKalb may find itself right in the center of a hot bed of midget auto racing this summer, if the plans and contracts of Marvin Prather, sports luminary of DeKalb, are carried through to completion. Prather, last year developed a piece of pasture land out at Clark and Fourteenth Street into a ball park that pulled thousands through a busy and active season. Improvements have been made at the park, which is scheduled to open about the middle of May, but he announced late yesterday that the track will start to become an actuality during the coming week and should be in operations this summer.
1973 – 50 YEARS AGO
DeKalb County has a new forest preserve – its fourth and its largest. The County Board last night approved the purchase of the 240-acre tract for $216,000 by a 20-3 vote after narrowly defeating a motion to postpone the vote to the May 16 meeting, 13-10. Although the tallest thing growing on the land located 6 miles south of DeKalb at the northeast corner of McGirr and Crego roads, will be the corn that its tenant farmer will plant for one last year, its proponents hope that it will become a “people’s park” with area citizens participating in the reforestation of the land, which soils experts say once held a lush stand of trees.
For the first time in the history of the DeKalb City Council, two students were elected. The seven aldermen elected Tuesday are students David Jaffe and Charles Stowe, and incumbents Harold Rissman, Allyn Davenport, Harlan Cain, Michael McDermott and Willis Wiesz.
Rhys Prall, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Prall of Malta received the Eagle award, the highest in Scouting.
Evelyn Morse, librarian at the Somonauk Public Library, was among 700 other librarians and library officials from the state to attend “Library Legislation Day” in Springfield Wednesday. She and her husband Ralph, drove there and they were accompanied by three librarians from the Ottawa area.
1998 – 25 YEARS AGO
There is a new and unique DeKalb Park District employee. He is a specialist in the humane removal of geese from large areas, like golf courses. He endured a grueling six months of intensive out-of-state training to prepare for his job. And he works cheap too. All he asks in exchange for clearing out the unwanted waterfowl is to have his ears scratched or maybe his belly rubbed. Jiggs, a black and gray 3-year-old border collie, was bought by the park district to harass the multitudes of geese on the River Heights Golf Course into leaving.
Monroe Center – Former Rockford resident Bruce Morrall is visibly proud of the work that has been done on the property he owns along Route 72. On his property stands a building that used to be a place cows and horses called home. Now Morrall and his wife, Velma, call it their home. The structure was built in 1941 by Warren Hildebrant and his father as a barn. After one month of hard work by several construction crews, Morrall said the conversion into a house is nearly 90 percent complete.
– Compiled by Sue Breese