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1924 – 100 Years Ago
Because the city workmen have been required to attend to several other tasks the past few days the removal of the old Aurora line rails will not begin until next Monday morning. It was the intention of the city crew to start yesterday to clear up the old property of Israel Joseph of Aurora, owner of the line and its equipment. It is understood that the pavement will be re-laid where the rails have to be removed and the street repaired. As yet no settlement has been made with the Illinois Power Company for the removal of the street car tracks on the streets used when the interurban cars were in operation.
Wanted: 500 strong men, willing to give a helping hand in building the bridge across the Kishwaukee at Pershing Park. This announcement was today sent out by Legionnaires interested in having an automobile bridge erected so that baseball fans will have an opportunity of driving their autos over to the ball field. The Legion workers further stated that the helpers need not be ex-service men or members of the Legion post. Any man willing to devote part of his time to a worthy cause is asked to be present early Saturday morning with a hammer, saw, axe, or any other article that can be used in erecting a bridge.
Another near disaster in the navy occurred yesterday off San Diego, when two submarines, making submerged attacks in practice, sideswiped each other. The two under water crafts, the F33 and F35, which collided, pulled through without any injury to personnel.
Plans for the Ku Klux Klan meeting to be held Friday evening at the F. P. farm on the South First Street Road have been such that one of the largest attendances in the history of the DeKalb organization is expected. The program is of an extensive nature and will include music, speeches and a lunch.
Carter Jekins, a resident engineer from Elgin, has taken charge of the construction work on the road west of Sycamore that is being built by the state to Five Points. At the present time the grading work has been started and it is thought the actual work of laying the cement will be started within a short time.
Dirty mains that could not be cleaned except by tearing up the pavement have been receiving the attention of the repair crew of the Northern Utilities company of Sycamore. The mains along DeKalb Avenue have been giving the officials considerable trouble in providing good service for the people of Sycamore and every effort is being made to correct the trouble.
1949– 75 Years Ago
New call letters for the radio station of the DeKalb Police station were received and put into use today. Those in charge of using the radio found the most difficult task that of remembering to say “KSA414″ instead of the old and familiar “WDKA.” The change is one that has been anticipated for some time, as the original letters given this station for identification purposes were understood to be only for temporary use. The new letters are a part of a nation-wide code system for the identification of law enforcing stations. In other words, the letters “KSA” are used only by law enforcing stations and the number that follows gives the station identification.
Demonstrating the best method of first aid in the use of bandages, the demonstration team of the Esmond Eagles Four-H Club team earned a trip to the state fair.
DeKalb’s new rest room, which opened yesterday morning, received use during its first day despite the fact that it yet lacks an identification sign. Mayor Frank Sohne this morning said that the rest room was remaining open on a schedule that will accommodate the shoppers and that a sign was being secured and would be placed in the window within a few days’ time.
Nancy Lockwood of Clare is a member of the Helaine Dancing School, presented a lovely dance revue in the DeKalb Egyptian Theatre Wednesday evening. Several from here attended.
California Packing Corporation is now in full swing with the pea pack. They started Thursday on the crop from this territory, prior to that and along with the pack from here, they are canning some from the Rochelle area. The Rochelle crop matured a little earlier.
The North Circle of the Lutheran Church in Milan met at the home of Mrs. Oliver Johnson on North Sixth Street, DeKalb. Mrs. Minnie Hill and Mrs. Milo Kittleson assisted. Although it was a rainy day about 50 were present. The home was beautiful with many spring flowers.
One more step towards the completion of the Lincoln Highway improvements for the big New Look Days celebration came this morning. Another shipment of 15 light standards was received and were being installed on the prepared concrete bases.
1974 – 50 Years Ago
Workers at DeKalb Forge Co., 1832 Pleasant St., called a wildcat strike this morning. Approximately 27 of the 38 men on the day shift walked out. The strike is not sanctioned by local 1615 of the International Association of Boilermakers. The strikers claim the union misrepresented them during contract negotiation with the company last fall. The contract approved by the union in November 1973 runs for three years.
Three fur babies were left on the front steps of St. Mary’s church Monday night. The black and white, cuddly orphans are in need of homes. Found in a big box, they had a blanket, their own food and a note, “Please find a home for them. Born April 29.”
Sheriff Wilbur Scott yesterday requested salary raises for every member of his department except his secretary and the jail cook. If granted in the amount requested by Scott, sheriff’s department salaries for 1975 would exceed 1974′s salary allocation ($369,899) by $55,002.
A shipping error resulted in a Roman Catholic school for girls in St. Louis receiving 25 copies of “The Joy of Sex” instead of “The Joy of Cooking.” Sanford Jaffe, president of Paperback Supply Inc., of suburban Webster Grove, said the school did not complain and paid the bill, even though it totaled $25 more than the cookbooks would have cost.
1999 - 25 Years Ago
The earth is moving on the far westside of Kirkland, but there’s no reason to worry about plate tectonics. What is beginning to shake is the new industrial park and its first tenant, Tempo Components, a fabricator of roof and floor trusses. Just off Route 72 on the north side and up a gravel road is a fully operational business catering to the housing growth sweeping the northern Illinois region.
Major upgrades to the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport will better enable it to serve the growing needs of the northern Illinois region. The airport expects to experience 40,000 flight operations this year, which is a 25 percent increase over figures recorded just three years ago by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Visitors to DeKalb can expect to see corn on the way here. Acres of the vegetable surround the city, which even has a brand of corn named after it. But something future visitors may not be expecting is a 40-foot corn stalk in the middle of town. The DeKalb Mural Project has picked a design for the city’s mural.
Compiled by Sue Breese