Cook County News Herald

Down Memory Lane




10 Years Ago · Oc t. 22, 2001

A commercial over-the-road truck carrying a payload labeled “cornstarch” was stopped at the border Oct. 10 by U.S. Customs agents. The officers in Grand Portage seized over 10 million pseudoephedrine tablets from the truck and arrested two individuals. When used properly, the drug is taken as a nasal decongestant. Drug dealers, however, use the chemical to help them make meth-amphetamine. It is considered a restricted chemical by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This is the largest pseudoephedrine seizure in Minnesota, but there was a bigger one in the Detroit area.

The U.S. Forest Service won’t conduct any more controlled burns in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this fall because of continued rain and cold weather. Controlled burns near Magnetic and Kekekabic lakes have been postponed for the last couple of weeks due to rain, and will now be rescheduled sometime next spring or fall. The Forest Service hoped to raze more than 5,000 acres on those fires.

20 Years Ago · Oc t. 21, 1991

A proposal to post the old Lutsen dump site with “No Hunting/Shooting” signs was approved by the county board last week. “We have a lot of problems there, especially with shooting,” said Spencer Motschenbacher, who lives near the site. He said he would be happy to buy the site, about four acres, if the county was willing to sell. The dump was closed in 1978, but the county is still liable for environmental damage for anything dumped there.

An increase of 70 percent in the rate charged for commercial haulers to use Forest Service roads drew protest from the county board last week. The board voted to send a letter of protest to the federal agency. “This could really be a horrendous amount of money,” said Wes Hedstrom, board chairman. “In some cases, it’s going to get to the point where it is going to cost the logger more to get the logs out of the woods than the cost of the logs,” he said.

50 Years Ago · Oc t. 19, 1961

Chief Robert Gordon of the Coast Guard station reports that the heavy wind Tuesday night reached a top velocity of 74 mph. Considerable damage resulted from the freak wind that came up almost without warning and lasted for about four hours.

A crew of eight men is cutting right-of-way on a mile of road on the north side of Devil Track Lake for the state. This road will open summer home sites for about 39 cabins. The same crew recently opened a mile and a quarter road on Caribou Lake for a similar purpose. A public access road was also made to the lake.

George Leng has been told by at least two people that he resembles former president Harry Truman. But, being of a different political faith, Mr. Leng won’t hear of it!

Jim Cartier was on his way home one night about midnight (he’s a night man at the power plant) when he spied a cross fox on the street. He had a good look at it before it scooted off.

90 Years Ago · Oc t. 27, 1921

It is reported that the custard pie is to be discarded as a stock feature of motion picture comedy. This elimination of artistic extravagance should exercise a little influence toward reducing the cost of table luxuries.

Now that the girls are uncovering their ears, they’ll probably hear enough criticism to make them change some of the other styles.

George Mayhew has finished putting in the winter supply of coal in this village for the Marais Lumber Company.

W.C. Smith is hauling sawdust to Cross River where he will build an ice house.

Ed Toftey & Co. have added a glass display counter and a bacon slicer to their store equipment.



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