Looking back: Farmington Commercial Club heard from a streetlight expert in 1962
Fire of an unknown origin burned a house 75 years ago, and the Dakota County Tribune got a new printing press 100 years ago. See what other neat stuff happened in Farmington's history this week.By: Michelle Leonard, The Farmington Independent
10 years ago
From the April 18, 2002
edition of the
Farmington Independent
New commercial space is taking shape
By the end of this year Farmington women should have another place ot get their exercise. Other Farmington residents should have more choices for everything from pizza and sandwiches to haircuts and manicures.
Jon Einess, who is developing a two-building commercial complex along Pilot Knob Road near 183rd Street, said this week he has signed leases with six businesses. All six businesses would occupy one of the buildings in the development.
So far, Ladies Workout Express, a Florida-based chain of fitness centers for men, is the only tenant that has singed a lease. But Einess is in final negotiations with other businesses and said he is confident they will sign soon. Those businesses include a second Subway restaurant, under the same ownership as the downtown Subway, a pizza restaurant, a pet grooming salon, a hair salon and a nail care salon.
50 years ago
From the April 12, 1962
edition of the
Dakota County Tribune
Ways to better street lights studied here
Thirty-seven members of the Farmington Commercial Club Tuesday noon heard Eugene Welshness, of the Northern States Power company explain – at the Commercial Club’s request – how street lighting could be improved.
Welshness said that in other places, attractive lighting has really paid off for the merchants. He declared Farmington’s mercury vapor lights have some disadvantages, such as “down grading” the color qualities, particularly turning the reds to dark brown, and making yellows into a greenish-yellow....
All-night operation would cost about $12.50 per month additional, he estimated.
Fluorescent lights would cost perhaps $300 per outlet if they were to be changed from the mercury vapor, using the same standards.
Coast to Coast is telegraph agency for area
The Coast to Coast store in Farmington is now the Telegraph Agency for this area. Last year the station had been moved from the railroad, where it was located nearly 100 years.
Recently, the telegraph agency was moved to the Coast to Coast store from John’s Furniture Farmington.
Blacksmith shop is being sold to Knossos
Anend Lindstrom, Farmington blacksmith, confirmed reports Tuesday he is in the process of selling his blacksmith shop to Herman Knossos, former Bloomington mayor, and owner of the adjoining Phillips 66 Oil Station.
Knossos will probably wreck the building, and expand his Phillips Station, Lindstrom said. This was also the understanding of Dick Orondo and Dick Nielsen, who lease the present Phillips station.
Lindstrom said he will take a rest, and then consider construction of a new, modern shop. The present 50-year-old frame building is just not suited to modern welding and repair, he declared. Lindstrom, blacksmith here six years, has been under doctor’s care, and the rest is much needed.
It will probably be June or July before the place will be wrecked, Lindstrom said.
75 years ago
From the April 16, 1937
edition of the
Dakota County Tribune
J. Staff farm house burns
Fire of unknown origin destroyed the eight-room farm house owned and occupied by John Staff on the capitol highway four miles east of here, Monday morning, the fire starting at about 5:30 as members of the family were getting out of bed.
As there were no electric wires in the house and no fire has been in the stoves since the night before, Mr. and Mrs. John Staff and daughter, Ora, are at a loss to understand how the conflagration started....
The first notice of fire occurred to Mrs. Staff who said she thought she heard rain pattering on the roof; then they smelled smoke.
Investigating, Mr. Staff found a fire around the chimney and he extinguished this with a pail of water. More fire was found in the attic and on the roof, but this was soon out of control....
Neighbors removed most of the downstairs furniture. It was necessary to break the large bay window through which the piano was carried to safety. Forest Birdcall, who suffered a farm fire in December and who knows how it feels to lose one household goods, was the main hero of the fire. He ran through the blaze and carried out the washing machine just before the ceiling collapsed.
The local fire department, headed by Chief Dan McConaghy, arrived but the fire was beyond control.
To plan groups for county women
Representatives from eighteen of the twenty-one Dakota County townships will meet at Farmington on Wednesday, April 21, to make plans for a short term project for women’s work during May and June.
The meeting will be held in the Farmington Library at 2 o’clock and will consist largely of open discussion contributed to by Miss Lois Reid, acting state home demonstration agent; Margaret Kirby Burtis, county home demonstration agent; Miss Grace C. Grimms, county home and community chairman; and the township chairman.
In addition to planning the subject to be taken up, this group will select the committee in which the project will be carried. Two meetings will be planned, one to be held in each of the selected communities in May and one to be held in the same communities in June.
100 years ago
From the April 12, 1912
edition of the
Dakota County Tribune
The sanitary poultry cottage
The writer had the pleasure of looking at W.M. Brackett’s sanitary poultry cottage, planned and built by Mr. Brackett himself, and we must say it is the most practical device for the raising and housing of poultry we have yet seen.
This cottage coop combines the most perfect and sanitary poultry plant ever offered, for small flocks, or to the poultry fancier.
It is expecially adapted for housing, feeding, raising or keeping poultry of all ages, in a limited number, from the day-old chick to matured fowls, in all weather conditions, safely, sanitary and successfully, with a minimum amount of labor.
Fifty days old chicks can be brooded with a fireless brooder in the second story with success.
Twenty-five pullets may be raised until ready to lay.
A new press
The Tribune is installing a new Babcock standards pony cylinders press this week. This is one of the best and fastest cylinder presses made, outside of the perfecting presses, and will be used solely for printing bills and doing book work. For presses the Tribune now has a Potter, the large press taking four pages of the Tribune at a time; the new Babcock, two Chandler & Price Gordons and one Golding job press. In other equipment, such as folder, stitcher, perforator, type, etc., ours is in keeping with the abundance of presses, and with competent workmen we are prepared to do almost anything in the line of ordinary printing.
Tags: community, news, farmington
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