Cook County News Herald

Down Memory Lane


10 YEARS AGO
OCT. 24, 2008

Roen Salvage Co. is in town for the next week or so dredging the harbor. Roen, oldtimers will remember, pulled the log rafts across the lake, including the last raft when the times changed, making the large booms of logs a piece of Lake Superior history. Now Roen’s operation works the Great Lakes doing all sorts of marine work, including harbor dredging. There are four crewmen working the dredging operation. Each two-man crew will work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, until the job is done.

The school board of Independent School District 166 was once again forced to close an elementary school. This will be the last school year for the Grand Portage Elementary School, as decided by a unanimous vote Oct. 20. Next school year, Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School in Grand Marais will be the only elementary school in Cook County.

20 YEARS AGO
OCT. 26, 1998

While most people at Cook County High School were buzzing about the Deer River football game on Friday morning, many members of the football team were visiting with Minnesota State Supreme Court Justice Alan Page. The bow-tied and bespectacled Page was in Virginia, Minnesota, and was able to speak with five separate Minnesota schools via the new inter-active television network. The system is being used once per week by the Cook County Middle School teachers who are taking licensing classes from Bemidji State University. There is also discussion of working with the Silver Bay high school in a trade of language classes.

50 YEARS AGO
OCT. 24, 1968

An estimated 200 or more tons of huge anorthosite boulders were placed in the beach up against the retaining wall near the East Bay to help guard against water damage. The action was taken primarily because of the high water in Lake Superior, which is said to be 2 feet, 10 inches above normal because of the heavy rainfall this summer. The lake reportedly is higher than it has been since 1895.

Western Electric Company technicians are installing additional long distance dial switching equipment in the Grand Marais telephone building. Total cost of the long distance service improvement project is approximately $16,000.

Construction began yesterday on the new addition to the nursing home, which will add a 25-bed area to the facility.

90 YEARS AGO
OCT. 25, 1928

Mr. Webber of Superior, a candy salesman, was a business visitor Tuesday.

The county commissioners met on Wednesday and refused to accept the bond of Sheriff Lien, declaring the office vacant.

Charles Taylor was then appointed by the board as sheriff.

Last week Elmer Soderlund cut the end of the third finger of his right hand while turning the wheel of his auto in putting on a chain. His finger caught in the brake band, taking off about an inch.

When the fishermen of Grand Portage pulled their nets one day this week they lifted herring that when cleaned and put on the dock weighed 12 tons of dressed herring. J.N. Eliasen says Lake Superior went down a foot after lifting the nets!

Do you have an old picture or a story from years gone by that you would like to share with the Cook County News-Herald readers? We’d love to hear your Historical Reflections Call (218) 387-9100; e-mail starnews@boreal.org; or stop by our office at 15 First Avenue West.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.