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Remember When: A Community Review for Aug. 26, 2020

By Compiled Ray Stockman, Janet Burnett, Theresa Megee, Connie Putthoff, Kris Roberts, Billie Aye - | Aug 27, 2020

Tonganoxie Community Historic Site, 201 W. Washington St. near U.S. Highway 24-40.

25 years ago: Aug. 23, 1995

In what County Commissioner George Sprague termed a “substantial raise,” Sprague and the other commissioners have had to raise the mill levy collected in the county by just over four mills. Contributing factors included the need for construction of a new juvenile detention center, a 2.5 percent increase in the salaries of all county employees, and the need for a new solid waste management plant.

Corky’s BBQ got a new roof this past week, changing the looks of that building. It’s a hip roof that should keep things dry on the inside.

Don Waterman, editor, noted that he read the other day where outdoor TV antennas and rabbit ears are in demand once again. Apparently the 18-inch satellite dishes can’t pick up local TV stations.

Construction work on the new Gambino’s building is progressing. It looks like the walls and roof will be going up soon which means that Emmitt Wetta will be moving his business from west 4th Street to Tongaridge shortly. He also has a Gambino’s in Eudora.

50 years ago: Aug. 27, 1970

County Fair 4-H sale was at a record $18,723 and the Reno stand was noted for the good homemade ice cream, again.

Tonganoxie was noted in U.S. World & Report on a map to the new Perry Lake area.

Charley Pride and the Everly Brothers had advertised shows at the Mid America Fair in Topeka.

The quote in this week’s Mirror, “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”Oscar Wilde.

A modern 4-bedroom ranch house with 323 acres was available off 59 highway north of Oskaloosa for $85,000.

Tonganoxie received two plaques from the Safety Department of the Kansas Highway Commission, one for No Deaths and one for Traffic Enforcement. 

75 years ago: Aug. 23, 1945

As the situation in the world draws to a close, we can report that some of our local boys may land in Japan. The formal Japanese surrender will take place on August 31 onboard the Battleship Missouri. We are well aware that between 30 and 40 young men from our vicinity are stationed in the Philippine Islands, Okinawa and Guam. It may be too early to tell if you will receive mail postmarked “Japan”.

Tonganoxie schools will begin on Monday September 3 with a well-qualified teacher at every position. Students at the high school will be required to select from English, Mathematics, Social Science, Science, Foreign Language, Commerce, Industrial Art, Music and Art. That is a varied and all-encompassing curriculum from which to choose.

Two state fairs had been cancelled but with the great news coming across the wires, we are pleased to report that those have been reinstated. Gas rationing is a thing of the past so you can load up the family and head to the county fair. People have scrimped and saved for so long that it looks like the 1945 fair may be like the good old days.

Constant Construction of Lawrence Kansas wants to hire carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers and laborers for permanent positions. Great opportunities for those men returning home.

100 years ago: Aug. 26, 1920

Twelve culverts will be constructed between here and Reno under the contract let last week on the Fort to Fort highway. It will take 36,000 pounds of reinforcing steel and 2,400 pounds of I beam steel on the culverts and the order for the material has already been placed with a Kansas City firm which has the material in stock. All the old culverts will be torn out except the one at the Fairchild farm at the west edge of town. This one will be widened eight feet on the east so there will be a passageway 24 feet wide.

August Diekman who has the contract for the work, will be able to start work as soon as the legal requirements are complied with which will be about September 20th. His bond will have to be furnished and then approved by the board of county commissioners, after which it will have to be approved by the state highway officials. Mr. Diekman has a couple of weeks work to complete on the section beyond Reno which will be finished by the time of the final approval of the bond. Help on concrete work is now easier to get and no delay is looked for.

Though it is announced that work on the grading will commence soon, there may be a delay for the Kansas Natural Gas mains must be lowered or moved all the way between Tonganoxie and Reno. This is not a small task and not much grading can be done until the gas main work is completed.

The board of county commissioners has made the tax levy 70 cents on the $100 valuation this year for all purposes including state taxes, a reduction of five cents from last year’s levy according to the Leavenworth Times. Three and a half cents of the reduction is in the state taxes which leaves a net reduction of one and one half cents in the county taxes. Two tables the Times publishes do not verify its total of 70 cents, each table varying and being below the total.

According to the Times, Leavenworth city will pay $3.048 on each $100 valuation this year. In Tonganoxie the decreased state and county levy will be offset evenly by an increase of five cents. Our taxes, therefore, will be the same as last year plus the Rural High School levy.

It is interesting to note in this connection, that though all commodities and labor have been increased 200 to 300 per cent over the period before the war, state, county, township, school district and city levies have not increased on an average of 25 per cent. At the same time the expenses of the federal government nearly two years after the war are 500 to 600 per cent greater than before the war.

125 years ago: Aug. 29, 1895

A Leavenworth youth who evidently does not know why his paternal ancestor was sending him to the Kansas State University, has succeeded in getting his father into a suit. The youth did not take his father by the nape of the neck, and push him into garments of cassimere or jeans, but he got him into the kind of a suit that it will take the lawyers to wear out.

Last Friday, J.F. McConnell, a Lawrence tailor, instituted action in Justice Pearson’s court, against Robt. Garrett of Leavenworth, to recover the value of a suit made to order, and pressing another one. The bill sued for is $35, and it is the latter’s son a minor, who “ran the bill” while attending the State University last winter.

The father ought to see to it that the suit which has gotten him into a suit, gets a thorough dusting, and see that the son is inside of it during the operation.