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1922 – 100 YEARS AGO
Tarvin was laid yesterday on Maple Street in Sycamore and the big sprinkler is at work again today. The heavy crushed stone has been laid and Tarvin is being laid over that, as a penetrator. Another covering of stone chips will be put over the crushed rock and Tarvin, which will fill all crevices and make the foundation more lasting. The road will then be opened for the public until next spring when crushed granite will be put on as the final touch.
Work on the Peterson elevator in Malta is rapidly nearing completion, the men are now pouring cement for the roofs of the four tanks. This is quite a task as the tanks are 80 feet high and material has to be hauled to the top for the finishing touches.
Tearing the vines down at the Sycamore fire station is the main work that is being done by the men there today. The vines which were so beautiful in the spring and summer when they would climb on the side of the building and fence along the side of the station, have all been cut down now that winter is coming on and the first frost is here.
Cow-Punchers Punch in Germany – The latest German sport is horseback boxing. The “chaps” the cowboys wear are inspired by American movie pictures. A literal translation of the word cow-puncher possibly suggested the latest sport.
According to all reports from hunters, the rabbits are very plentiful this year, at least in this vicinity. Those going hunting say it is no trouble finding the creatures, who bound up in front of a person almost anywhere in a field or woodland. Many licenses are being given out this week to hunters who are eager to get started on the trail for the cottontails. Every morning early hunters may be seen plodding along the roads to fields after rabbits and other game.
Percy Viets and the family of McGirr are going to move to Chase to take charge of the store and elevator there.
Much interest is being shown in the ox shoe which is on display in the window of George Miller’s music store. The shoe is one which was popular in the olden days when shoes of that kind and material were worn. It is only one half shoe on account of the split hoof, which is causing considerable curiosity by passersby.
Mrs. Elizabeth Aldis and grandson Clifford Aldis of Cortland, spent several days in Rochelle with her brother, John Myers and his wife.
1947 – 75 YEARS AGO
Eighteen young farm men and women, high scorers in district talkfests, who can jump to their feet and talk on any subject quicker than you can say extemporaneous, will meet in the state talkfest to be held in St. Louis on Nov. 18. Among the topnotch talkers are Walter Lambert and Edward Heyer of DeKalb County.
Just before 3 o’clock yesterday the DeKalb Community fire truck was called to the old Gurler Road southwest of DeKalb near the farm owned by Ben McNeely where the branch was blown off a tree carrying with it the high line and the pole on which the transformer was connected. The tree was set on fire and the oil in the transformer blazed, resulting in the call for the fire department. The firemen had their first chilly ride of the season and upon arrival a Pyrene extinguisher was used to put out the blaze.
Ducks, which have been staying around the north in the mild weather, have started south. During the night and early this morning flocks were going south and it is expected the flight will continue today and tomorrow. One hunter, who picked up his limit this morning, expects the flight to be heavy, but short, and will probably be completed by Monday. Most of the ducks flying today are mallards.
Pembroke, England – Ronald James was charged today with shooting at his wife because she “smoked on the sly” while he could not afford cigarettes, now 68 cents a pack in Britain.
Wednesday morning the juniors at Sycamore High School finished that yearly unpleasantness known as the junior tests. It is really the examination by the state of Illinois into the students’ general abilities. To the pupils, it is just a vicious plot to confuse them.
Preparations are already underway by the Elgin area of the State Highway Department for the annual winter battle against ice and snow. Eight counties, including DeKalb, are included in the Elgin area. Abrasives, such as cinders, sand and limestone, are being placed at key points for use at icy grade crossings, curves and intersections and approximately 75 miles of snow fences are being erected before the arrival of winter weather.
1972 – 50 YEARS AGO
A strange series of events on DeKalb’s north side Wednesday afternoon resulted in five women being trapped in an elevator for about a half hour at the DeKalb County Nursing Home after a truck smashed into a pole about a half-mile away. The first step toward the unusual set of events was caused by a truck hauling wet and slippery clay back and forth on a service road between Loves and Barber Greene roads. A Stahl Construction dump truck came along and slid off the road and smacked into a power line. The power outage knocked out one phase of the County Home’s power supply and caused a motor on the elevator to burn out.
DeKalb County Sheriff’s police, acting on a tip, arrested Dennis Colling of Sycamore as he fled from Laseman’s Pharmacy in Waterman, which he had allegedly attempted to burglarize. Sheriff’s police had surrounded the pharmacy early Tuesday morning and could hear someone hacking at the roof of the building, where he gained entrance. While inside, he tripped a burglar alarm, came back out through the roof and fled on foot.
President Nixon, polling more votes than any presidential candidate in history, crushed George S. McGovern in a near-record landslide that solidified his personal leadership.
1997 – 25 YEARS AGO
A group of downtown DeKalb business owners are cautiously optimistic about a new plan to revitalize downtown DeKalb. But they say they will need a serious commitment from the downtown stakeholders and the rest of the community to succeed.
The village of Kirkland has approved an agreement for the flood relief buyout program of the Congress Lake Estates mobile home park which will be in about $2 million of federal funding. A little more than 15 months ago the devastating flood left hundreds of the trailer park residents homeless. Within the next 10 months, the Congress Lake Estates property will become open green space, a park area to be forever owned by the village.
Night courts, overcrowding and insufficient storage space are terms often heard in Cook and DuPage counties. Now it is DeKalb County facing a spatial crunch. The county needs additional space for record storage, County Board meetings, court services and ordinary office space. Within the next two years, there will be a demand for at least an additional 10,000 square feet. The problem is getting so bad that the state’s attorney’s office may be forced out of the courthouse. Furthermore, another court room is said to be needed.
– Compiled by Sue Breese