125 YEARS AGO: 1897
Wood is wanted on subscription at the Leader office.
H.H. Benjamin shipped 55 Plymouth Rock Leghorn and Houdan fowls to Freeport, Illinois. Hutchinson is becoming a breeding point of importance.’
Delbert Green had the misfortune to break his leg by being thrown from a load of hay he was hauling from the George Bonniwell place. The load tipped over and Mr. Green struck the ground in a manner as to twist his leg, breaking it at the knee joint, and making a fracture that will be slow in healing and that will possibly result in a permanent disability.
100 YEARS AGO: 1922
The Casey Store at Lake Stella in Ellsworth Township burned recently. The store building was completely destroyed and practically all the goods with it. The fire is thought to have been caused by a leaky kerosene barrel near the furnace in the store basement, as the furnace was new and had but recently been installed. Those who were in or near the building at the time the fire started report having heard an explosion, which would seem to bear out the kerosene theory.
Get ready for free mail delivery. Hutchinson residents who expect to be served by free city delivery when the service is installed next February are reminded that the beginning of the service is contingent on 85 people providing mail boxes or slots in the doors of their residences, preferably the latter, before the date for beginning service.
75 YEARS AGO: 1947
Hutchinson employees of Minnesota Minnesota and Manufacturing Co. by a decisive vote turned down the United Gas, Coke and Chemical Workers of America, CIO, union as their bargaining representative. One hundred and seventy four of the 194 employees were eligible to vote. The final count was 49 for the union and 126 against the union.
Frank Urban Jr., veteran employee of the Silver Lake Creamery, spent 3 hours under a coal slide before he was rescued by the fire department and other volunteers. He escaped with a broken leg and is now recuperating at home in Silver Lake.
50 YEARS AGO: 1972
Reports of a possible turkey shortage for Christmas, which has been circulating in the Twin Cities media may have prompted some Hutchinson folks to stock up on the birds, according to mixed reports from local stores. Mel Miller, manager of the Red Owl store in Hutchinson, said that he’s noticed more customers than usual buying two turkeys, one for Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas.
McLeod County donors gave 720 pints of blood during the semi-annual visit of the Red Cross Bloodmobile. The turnout of donors at Hutchinson was more than the mobile facilities or volunteers could accommodate. There were 390 pints donated at Hutchinson.
25 YEARS AGO: 1997
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the intersection of State Highways 15 and 7 in Hutchinson is the most congested and potentially dangerous intersection in all of MnDot’s District 8. District 8 includes cities such as Willmar and Marshall.
Norwest Bank moved closer to joining the Hutchinson community when it cleared a couple of minor hurdles at the Hutchinson Planning Commission meeting. The commission recommended that the City Council approve the relocation of a sanitary sewer easement and a lot split that would allow Norwest to build a 6,000-square-foot building in the northwest corner of the present Shopko parking lot. “Hutchinson represents a really terrific market for us,” said Jim Quinlan, president of the proposed bank.
Howard Manthei hopes that the big snowstorms in the county hold off for awhile. Manthei was recently hired as the new McLeod County highway maintenance supervisor after the highway department spent several months in the hiring process. Manthei replaces Dave Randt who left to become Carver County’s maintenance supervisor.
The women of Shalom Baptist are at it again. For the 13th year, they will borrow a home for a few days and with a dash of creativity, a smidgen of ingenuity and a handful of hard work transform it into a Christmas show place. More than 700 guests are expected to visit the Phil and Robin Bergstrom home at 1056 Jorgenson St. S.W. in Hutchinson.
