From the Osmond Republican Files
Jan. 6, 1898 —
Theo Goeres and wife are the proud parents of a new baby boy.
E N Booth, who has been in quarantine for the past two or more weeks, was given his liberty on Wednesday.
C. W. Scott is fast becoming a regular town loafer. The only time you can catch him home is stormy days and Sundays.
100 Years Ago. . .
Notice published by the Basement Barber Shop and Beauty Parlor: We have installed a new scissor and sheer sharpener. Perfect work guaranteed.
Miss Francis German, who had recently returned from Illinois, where she had completed a course of beauty culture, was employed in the Basement Barber Shop and Beauty Parlor.
Supt. Severns was given a complete surprise at his home by about 50 high school students. The occasion being his birthday. The evening was very pleasantly spent in playing games, after which refreshments were served.
A. L. Lundstrom arrived from Sioux City where he had been a patient in St. Joseph’s hospital, the result of his injury the previous year when he received a bad cut in one leg while helping to put the large plate glass window in the Eirinberg store. The surgeon took several pieces of glass out of the leg, and also a piece of overalls. Mr. Lundstrom while they were at it, had some surgical work done on his head, where he had previously been operated on for mastoids, and expected to be in his usual good health again after his serious operation.
75 Years Ago. . .
Heavy property damage lay in the wake of two disastrous fires here in one week. Involved were the newly constructed home of Loyal Petersen, Osmond trucker, on the west edge of the city, and the municipally owned city hall. Property damage in both instances ran into the thousands of dollars. Here are the details: The Petersen property, completed with exception of a small amount of interior finishing only a little more than a year before, was completely gutted. Home furnishings, appliances, clothing, etc., representing, according to the owner, a valuation of some $2,500, were completely destroyed. Damage to the home itself approached $5,000. Osmond firemen’s hearts sank when they came across the charred body of what turned out to be a life-size doll while fighting the fire.
The owner was in Minnesota at the time. He and his wife and five small children were living temporarily, and quite comfortably, in quarters in the basement of Mr. and Mrs. John P. Theisen. The fire started when children of the family ignited paper in a small closet near the kitchen door.
At the public building, the damage was confined pretty generally to the stage area in the rear of the building. Janitor Tom Moore had fixed the furnace fire in dressing rooms under the stage, and 45 minutes later the alarm sounded. The stage quarter of the building was in shambles. Drapes and stage equipment, last replaced after a similar fire 15 years earlier, were totally destroyed. A new floor in the auditorium proper, completed only recently, suffered little or no damage, but there was considerable smoke damage to the hall interior. One of the principal wintertime uses of the hall was for basketball practice and games. Supt. Nelson estimated the loss of personal and school equipment, stored in the basement dressing room, at near $400, which preliminary investigation indicated would not be covered by insurance..
65 Years Ago. . .
Work on the new public school for District 42R, which would cost in excess of $400,000, was very satisfactory, said 35-year-old Perry Zarger, who was charged with onthe spot supervision of the job for Hunter and Lundberg, contractors. Persons who frequently visited the school construction site at the north edge of Osmond generally agreed. The huge building — the biggest and most costly ever undertaken in the Osmond vicinity — was just half a city block in size.
Mrs. Bob Olinger reported the loss of a coin purse, given her as a keepsake. It contained several articles important to the loser but of no value to anyone else. The cash contained was several dollars. Mrs. Olinger said she would gladly give the cash if the finder would return the other articles.
A fish peddler in Osmond asked
many times, “Like to buy some walleye pike fillets?" Some folks, no doubt, bought some “walleye pike fillets." They may have gotten walleye, a top grade fish, or they may have gotten something else.
The fillets didn't look like walleye to some. The seller was questioned. “That’s what they were represented to me to be," he stated as he left.
Fun & Brandstreet announced figures obtained from a physical count of the firm’s reference book for January 1961, totaled 41 manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in Osmond. The Dun & Brandstreet reference book listed those manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers who sought or granted commercial credit, but it did not include some of the service and professional businesses such as beauty and barber shops, security dealers and real estate brokers.
50 Years Ago. . .
The junior class of Osmond High School presented three one-act plays on Jan. 13, 1976. The plays were “The Seven Wives of Dracula," a monster melodrama; "The Swimmer," a seriocomic reflection on our society, and “The Love Life of Herbert Parken- stacker," which the casts chose to represent the school at the conference play contest on Jan. 14 and the district contest on Jan. 20. Play director was Gary Lemke.
Searchers found the frozen body of Mrs. Ellen Riedel of Randolph in a farm field one mile west and ap proximately three and a half miles north of Osmond. Her stalled car was found after the road was opened two days after a frigid snow storm, sitting crossways in the road at the beginning of a drift-filled cut. It was abandoned and the window of the driver’s side was left down. A search was conducted for Mrs. Riedel, with the search party of more than 25 men made up of fire department members and area farmers. Her body was found by Jerry Schmit, with only a portion of her coat and parts of her boots visible through the snow.
Dan Douglas Lienemann, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don Lienemann of Randolph, was born Jan. 8, 1976, to claim the title of first baby of 1976 at Osmond General Hospital.
25 Years Ago. . .
In Osmond Community School’s advanced P.E. class, students were making a miniature golf course with two people working on each hole. There were six holes. The students used cardboard boxes, old carpet, extra boards, string and their imaginations to make the course. One of the more difficult holes was made by Jer emy Stech and Dan Kuhlman. Their course was made of a box hanging from the ceiling. Once a person made it through the box, the ball would roll down a roll of insulation into a cup.
10 Years Ago. . .
Norman Lorenz addressed the city council with a request to establish a walking trail near the newly-established community orchard. The idea was to go from the park south and west of the orchard. He said he would like to include a shelter about the size of the small Poolside Park shelters. Eventually he wanted to place a river walk on the covered drainage ditch.
