Our Town 100 Years Ago: November 1920, Part 2

Winter is settling in on the Jefferson Valley, the general election is becoming just a memory, people are moving in and out of town. It is the second half of November 1920.

The post office has an opening for a rural mail carrier. The route is a standard 24 miles and pays $1800 per year. Extra pay will be provided should the route extend beyond the 24 miles. Women will be considered if they are a widow or the wife of a physically disabled veteran.

George Bleichner has been showing his friends his original issue edition of the New York Herald from April 15, 1865. This highly prized relic includes some incredible news. It announced the death of Abraham Lincoln, contained the words of Jefferson Davis' last proclamation, Lee's surrender and many other events from the Civil War.

In agriculture news, the Farm Bureau has announced that T. T. Black is President for Jefferson County, John Mountjoy is president for the Cardwell area and Mrs. B. Chambers is the secretary. Membership in the Farm Bureau is growing. Pleasant Valley has 100, Cardwell and Eureka have 50 each, the Boulder Valley and Wheatland each have 30. The Agriculture Club at the high school will be led by president B. Johnson. J. Vanderhook is the Vice-president and the secretary/treasurer is J. Barkell. It is only natural to have our young people interested in local farming and ranching. This year there were 42,000 pounds of high-grade seed peas harvested. Frank Kountz had 20 acres that produced 40 bushels per acre; W. F. and W. E. Woodard had 22 acres on the bench that gave 25 bushels to an acre; Frank Green on the Pipestone bench has 40 acres that made 15 bushels per acre. Farmers made between 5 and 6 cents per pound.

The new owner of our local paper has announced an increase in the subscription price. Is will going up to $2.50 per year. Whitehall Drug is having a sale on records. All are $1.00 and they include Al Jolson's "Avalon", Nora Bayes' "The Japanese Sandman", and Ted Lewis' "Fair One" and "Gypsy Moon". The Modern Pharmacy, a Rexall store, is having a 5-cent sale on many products.

James Jergensen has purchased the former Sugar Beet Factory site. His deed from the Amalgamated Sugar Company includes all of the demolished buildings and approximately one acre of land. There are several useful features that will be a benefit to our community even though the factory was a bust. The large concrete slab (50 by 300 feet) with eight-foot-high walls can be converted into excellent storage for vegetables. The smokestack, which is over 200 feet high, will provide the draft for a 20,000 horse-power boiler.

Mr. Delmoe has passed away at the age of 87. Affectionately known as Uncle Tom, he is one our area's oldest pioneers and the original owner of Delmoe Lake.

The Reverend Michael M. English has been visiting his folks in Washington D. C. and ended up testifying there about his recent visit to Ireland. He described the British reign of terror and what happened while he was there and what is happening now Homes of the Irish are raided, robbed and wrecked.

Miss Zola McNinch has been reunited with her mother, Mrs. Peter Hansen. It was reported she was kidnapped near Piedmont. The police quickly determined that her boyfriend and a couple of his friends were involved. They took her to Butte and from there she traveled to Salt Lake City. Those named in the incident are Orville Page, Ralph Redfield and a J. Rodgers. Clear tire tracks were observed at the scene and were easily matched to Mr. Redfield's vehicle. It turns out that Miss McNinch and her boyfriend wanted to get married and her mother said no since Zola is only 14. Mrs. Hansen went to Salt Lake City and returned to the valley with her young daughter in tow.