Looking Back: Drys worked overtime to drive saloons out of Farmington 100 years ago

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25 years ago

From the March 4, 1987 edition of the Farmington Independent

Quacked-up duck mends with boys’ help

Two Farmington Middle School students are putting an unlimited amount of energy into helping a limited mallard duck.

Greg Carr and Brandon Redding were fishing for chubs along the Vermillion River last week when they watched a large male duck fly into a stretch of barbed wire.

“We went over and saw that its leg was bleeding,” Brandon said on Monday.

The boys, who had ridden bikes to their fishing spot, then picked up the duck to take it home. They also managed to coax the duck’s female counterpart to come with them....

Since then, with the help of Brandon’s parents, the boys have been caring for the ducks in his cleared out basement. They have been feeding the pair corn and oats....

The pair gradually became accustomed to their human caregivers....

The two said they would release the ducks to their flock when the injury is healed.

50 years ago

From the March 1, 1962 edition of the Dakota County Tribune

Red Owl to be opened here Thursday

Wally Petricka, owner and operator of the new Red Owl store in Farmington’s new Town’s Edge Shopping Center, will open 6,000 square feet of grocery shopping area at exactly 9:59 a.m. Thursday, March 1, according to three full page ads (two in color) in this issue....

He will feature six big aisles to shop from, parking for 150 cars, four automatic doors, hot chicken from a rotisserie, an automatic want ad service, 36 feet of self-service meat, a parcel pickup service, and a meat-cutting room, 9 x 30, where the temperature is held at 5 degrees for better meat with no shrinkage.

National food stores having grand opening

With the completion of a recent addition, the National Food Stores, local grocery for 30 years, have practically doubled their floor space, and are having a grand opening here this week....

Store Manager Howard Miller, and meat manager, Adolph Hoglund, both Farmington residents, point to new features such as, 40 additional feet of freezer space, the doubling of the dairy cases, the complete self-service meat department, and a new all-refrigerator cutting room.

28 ½-inch February snow sets new mark

Dakota County had an all-time record 28 1/2” of snow for the month of February this year, official Government Meteorologist Jerome Akin reported today....

The previous record was back in 1909 when February measured 24.2 inches....

The following was the snowfall for February:

Feb. 1, 1/2”; Feb. 13, 3”; Feb. 15, 5”; Feb. 18, 5”; Feb. 19, 1”; Feb. 21, 6”; Feb. 24, 3”; Feb. 25, 2”; Feb. 26, 3”.

Derailment clips bolts 4 miles

Derailment of one set of wheels south of Castle Rock clipped off bolts and disrupted communications and rail ties on the Milwaukee Road for a distance of four miles, resulting in considerable road bed damage, Friday morning.

If an air line had not broken “dynamiting” the air brakes, the train, Rock Island No. 68, probably never would have made it past the next switch alongside the Castle Chemical Company in Castle Rock village.

The 11 cars following the broken wheels could have been scattered in the area of the chemical company....

The wreck was caused when a broken flange on a boxcar of the northbound train, allowed the wheel to slip off, and the rail truck became crossed on the track.

Like a giant scissors, it plowed up bolts and communications lines, also ripped into ties for the four miles immediately south of Castle Rock.

Incidentally, those walking to the spot of the wreck found there are snowdrifts in ditches, as deep as a man’s height.

75 years ago

From the March 5, 1937 edition of the Dakota County Tribune

Townships elect officers March 9

The various townships in Dakota County will elect the following officers Tuesday, March 9th: supervisor for 3 years, assessor for 2 years, treasurer for 2 years, justice for 2 years and constable for 2 years....

Empire township has opposition in the office of assessor, only. Those who have filed are: Sybert Stapf for supervisor; S.M. Betzold for treasurer; Joseph Peters and E.G. Stapf for assessor; no filings for constable or justice of the peace.

Castle Rock Township has two filings in the assessors office and one in two others as follows: Albert Trout for supervisor; Irving W. Cook and Fred Grove for assessor; Sophia Kraus for treasurer; no fillings for justice of the peace or constable.

The following is the line-up in Eureka Township: Albert Slette and Harold O. Mohn for supervisor; Hilmer Shirley, M.O. Johnson and Albert Hammer for assessor; O.T. Leine for treasurer; no filings for justice of peace or constable.

Local girl wins first in declam

Helen Peters won first place in the humorous division of the district declamation contest at North St. Paul, Monday night. She will go to the regional contest.

In the dramatic division a very odd thing occurred, there were three ties for first place between Red Wing, Farmington and Forest Lake. These three schools tied in rank and the decision was reached by counting the points, giving first place to Red Wing by only a fractional margin. Marjorie Birdsall was Farmington’s representative in dramatics.

U pathologists to report soon

County authorities continued to investigate the sudden death of Mrs. Axel Sejrup, 41-year-old Empire township woman, which occurred on her farm home five miles east of here at midnight Tuesday of last week.

In an effort to learn the cause of death, Mr. Hall questioned several persons and Tuesday afternoon brought to Farmington three persons who were at the farm when death came. They were Alex Sejrup, 46, husband, his 18-year-old son, John, and the hired man, Everett Hagen, 25 years old. Following the questioning, the three were taken to Hastings where they were placed under observation. No charges have been filed against anyone.

It was learned this week that Mrs. Sejrup had not been in good health since last September.

100 years ago

From the March 1, 1912 edition of the Dakota County Tribune

Drys working overtime in effort to drive saloon out of Farmington

The city election is one week from next Tuesday, and as the time draws near both sides draw nearer to their heaviest guns. The wets are conducting a still hunt and are not making much of a demonstration, while the drys are working overtime in their efforts to drive the saloon out of Farmington. At this time the drys seem to be in the majority and we understand a number of compromises have been offered by the wets.

Everybody seems anxious to know who the other fellow wants for our city “papas” and is not very anxious to tell who he wants; however, you will find a number who are willing to express their choice, and the Tribune reporter has succeeded in getting the following choices:

For mayor, Dr. Sanford, C.B. Whittier, A.H. Sprute and C.I. Haynes: for recorder, L.A. Whittier and Julius Methner. No one seemed willing to make known their choice on councilmen.

Railroad meeting

As announced in the Tribune last week a meeting of our citizens was held at the Commercial Club rooms on Thursday of last week to talk over the project of securing the new interurban now being built south from St. Paul.

The meeting was largely attended and a great deal of interest was taken. The sentiment seemed to favor bringing the line to Farmington and all were willing to aid in whatever way they could to that end. All seemed of one idea, that the line would be a benefit to us in the way of broadening our trade territory, and as all love Farmington and want to see it grow to several times its present size there was something to talk for and they talked.

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