25 years ago: Feb. 4, 1998

Three students at Tonganoxie Elementary School won trophies for their extraordinary spelling abilities. They will also compete in the county spelling bee on February 12, to be held in Leavenworth.

Wildhorse Orchard’s apple cider was judged to be the grand champion apple cider by the Mid-America Fruit Growers Association. The grand champion cider won in competition with 25 entries from all over Kansas and Missouri.

Magnatech Engineering, Inc. signed a lease to purchase the “Perka” building from the City of Tonganoxie. The company plans to expand their business here.

50 years ago: Feb. 1, 1973

Mrs. Charles W. Scott refused to let the muddy roads keep her from bringing her son, John, to school. Mrs. Scott drove up to Mrs. Morey’s Nursey School on the farm tractor with John and another passenger, her small daughter Elizabeth.

Tomorrow, February 2, is Ground Hog Day. If this wet weather keeps up, the ground hog may turn into a swamp rat. Instead of seeing his shadow, he may have to swim for dry land.

Stranger Creek is reported coming out of its banks and into fields following an all-night rain. Tonga Creek was level full and coming over the road, north of town.

Tonganoxie recorded an increase of 137 telephones during 1972. Almost 1,688 telephones are now in service locally, as compared with 1,551 at the beginning of 1972.

The City Council’s water and sewer committee has agreed to study the possibility of increasing the amount of water the city sells to Leavenworth County Rural Water District No. 6. The rural water district spokesman asked that the city lift its limits of 80 customers in the district and sell additional water. The district has several applicants for water service, but none can be approved until the city agrees to expand service to the district. Committee Chairman Wayne Finch said, “We have to make sure we have enough water for our town customers, before we expand service to rural areas.”

75 years ago: Jan. 29, 1948

Fires are burning and smoke is belching out of the chimneys as the temperatures in Tonganoxie hover around -11. That’s eleven degrees below the zero temperatures that we have suffered the past week. Ponds are frozen, accidents have occurred, and people are falling on the ice. We need some warm weather and soon.

In a story reported late last December, William Denholm is hoping that his toy animals will get him to Europe. Readers may recall that Denholm started making 3 inch felt toy animals with batteries to work their flashlight bulb eyes. He continued making them and now has retail outlets in Manhattan, Lawrence, Lansing, and Kansas City. He hopes to raise $800 in order to become a UNESCO student ambassador to Europe. It will take an awful lot of horses, wildcats, elephants, and other toy animals!  Good luck.

Three unions have blocked the labor peace and refuse wage boosts already accepted by 19 other railroad unions. They believe that a $.15 1/2 hourly increase is not enough. They have threatened to strike which would bring our country to a standstill. Come see the documents and compare your salary.

The Oaks Inn was the scene of a PEO Chapter AT three course dinner. Eighteen members attended this lovely event.

100 years ago: Feb. 1, 1923

Mr. Stevenson reports that he is very well satisfied with his new Commercial Law classes. This Is proving a much more profitable subject than Economics which was taught the first semester. The larger class consists mostly of Seniors. Many of the Junior students are taking Commercial arithmetic instead of Commercial Law so this accounts for the small number in the other class. Although all the students are not expecting to become great lawyers and judges, they do expect to know something about business transactions.

The new ten-wheel-type engine recently purchase by the Leavenworth & Topeka Railroad, which arrived in Leavenworth last Saturday, made its first trip Wednesday morning. With the new engine, the L&T will be able to handle all of its freight traffic, officials state. Ten or twelve loads can be handled with ease by the new engine, while it was impossible for the old engine to haul this heavy load and made it necessary to the run the extra freight train often. – McLouth Times, January 25, 1923

125 years ago: Feb. 3, 1898

The first one to leave from Tonganoxie for the Klondike was Frank Warner, who has been employed by George Wilkinson for the past two years or more. He started Tuesday afternoon on his long journey.

Jarbalo Jottings – Trading farms is the topic of the day. William Trackwell has purchase a farm near Eagle of G.G. Henderson; the latter has purchased J.B. Thiry’s farm, adjoining his home place; Mr. Thiry has purchased a farm near Basehor; O.W. Bissett has sold his farm to Henry Wager, and now we imagine we smell wedding cake.

There is undoubtedly great need that some of the dubious political transactions in this county were probed to the bottom. The Leavenworth Standard in a recent issue gives a pretty gives a pretty strong hint as follows: “The assessor’s office is worth anywhere from $3,400 to $4,000 per annum,” is the statement made yesterday by a wealthy and prominent Republican to Mayor Edmond. He asked what was meant, as the salary was only $3. Per day for about three months.

“I know it,” was the answer, “and I know what I am talking about. In the past assessors have been able to make a good deal more than their salary, and the amount is not far from the figures given.” The air in Leavenworth is filled with ugly rumors of how the various offices are farmed out, and if they are not true they are doing a number of people great injustice. The Civic Federation ought to go to probing some of these rumors and find out whether they are true.