Down Memory Lane

10 Years Ago ·
May 15, 2000 • A helicopter model built to lift heavy machinery and buildings into war zones will be used to keep peace in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this summer.

The S-64 Skycrane helicopter, the largest lifting helicopter in the world, arrived in northeast Minnesota last Friday. The U.S. Forest Service has an “exclusive use” agreement that will keep it in the region for the next 120 days.

This is the first time the Forest Service in Minnesota has done an exclusive use contract to keep this helicopter during fire season. It was something the agency felt was important on the heels of last year’s July 4 blowdown.

The helicopter stands out for its size. It is 25 feet tall, 108 feet long with rotors 75 feet in diameter. The 25,000- pound helicopter can lift an additional 22,000 pounds with its twin 4,800 hp engines that can fly at 100 knots per hour. • There will be no lodging tax in Colvill. Theprotest raised by many East End residents, both within and without the lodging business, sank hopes of expanding the city lodging tax boundaries into the unorganized territories. The prevailing reaction to such a move was anything but unorganized.

The public hearing held by the county commissioners came close to standing-room-only.

20 Years Ago ·
May 14, 1990 • TheCook County Board and Sheriff John Lyght held a spirited discussion regarding the $34,000 the sheriff recently received from the U.S. Customs as the local share of money from border drug seizures.

Lyght legitimately kept the money for his department instead of sending it through the budgetary process. He told the board he is spending the money on departmental improvements such as modern telephone equipment and new body armor for deputies — items not included in the department’s budget.

The
The commissioners suggested Lyght use a portion of the

Minneso a
money for civic purposes such as purchasing a “jaws of

life” unit for the county rescue squad.

“There has to be ground rules for this situation,” Commissioner Gene Utecht said. Commissioner Wes Hedstrom observed, “You can’t have a $30,000 slush fund…you have to put those items in the budget.” Lyght replied that he did put the items in the budget,

“and you cut them out.”

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• Scoring first in both the varsity and junior Your newsp

varsity divisions, the Cook County High School

has agreed to

cheerleading squads walked away with top honors at the

ticipat in th 2 2 Northeastern Minnesota Cheerleading competition at

Two Harbors.

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50 Years Ago ·
May 12, 1960

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• A blast of dynamite in Rosebush Creek by five newspaper (no th

Duluth and Grand Marais youths brought total fines of classified ection of

$525 to be paid by May 27, or 90 days in jail. Each was fined $100 plus costs. your newspa er) At

may request a specif A passerby happened to see the erupting water, and

jotted down the car license, then reported the incident ic section However

to the game wardens. The youths took one fish they the decision i ulti

brought up to Midway to be entered in the Big Fish

mate y up to eac

Contest. However, the game wardens were waiting for

them.

nwsape Ad my

There have been one or two other dynamiting cases sli htly n size to f

in stream mouths reported this spring, but no one has

our co umn s ze

been caught. The youths spent a day in jail waiting for the judge to decide on the case.

• Cook County has gained an impressive 455 th se ad If you h

population count in the last 10 years, according to

quest on pleas c

figures released from the U.S. Census office in Duluth.

MNA at 800/279

The county figure was 3,355, as against 2,900 for 1950. 2979 Thank yo

The Village of Grand Marais was listed with 1,294, an increase of 216. • S.H. Backlund has bowed out of the grocery business after 41 years as either clerk or owner. S.H. Backlund & Son has now been sold to the Son — Vernon Backlund, who is now the sole owner.

t ONE T ME

90 Years Ago ·
May 12, 1920 • How times do change! When the town went dry the ex-saloon keepers predicted the grass would be growing in the streets — and now the village fathers are having a hard time keeping them graveled.

Why, just the other day there were so many big motor trucks on the main stem that you would almost believe you were on Michigan Street in Duluth. • The chimney fire at P.E. Alm’s residence caused a little flurry this morning, a spark having caught in the shingles, damaging the roof slightly. • Village Council proceedings:
“Upon motion it was decided that the sidewalk on the north side of Wisconsin Street between Broadway and Monroe streets be condemned for public traffic, as said sidewalk is considered dangerous to pedestrians, and the clerk was ordered to notify the owners to that

Health Care

effect….It was on motion decided to remind the owners

of horses, cattle, chickens and other animals of the

existing herd laws, that the same shall be enforced and

< ITA those who have any of the aforementioned animals are