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1924 – 100 Years Ago
Star swimmers at the Community Swimming pool are being matched with each other these days in preparation for the picking of a classy team to match against the squad from Sycamore. Plans for a match between the two cities are underway now and if plans do not go afoul, the event will be held here Saturday afternoon. Coach William Muir is picking his men and will have a formidable team by the end of the week. Definite details about the match will be given as soon as the present plans are matured.
Greatly improving the appearances of the east end section of the business district in DeKalb is the new electrical sign installed over the Lenz Drug store, formerly one of the Powell drug stores. The sign has just been installed and was used for the first time a few evenings ago.
With nearly all of the interior partitions removed and the inside of the church in a state of chaos, the task of remodeling the First Baptist church got underway the early part of the week. At the present time the workmen are removing the interior walls and fixtures, preparatory to the work of erecting a new structure out of the church that has served the congregation for a number of years.
Receiving a coat of paint that is similar to that used on several of the other buildings of the business district this year, the Arlington hotel building was placed in the hands of painters. The work will greatly improve the appearances of the wooden building, which is much exposed to the public eye following the erection of the Independent Oil Station on the corner of Fourth and Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.
Aviators, and all those having a desire to feel the thrill of would-be aviators will have an opportunity of flying in one of two planes, both of which are being located today on the V. A. Peterson farm, one and one-half miles east of DeKalb on the Lincoln Highway. The planes are here from the Great Lakes Aviation company of Chicago, and are piloted by men of nine years’ experience. John Young, former member of the British Flying Corp. is in charge of the two planes. One is a five-passenger ship while the other will carry three people. It is understood that the two machines will be in this city about a week or ten days, taking passengers in the air.
1949– 75 Years Ago
Although applications for admission to Northern Illinois State Teachers College this fall are the highest in the school’s history, the actual enrollment may run slightly below that of last year because of the lack of housing facilities for students.
Marilyn and Bobby Cleaver of Cameron, Mo., niece and nephew of Henry Cleaver have been visiting the Cleaver family at their farm home near Waterman. All of the younger members of the family were taken to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago Sunday.
Some folks interest runs to flowers, and others to vegetables. And those who bend their efforts to product the best in both should be lauded for their splendid achievements. Mrs. G. A. Knaak of South First Street, is one whose interests’ centers on the growing of vegetables and at the present time the work in the garden is paying off in outstanding dividends. Luscious big tomatoes, and little ones, too, each with its own special flavor, and peppers that have that home grown taste, are being produced in the Knaak garden at the present time.
If the two youngsters of Dr. And Mrs. Russell Newman on Main Street, had only known about it, they would have had a great time. Yesterday they had a real live steer out on the front lawn, and the two boys who play cowboy all the time and have always had to be content with a toy cow, never knew about it. Neither did their father and mother. The steer consigned to a cattle dealer in Sycamore, managed to escape its pen and wandered around the North Main Street area for a time. It was spotted on the lawn of the Newman home, and when chased by employees of the cattle firm, cavorted around in that neighborhood for some time. It was finally corralled and brought to the pen, but those young cowboys missed all the fun.
Last night crickets invaded DeKalb and this morning piles of the creatures were being swept from the doorways of business houses in the downtown area. This seems to be the regular annual invasion and all of the would-be prophets were giving their opinions as to what the influx means. Some say that the first frost is now but six weeks away, others had various ideas concerning the invasion but one thing certain is that there is plenty of crickets.
1974 – 50 Years Ago
DeKalb soon will be getting a 1972 fire truck at a cost of $1 per year, from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. The truck will be received through the DeKalb Community Fire Protection District.
The ceremonial opening of the East-West Tollway takes place tomorrow, but the 23-mile Aurora to DeKalb tollway extension won’t be open to traffic until Thursday. Traffic will not be allowed on the tollway until Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Traffic can reach the tollway on the new access road just east of DeKalb or at the DeKalb west entrance at Annie Glidden Road.
DeKalb residents in need of hospital care, in about one year, can expect to receive that care in the Kishwaukee Community Health Services Center, not DeKalb Public Hospital. The key to deciding which hospital a patient receives care at is the doctor. Doctors request and either receive or are denied admittance to hospital staffs at the discretion of a hospital’s board of directors. A rule of medicine followed by almost all hospitals dictates that doctors request and be given admitting privileges before bringing patients into a hospital.
1999 - 25 Years Ago
DeKalb County farmers seem to have weathered the recent heat wave without taking too much damage, but many say it will have some impact at harvest time. Some areas were hit harder by the heat than others, but overall, this county fared much better than other parts of the state and country.
The recent cooling trend has made the fish more willing to bite at Shabbona. Catfish are being caught in large numbers all over the lake. Anglers are using chicken livers and stink bait to catch them.
Altgeld Hall stands prominently in the history of Northern Illinois University. Once known as the Castle on the Hill, Altgeld Hall has stood the test of time. It is now poised for a $19.1 million renovation as NIU heads into the new millennium. Completed in 1899, Altgeld Hall symbolizes the initial mission of Illinois higher education and remains a beacon of knowledge to past, current and future students.
Traffic on Hillcrest Drive will soon be forced to slow down five to 10 mph. The DeKalb City Council approved the purchase of four speed humps last night from Stahl Construction Company at a cost of $15,975.
Compiled by Sue Breese