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1923 – 100 Years Ago
Canada thistles are a serious menace to land values in many parts of the United States because of the fact that the farmers are unable to sell their seed or hay to advantage. This pest seems to be showing up more in recent years in this country, due, no doubt, to the laxity in Canada thistle control. It is the duty of every farmer to himself, to his neighbor, and to his children to report any patches of Canada thistles that he may find, either on his own farm or on an adjoining farm. The man who allows thistles to go to seed, is looking to the small profit he may make today and overlooking the tremendous loss in crop and time of tomorrow.
Taxi cabs have a waiting list at the state college. Taxi drivers in this city will have more than their hands full during all hours of tomorrow with the closing of the first term of summer school at the state college. With the closing of the first term of summer school at the state college and about 700 students wishing to make a train in “nothing flat,” the taxi cabs will be about the busiest in the history of any one concern’s business. One concern in DeKalb had enough reserve calls booked yesterday morning to take care of 12 hours of continuous service. It is expected that several more cars will be placed in use for the day’s business.
Every year at this time the usual cherry picking force starts out on the season’s job of cleaning the cherry trees in this vicinity. This year, according to farmers and others who have several trees, there seems to be a large supply of the fruit, which is getting to the ripe turn at this time. Small boys scout the city looking for the job of picking the cherries and one may see a string of pails in the trees as he goes along the street or passes an orchard in the country.
Surrounded by the most modern of conveniences, the Bresnahan Brothers taxi cab concern has now moved into new quarters in the Ballou garage to the rear of the Bell restaurant. The garage was built for the express use of the taxi cab people, and will accommodate several cars nicely. The Standard Oil people of DeKalb have also installed a gasoline tank and pump for the use of the boys. The pump will be open day and night for the use of patrons.
1948 – 75 Years Ago
They were making hay while the sun was shining up in the Genoa vicinity recently. This was being done on the Ernest Peterson farm, just west of Genoa on Route 72. The tractor pulled the self-powered hay baler that packs the hay and ties it with a couple of sturdy strands of rope.
About 11:30 o’clock Saturday evening the DeKalb fire department was called to the airport on Pleasant Street, where a blaze had developed in the hangar. The fire had been extinguished by watchmen at the hangar before the fire trucks arrived. One wing of a plane had been damaged by the blaze but damage is not expected to run over a few hundred dollars. Cause of the fire is being investigated, the blaze having been started when a phosphorus flare was released from one of the planes housed in the hangar and an investigation is being conducted to determine how the flare was released. What could have been a serious fire was nipped before it had a chance to spread.
The summer doldrums are about to settle down on the Courthouse in Sycamore. County Judge Latham Castle of Sandwich is away on a vacation in the west which will last about a month and only the necessary routine business of that office is being conducted by Arthur G. Larson, Kendall County judge from Yorkville. The jury in Circuit Court has been dismissed, subject to recall because none of the attorneys wish to start involved trials during the hot summer months, many of them hope to get away on vacations within the next few weeks.
A big crane loaded on a semi-truck was turning west off of South Maple Street in Sycamore to West Elm Street on Friday morning and managed to clip off four telephone wires. It then went one block and made a turn north onto Somonauk Street and some difficulty was had in front of the Elks Club. A small crowd gathered to watch the procedure which entailed the moving of the crane while the truck remained stationary.
1973 – 50 Years Ago
A group of youths invented a new cooling game for themselves during an outing at Huber Park this week – racing across the Kishwaukee River. If you stumble, you not only get wet, you probably will come in last.
Vandals hit this northwestern DeKalb County community last night in Esmond. Mrs. K reported someone punched a hole in the bottom of a children’s swimming pool and bent down the fence around a play area. S.G. reported that snow tires were stolen from his garage; Mrs. R reported that two fence posts were pulled out of the ground and her flower garden disturbed. J.W. reported eight window panes broken out of his garage and four lines cut down. Stolen from his property were a girl’s 20-inch Schwinn bike and a bright yellow Schwinn tricycle.
Agnes Jean Herrmann, valedictorian of the 1973 graduate class, at Shabbona High School, has been given the Annual Award of The Reader’s Digest Association for students who by their successful school work give promise of attaining leadership in the community, it was announced today by Florence A. Cook, principal.
1998 – 25 Years Ago
Sheriff’s deputies arrested four people for allegedly trespassing and possessing fireworks in an abandoned building Friday night. Police became involved after receiving a complaint about fireworks at a building on Lovell Road near Sycamore. Upon arriving on the scene around 10:45 p.m., deputies reportedly saw four subjects inside the building with flashlights. As deputies went to pull into the driveway, a vehicle allegedly attempted to pull out of the drive, in reverse, at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was stopped by police.
Customers beware. The latest telephone scams to hit phone wires are aimed at your wallet. GTE officials have issued a warning to area residents about a new scam which may be operating in northern Illinois. According to GTE, con artists are calling businesses with multi-line telephone systems and obtaining access to outside long distance lines. Once access is gained, illegal, and often costly, calls are made.
When Frank Saliu approached the Sandwich City Council some time ago, he had a simple proposal. He would repair a dilapidated building if the city would grant him a liquor license. Now, almost five months after he started work on the old roller rink along Route 34, Saliu’s license request is stirring discussion among bar owners worried the town can’t support another establishment.
– Compiled by Sue Breese