20 YEARS AGO: NEWS FROM THE ISSUE OF APRIL 2, 2003
An Army reservist for 18 years, Litchfield native Bruce Carlson knew he could be sent into the middle of a conflict at a moment’s notice, especially as the United States and Iraq tensions escalated to war. And then, in February, that possibility became reality. Carlson packed his bags and moved to the reserve site in Willmar, then to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. His wife, Teresa Carlson, said they expect Bruce will be deployed to the Middle East within a week or two. As a staff sergeant in the 825th quartermaster detachment, his job in Iraq will be to help supply water to troops by installing and guarding hose. The assignment could take him away from his family for a year or more.
Watching everyday Eddie Guardado close out the Minnesota Twins’ 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers with a perfect ninth inning was enough to put a smile on Twins fans’ faces on Open Day. Litchfield’s Brad Steil is still grinning from ear to ear. Steil has more than a passing interest in the franchise, serving as an administrative assistant to scouting for the Twins organization for the past three seasons. Steil, who captained the Litchfield High School football and hockey teams before graduating in 1995, didn’t have a job with the Twins high on his priority list when he enrolled at Concordia College in Moorhead. Steil was originally planning on a physics or math degree before switching to a business major his sophomore year. He was working on his graduate studies at St. Thomas when he needed an internship. He sent resumes to all of the professional sports franchises in the Twin Cities, but only the Twins called him back. He worked for the Twins part-time until being elevated to a full-time position a year later.
The work Ann Ross does is extremely detailed, working with pieces that are measured in millimeters. Yet, if she makes a mistake, she simply starts all over again with a second thought. Ross of Litchfield does beading, making unique bead necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watch stems. A hobby that she stumbled upon less than year ago has become a new handmade jewelry business called Anna Banana Beads.
On a whim, Jake Schlack and friends decided to watch a taping of “The Price Is Right” while on a spring break trip to California. The next thing he knew, Schlack, who graduated from LHS in 1998, heard announcer Rod Roddy calling his name to “come on down.” A student at Moorhead State University, he and his girlfriend, brother Caleb, and members of his college rugby team went to California. Schlack was the first person to be called down to sit in contestants’ row, where four contestants had to guess how much a tool shed cost. The closest without going over made it to the next round. Schlack’s guess won his way on stage, where in another game, he won an outdoor sauna, which he planned to either sell or give to his parents, Dave and Jan Schlack of Litchfield.
50 YEARS AGO: NEWS FROM THE ISSUE OF MARCH 28, 1973
Lake Ripley and Wagner elementary schools might have changing roles in the Litchfield School District education setup in the not too distant future. Here’s how the plan, which is now merely in the “talking stage” would work: All students in grades one to three would attend Wagner School. The Ripley School would be devoted exclusively to students in the four to six grade bracket. However, these roles could be reversed if the plan actually comes into operation. This would be determined after the proposal had more thorough exploration. Right now, both schools have sections for students in grades kindergarten through six. The proposed grouping of lower grades at one school and upper grades at another has been working well in other communities, including Benson, where elementary principals Jack Ralston and Leo Plut recently visited and heard nothing but good reports.
Meeker County Historical Society, at a meeting Sunday afternoon, took no formal stand on the plan to raze the Meeker County courthouse building. At the conclusion of a two-hour meeting, members voted to table action pending determination of exactly how much in federal funds might be available to preserve the structure. The meeting was triggered by a letter from Leo J. Ambrose, deputy director of the State Department of Public Service, to historical society officers. In the letter, Ambrose decried the proposal to raze the courthouse and called on the historical society to “make every possible effort to preserve it.”
75 YEARS AGO: NEWS FROM THE ISSUE OF APRIL 6, 1948
City Council members were given a complete financial report at the regular meeting Monday. The city collected $40,000 last year to run city affairs. The income came from real estate and personal property tax, license fees and permits. The power plant transferred $9,000 to city coffers. Rents from the Community Building brought in over $2,000, and fines totaled about $1,000.
The problem of finding a suitable site for the proposed armory in Litchfield is still in the controversial stage. The two main sites are in Central Park and a plot near the athletic field in the northeast part of town. It is not known whether the latter site would meet the federal requirements. The Central Park site would meet all requirements but may have some legal entanglements. The property had been conveyed by deed to the city for park purposes by the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The attorney general has ruled that the fee title now held by the Great Northern Railroad could be conveyed to the city of Litchfield which then could make the park site available for the armory. Some members of the council feel a special election should be called to set the armory site.
95 YEARS AGO: NEWS FROM THE ISSUE OF APRIL 6, 1928
Lake Ripley threw off its winter shackles of ice this week, completing the job under the direction of a north wind on Thursday, April 6. This was about 10 days earlier than last year and was one of the earliest dates in many years that the ice has gone out on the lake. Many of the deeper lakes in the area are still icebound.
The Star Lake Creamery has completed the installation of a new 20 horsepower steam engine. The new machine is replacing the old 10 horsepower unit which was in service for 34 years. The old engine not only had outlived its usefulness, but had grown too small for the workload. It will be seen that the excellent care given the old engine was the reason it worked for so many years.
134 YEARS AGO: NEWS FROM THE ISSUE OF APRIL 6, 1889
Messrs. Welch and Crowe were served with an injunction late Saturday afternoon, forbidding them to continue work on their machinery warehouse. They retained E.P. Peterson as counsel and the city’s side is being taken by C.H. Strobeck, who has been appointed city attorney as N.C. Martin refused to qualify. The two attorneys went to Morris yesterday to argue the matter before Judge C.L. Brown. Messrs. Welch and Crowe asked that the injunction be dissolved and that they be allowed $100 in damages for being delayed in their building operations.
