10 Years Ago PRESCOTT JOURNAL July 29, 2010

Prescott pride on display at Farm Tech Days City puts out the welcome mat for big event by John McLoone “I am in love with this town,” said Vi Anderson.

Vi and her husband, Harold, were just two of many visitors to Farm Technology Days who stayed “down the road” in Prescott last week.

“You have a beautiful town here. This is one of the friendliest places I’ve ever visited,” Vi said.

Farm Technology Days was held between Prescott and River Falls at the Peterson Dairy Farm. Down Prescott, unusually bustling with activity, was even more busy last week. The show ran in full force on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 20 and 21 with sunny skies. Thursday, those skies opened loose with torrents of rain, sending the few brave show-goers who braved the weather under cover. By mid-morning, after the first inch of rain fell, the show was canceled. It was, however, deemed a success.

Police warn residents of telephone fraud scheme The Prescott Police Department warns city residents to be aware of a telephone fraud scheme involving impersonation of a police department employee.

According to Chief of Police Mike R. Bondarenko, Prescott residents have reported receiving telephone voice mail messages informing them that the police department is holding a package for them.

“The caller then instructs the person who receives the message to contact a telephone number in the 876 area code to make arrangements for the package to be delivered,” Chief Bondarenko said. “When the number in the 876 area code is called, the caller is then instructed to remain on the line while the call is transferred to another number in the same area code.

The 876 area code is located in Jamaica…Chief Bondarenko said the Police Department does not hold packages for anyone and does not use the 876 area code. “Residents who receive such calls should not return the calls and simply ignore them,” the chief added.

40 Years Ago PRESCOTT JOURNAL July 17, 1980

Kids Learn to Swim (photo) Ronda Keller, head swim instructor, helps youngsters overcome fear of the water by teaching them to enjoy the water.

It’s swimming lesson time again in Prescott. Currently, Ronda (Jacobsen) Keller, head instructor, and helpers Beth Most, Kevin Magee, Cathy Nolt and Ruth Garlid, are giving lessons to 75 rural students at the Prescott swimming beach. There were 38 youngsters at the first session, and in the next two-week session, there will be 100 youngsters, mostly from town.

55 Years Ago THE PIERCE COUNTY HERALD July 15, 1965

BIRTHS To Mr. and Mrs. Allan Huppert, Hager City, July 7, a daughter, Mary Ann.

To Mr. and Mrs. John Devine, Mpls., a son July 11.

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Mike Bauer, a daughter, Jacelyn Marie June 14 at Marshall, Minn.

FLORENCE M. PETERSON DIED JULY 9 Florence M. Peterson, a native of Ellsworth, passed away July 9 at a St. Paul hospital after a long illness.

Florence was a graduate of the Ellsworth High School and received her teacher training at River Falls. She taught in the St. Paul schools for many years.

Surviving are two sisters, Mrs. Martin Garlid of Wabasha, Minn.; and Miss Bernice Peterson of St. Paul; one brother, Lloyd Peterson of Mandan, N. Dakota.

Funeral services were held Monday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, St. Paul and interment was in the Greenwood cemetery at River Falls.

70 ¼ Years Ago THE REPORTER March 23, 1950

STORK FLIGHTS Born, to Mr. and Mrs. James Laughnan of Prescott, March 17, a daughter.

Born, to Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Jones or Ellsworth, Tuesday, a son.

OBITUARY Mrs. Ellen Husflosen Ellen Finstad was born to Embret and Gjorum Finstad February 15, 1870 at “Ovre Rendalen” in Osterdalen, Norway, being the youngest of seven children.

In 1871 she immigrated to this country with her parents… She was united in marriage to Albert Husflosen November 15, 1892 at Hillsboro, North Dakota. To this union were born two sons and a daughter: Perley of Beldenville, Mrs. Curtis Eaton (Doral of Prescott and Alton of River Falls…Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon at 1:30 at Our Savior’s Lutheran church near Lawton, Reverend Larson officiating, with interment in the church cemetery.

85 Years Ago THE ELLSWORTH RECORD July 18, 1935

Ellsworth Pills Go to Sweden A. Swahn, druggist in business here for some fifty odd years, not only puts up a potent pill, but Mrs. Victor Moline of this county is one of those few and far between souls who believes in the trade-at-home doctrine, for it was just the other morning that Mr. Swahn received a postal card from Mrs. Moline who is traveling in Sweden requesting a refill of a prescription gotten at the Swahn Rexall store some time ago. But then read it yourself.

Box 422, Hallberg, Sweden, July 1, 1935 Mr. A. Swahn, Ellsworth, Wis, U. S. A.

Kindly send me some pills number 148015, Dr. Nylander’s prescription to the above address. Send them as soon as possible as I want them before I return to American the latter part of July.

Mrs. Victor Moline.

100 Years Ago PRESCOTT TRIBUNE July 29, 1920

Born—to Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Martin, in Porto Rico, on July 9th—a baby boy. Congratulations.

CHATAUQUA OPENED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON The Prescott Chautauqua opened with a band at the city park yesterday afternoon with a good crowd on hand to enjoy the program.

John Whalen Died Wednesday Night John Whalen was born in Ireland in 1838 and died Wednesday night at nine o’clock July 21st at the home of J. F. Brown, Prescott, where he has been boarding for a number of years. He came to American in 1857.

Mr. Whalen was well and favorably known throughout Pierce County, having owned farms in Diamond Bluff, Clifton and Oak Grove.

He has been ailing for some time past and death was expected at any time.

At the present time they have been unable to locate any immediate relatives.

The funeral was held Friday morning at ten o’clock at the Catholic Church with interment in the Catholic Cemetery.

115 Years Ago RIVER FALLS JOURNAL July 20, 1905

Population of the City 2300.

The census of the city has been completed with the exception of the members of one family. Without this family the enumeration is 2295, so that the number of inhabitants is practically 2300, 1900, when the federal census made the number of people 2008.

In the first ward there are 44 families, 147 people, of which five are soldiers of the civil war.

The second ward had 233 families, 1007 people, of which 16 are soldiers of the civil war.

Ward three has 118 families, 492 people, of which 7 are civil war veterans.

Ward four has 151 families and—exclusive of one family not enumerated, a population of 649, with 20 civil war veterans.

130 Years Ago THE PIERCE COUNTY HERALD July 16, 1890

OUR REPUBLIC.

(The following Essay was written by Miss Mabel Dickinson, of Maiden Rock, and read at the Public School Graduation at that place. Age of writer 18 years.) The invention of the magnetic telegraph by Professor Samuel B. Morse was of vast importance to our country: for had it not been for that our commercial and railway system would not be as extensive as it is today (to day).

And to Cyrus Field we owe our thanks for by his energy and perseverance the hemispheres are brought into direct communication…. One of the great questions of to-day is Prohibition. Some of us do not stop to consider what so simple a word means, but others study it, and their speeches and songs resound throughout the earth. Here is where our women come to the front; here is where they form in line to fight one of the greatest battles ever known. Their leader is Frances E. Willard, their weapons prayers, songs, kind words and good deeds…And let us hope the time will soon come when this demon, snake in the grass, alcohol, shall be banished as completely as St. Patrick banished the snakes and frogs from Ireland never to return…(discussion of civil war and present events, including voter suppression).. Would it not be well if some African potentate could send a Minister to protect the rights of their people here? But no. They are American citizens and here to stay and must be protected by our laws at whatever cost.

Along with this comes the “ballot-box reform.” This is daily coming under the notice of the American people. We hope the day is not far distant when a man may step up to the polls and cast his vote uninfluenced by other men…And we find as Waldo Emerson once said that “We live in a new and exceptional age. America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of the Divine Providence in behalf of the human race. (CONCLUDED).

145 Years Ago THE PIERCE COUNTY PLAINDEALER July 20, 1875

Ellsworth is not a large place. We have no mayor, no Alderman, no City Treasurer. We live in retirement in the midst of plenty. Industry hums on our streets, and the song of the potato bug is heard in our gardens. We are modest—we are serene. But, like Hudson people, we have our failing. We are proud of our boys. By careful estimation we find there are just thirty-seven boys to a given area—each boy being seven inches and threequarters by two feet, eight inches. Our boys can yell louder, fly kites higher, throw stones and break windows at a longer range than other boys in the St. Croix Valley. They can break up more bird’s nest, pick out better cigars, and quote more Scripture than Hudson or River Falls boys. They can tie more oyster cans to dog’s tails, dig bait faster, jump higher, chew larger quids of gum than any of the boys of Prescott. They know more about the Beecher scandal than other boys their size in this state… .Yes, we are proud of our boys.—Pierce County Herald.

Quick updates and factual asides.

The Pioneer-Press rejoices over the fact that the grasshoppers have all left Minnesota, on a voyage northward.

There has been a terrible earthquake in New Granada (modern Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia, along with parts of Peru and Brazil) killing 5,000 people and destroying entire villages.

2300 an increase of 292 over the census of 190

Compiled by Joseph Back