Cook County News Herald

Down Memory Lane




10 Years Ago · Feb. 4, 2002

Race officials from the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon announced that the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 has been postponed. The 420-mile marathon and 150-mile middistance races were scheduled to leave Duluth on Feb. 3. But poor snow conditions along the trail have forced organizers to reconsider the options and reschedule the event for the first weekend in March.

Gov. Jesse Ventura said he was trying to spread the pain of fixing the state’s nearly $2 billion budget shortfall when he proposed his plan recently. However, for small cities like Grand Marais, predictions are that the pain could be quite acute. According to recent figures, Grand Marais (population 1,353) would have to swallow $38,799 in state cuts — quite a bit in a small town’s budget. The reduction equals an 11.43 percent cut over 2001.

20 Years Ago · Feb. 3, 1992

A site plan for the proposed Birchwood Apartments on County Road 7, about a block west of the Cook County North Shore Hospital and Convalescent Center, was approved by the Grand Marais City Council last week by a 4-1 vote. About 15 residents of the neighborhood, all of whom oppose the construction of an apartment in the area, attended the council meeting. The six apartment buildings planned for the site will contain a total of 24 units. There will be 16 two-bedroom apartments, each with 720 square feet, and eight three-bedroom apartments of 840 square feet.

The Town of Schroeder has formed a “Garbage Committee” to study the garbage pickup situation in Schroeder Township. The committee will be prepared to make a recommendation at the annual town meeting in March.

A building permit for the remodeling/ reconstruction of Mike Quaife’s Holiday Station Store here was approved by the city council. Basically, the plan calls for demolition of the existing structure and replacing it with a new building set back farther from the highway. A second row of gas pumps, parallel to those now at the station, will be added.

50 Years Ago · Feb. 1, 1962

A 60-year-old logging jobber died Friday while at work in the Sea Gull Lake area. Death was attributed to a heart attack suffered while cutting down a tree. The man had complained of chest pains at noon but had resumed work anyway.

The new translator systems at Grand Marais and Grand Portage are now operating with clear reception on channels 3 and 6 reported in various points in a fan-shaped area reaching along Lake Superior and even to the South Shore and beyond the Canadian border eastward. The system now owned and operated by KDAL-TV and WDSM-TV maintains two towers, one at Grand Marais and one at Grand Portage.

It is interesting to note that there are now 75 people receiving mail on the Trail. There are more individuals making this their permanent home.

90 Years Ago · Feb. 2, 1922

Arthur Berg broke a rib last week when he fell through the ceiling at his camp several days ago.

A perfectly serious attack has lately been made on nursery rhymes in general and “Hey-diddle-diddle, the cat and the fiddle” in particular. Apparently they are too silly for the modern nursery. It is a pity the reformers themselves do not try to produce verses that show an equal genius for rhyme and rhythm instead of crusading against nonsense. Imagine a nursery without nursery rhymes or fairy stories. Imagine the world without nonsense! An intolerable prospect!

The pilot of a commercial line airplane in Mexico made the technical mistake of trying to go through the top of a mountain instead of around or over it. The mountain was not seriously damaged.

And now for some nonsense from News-Herald Associate Editor Jane Howard…

Hey diddle diddle
the pancake griddle
took up with the greasy spoon.

The cafe patron laughed
to see such a sport
and a pigeon ran away with a loon.



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