125 YEARS AGO: 1898
The Leader's cartoonist J.F. Mikulecky, as our reader will notice, is developing a marked degree of skill. He is a young man who has never had the advantage of an hour's training in drawing, so is entitled to much credit.
The first man from Hutchinson to enlist for the Spanish War will be Oliver Winkleman who left for St. Paul for this purpose. Willis Nott also intended to enlist when he left the other day.
100 YEARS AGO: 1923
A tennis club in Hutchinson is proudly becoming a reality. The park board has taken steps to clear more ground in North Park where the outdoor basketball court has been, and will put in a macadam court for the tennis players to be completed in three weeks. The Hutchinson Tennis Club is being formed by tennis enthusiasts headed by Park Dougherty and Donald Tmey, with an initial membership of $2 for adults and $1 for school children.
Fire at 3 a.m. at the city hall caused about $5,000 damage before checked by the fire department. The fire was contained to the stage in the west end of the building, burning most fiercely between the floor of the stage and the ceiling of the council rooms below. Defective wiring is believed to be the cause.
75 YEARS AGO: 1948
A group of neighbors of Fred Zavoral has formed a committee to do something about the big fire loss he sustained March 29, when his barn burned and 83 head of livestock perished in the blaze, including his whole herd of milk cows. Joe Vacek is chairman of the group and Matt Dostal is secretary-treasurer. This "Committee of Good Neighbors" has designed two local banks and the Silver Lake bank for funds. Zavoral's loss, the committee explains, was $25,000 with only $5,000 in insurance.
Tricky breezes have gently wafted at least three post-Easter bonnets into the Hutchinson Leader Office. Hatless owners should stop at the Leader to look at our selection.
50 YEARS AGO: 1973
Burglars made off with men's and women's clothing and some costume jewelry from the S&L Department Store at the corner of South Main Street and First Avenue. Mel Ziemer, store manager, said a complete inventory has been started but not completed yet. He would estimate between $1,800 to $2,000 in merchandise was stolen. Entry was made by breaking the lock on the side door entrance on First Avenue. According to Police Chief Dean O'Borsky, who said police discovered the burglary shortly before 10 p.m. while making a check of doors on businesses.
For the past two years it's been a different life for Frank Englehart, whose reputation for dropping everything including his meat cleaver to answer a fire alarm, was well-known during his 12 years as chief of the volunteer Hutchinson Fire Department. Congestive heart failure, corrected by open heart surgery, made the difference and he's adjusted to a slower pace of living. "I feel good, I just don't move too fast," says the former meat department manager at Lloyd's Red Owl in Hutchinson.
25 YEARS AGO: 1998
The Hutchinson City Council gave the two state legislators that represent this area a round of applause for helping to secure approximately $11 million in state funding for local projects in the recently completed 1998 session. Sen. Steve Dille and Rep. Bob Ness, both of Dassel, outlined for the council the projects that received funding. At the top of the list was $7.6 million for a media center and other renovations at Ridgewater College. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources got $1.35 million for development of the Luce Line State Trail, including portions of the trail in the Hutchinson area. More directly, a proposed $2.5 million composting project proposed by the city is eligible for nearly $1.3 million in state funding, and the city has access to $1 million for a community/civic center if a matching amount is generated locally.
With the inclusion of a last-minute change supported by local grocery stores, an ordinance governing all types of tobacco sales within city limits was unanimously approved by the Hutchinson City Council.
