10 Years Ago ·
Dec. 27, 1999 • On a clear night with 20-below temperatures, the last thing citizens of Cook County want is a power outage. But a power outage is what they got, countywide, on the night of Dec. 21.
A spokesperson for the Arrowhead Electric Cooperative said the power went out in Cook County in the late evening to early morning hours, probably when the off-peak heating systems kicked in for the night. The theory is that when the off-peak systems came online, the extra demand probably overloaded the substation on Maple Hill and caused the outage.
A portable substation was brought in and put online the next day, until permanent repairs were completed. • TheCity of Grand Marais will no longer manage the outdoor ice rinks due to budget changes.
Cook County will assume the responsibility for rink management under the auspices of the Community Center. Thanks to the Amateur Hockey Association, two rinks will be flooded and maintained throughout the winter.
20 Years Ago ·
Dec. 25, 1989 • TheCCHS downhill ski team opened its season Dec. 15 at Quadna Ski Area in Hill City. Hosted by Grand Rapids, the event drew seven teams and 117 competitors.
A 4:30 a.m. departure and extreme cold held back the sixgirl and 10-boy team.
Coach Peter Schliep said, “We had as much or more ski time as anyone else. We were well prepared and I thought we’d do better. Besides the long cold bus ride and the weather, we ran the last of the races in the dark. It was disappointing.”
Both the boys’ and girls’ teams placed sixth out of seven teams. • A group planning to reintroduce woodland caribou to Minnesota is carefully researching the variables in the project in order to best assure success.
One area being seriously considered is the country near Little Saganaga Lake in northeastern Cook County. The area is within the Boundary Waters and has remained fairly intact since prior to white settlement.
The area has poor white-tailed deer habitat, an important plus for the caribou, which are very susceptible to the brainworm parasite which is transmitted by deer. • TheCook County Social Services Department celebrated Christmas by moving into new quarters in the Arrowhead Professional Building.
50 Years Ago ·
Dec. 24, 1959 • A driving southeast wind Tuesday and Wednesday assured Grand Marais and the North Shore of a white Christmas when several inches of snow covered the area. It was one of those storms that seemed rather tame to begin with, but gathered momentum and was still heavy Wednesday night.
The storm had a mean streak, too, although area ski operators were overjoyed at getting snow for the holiday. The meanness came from powerful waves lashing the shore of the east harbor. A 160-foot section of concrete retaining wall just south of the Frank Lehto residence washed out during the early Wednesday morning hours, allowing about 50 cords of pulpwood to go out with it. Thelogs were being ground and tossed about in the angry waves.
A parked truck also went into the lake, but a cable was made fast to it to keep it from going out farther. • A rumor got around Taconite Harbor that Santa was going to make a visit to the lighted tree on Monday evening and sure enough, he did, with his pack of goodies overflowing.
Some skeptic thought Santa sounded like Tom Flemal, but we all know he was the real gent in person! In fact it was hard to tell who was having the most fun, Santa or the excited youngsters!
90 Years Ago ·
Dec. 24, 1919 • The sharp clanging of the fire bell roused the villagers early Sunday morning. The fire, which was in the county warehouse, looked bad for a while, but was quickly exterminated by the bucket brigade.
The damage to the contents of the building was slight. • Some of the local ladies are getting to be experts in the art of candy making.
Verne Johnson has accepted a position as mechanic at the county garage. • The hunting season is over. Is there any reckoning how many elegant, clear-eyed, fleet-footed deer were laid down and brought out of the county?
And how many majestic elks were felled by out-of-the county hunters, free of charge except for a few cents worth of license, and hauled to other parts of the country to be admired with envy, skinned and eaten, while hundreds of us here cannot get a steak for our Christmas dinner because we were not lucky enough to shoot anything during the season and are not allowed to fill our larder with the delicacy except during the two or three weeks when our region is overrun by hunters from abroad, with licenses bought in some outside place.
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