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Remember When: A Community Review for Jan. 28, 2017

By Janet Burnett, Ray Stockman, Kris Roberts - | Dec 28, 2016

10 years ago: Dec. 27, 2006

The Tonganoxie High School Marching Band left early this morning for Memphis, Tenn., a hot spot for blues music that’s also the site of the Liberty Bowl, at which the band will perform Friday.

On Thursday, the band will march in a parade and participate in field show competitions. On Friday, the band will rehearse music for the Liberty Bowl halftime show with country artist LeAnn Rimes, featured halftime performer.

And on Saturday, band members will participate in a jazz band clinic.

From The Poet’s Corner, a poem by Fred Leimkuhler about Ragtown. The poem is about a stranger who is looking for Ragtown. The narrator explains that the stranger is standing “right smack ‘dab’ in the middle of it.” But where are the stores and the post office, the stranger asks, to which the narrator replies, “Stores don’t make a town, nor post offices, people make a town.

“There was a little saying we used to chant, ‘Ragtown Road and Winfrey Street, Lrraison Hotel and little to eat.’ This explains it well, I think, the name Ragtown, I mean, We were all poor — but proud we were. We weren’t poor because we were lazy, mind you, We just produced more family than the fields produced crops.”

25 years ago: Jan. 20, 1992

Tonganoxie law enforcement officers are remodeling the former library into their new offices. Officers and city maintenance crews were almost finished wiring and were readying themselves for the job of sheetrocking.

The total space will be four times more than what they now occupy. Chief Larry Smith designed the floor plans and presented them to the council who understood there was a need and, then, after consideration of funds, the go-ahead was given.

Editorial As I See it, by Don Waterman: We look forward to 1992. It doesn’t seem possible that much more could possibly happen that what did in 1991. A war, the end of the Soviet Union, the Kansas City Chiefs are in the playoffs, and the Watermans purchased the Mirror in March.

A large increase in student enrollment, with no apparent end in sight, has caused a real problem for the school board in trying to find a place to put the students. Of course it costs money to build new schools and that means raising taxes, which is a red flag in front of the bull now. What’s the answer? Time will tell. The one thing for sure, is if we give these children a good education, it can’t be taken away from them.


50 years ago: Dec. 29, 1966

The Reno Methodist Church will be having a New Year’s Eve watch party 8:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday.

The grand opening is scheduled for Jan. 3 for the new Leavenworth Mutual Savings and Loan at Fourth and Green with lots of prizes and gifts for opening an account.

Tonganoxie received 9 inches of snow over the last few days and it was bad.

The IGA was advertising roast for 49 cents a pound and pizza for 79 cents.

The Mirror recapped the year, noting the 13 new homes built, the Topeka tornado that came through Jefferson and Leavenworth counties, and the city’s 100th centennial.

75 years ago: Dec. 24, 1941

Several students, soldiers and former residents have arrived in the old home town for a happy holiday celebration. Tomorrow brings peace, hope and festivities for a blessed Christmas Day.

Many oil and gas field workers are taking a break from the prosperous drilling productions to be with family. However, once 1942 is upon us, new discoveries will open wide the possibilities. Already, we have seen wells pumping in Tonganoxie, McLouth and Leavenworth.

Nicely sized oranges are available at Mann’s IGA for $0.23 a dozen. Santa might have stopped in and grabbed a few for Christmas stockings hanging in homes.

New Year’s Eve celebration will be held at the Royal Theatre with the showing of two movies for the price of one! Bingo will be played between shows. Hats and Horns will be free for all revelers.

Fred Needham reports two youngsters have received perfect attendance pins from the Congregational Church. JoAnn Myers and Harold Needham haven’t missed a Sunday in at least two years.

From editor’s desk: “If the Japanese ever try to take Kansas City, that town will have to depend on Tonganoxie to head them off.”


100 years ago: Dec. 28, 1916

The extremely cold weather last Wednesday and Thursday made a poor attendance at the Farm and Home Institute. The best attendance was Thursday afternoon, and the audience sat close to the stove during the program.

Henry Still, builder of the first house on the Delaware diminished reserve as the south part of Leavenworth County was known before its platting, and first practicing attorney in Tonganoxie, arrived last Friday, from Baltimore to spend the remainder of his days with his son Stilleo Still 3 miles northeast of town, on the land he first located.

Mr. Still built a log cabin on the Still place in 1860 and it was located on the northeast corner of the farm along the present Leavenworth road. Later he built a house where the present one stands. He moved to Beloit in 1879 and was an attorney there for a number of years. Mr. Still has reached the venerable age of 88. In the 1860s and 1870s, he was a prominent attorney of Leavenworth county.

You can get this guaranteed aluminum cooker for $1, by buying two of our cereals which should be cooked in it. Submit two trademarks cut from packages of Quaker Oats and one trademark cut from a package of Pettijohn’s Rolled Whet with 25% Bran Flakes. These Tonganoxie grocers will feature the cooker offer: D&D Dessery, FU Henry Groceries and Meats and GM Peters, Groceries and Meats.

125 years ago: Dec. 24, 1891

RS Peale Company, Publishers, Chicago, announce that they will offer a new reprint of the great Encyclopedia Britanica for $1.50 per volume, a significant reduction from the $8 or $5 per volume cost for the Scribner or Stoddart editions. Peale also expects this offer to boost popular use of the encyclopedia.

Fine Playing Cards. Send (10) cents in stamps or coins to John Sebastian, Gen’k Tkt. and Pass. Ag’t, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Ry., Chicago, for a pack of the latest, smoothest, slickest playing cards you ever saw. Just the thing for high five parties. For a 50c. postal note will send you five packs.