25 years ago: March 11, 1998

St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. Kids: Don’t forget the St. Patty’s Kiddie Parade! Judging will be done about 9 a.m. just south of the pool at Main Street and Third Street.

Tonganoxie along with most of northeast Kansas dug its way out of a surprise winter storm that happened over the weekend. The snow, ice, and below-freezing temperatures caused school to be canceled for two days. Despite the winter storm, much of the state has had spring-like weather.

Larry and Cindy Kirchgassner of Laned and Eddie and Vicki Boone of Tonganoxie are proud to announce the engagement of their children, Audra Kirchgassner and Jonathan C. Boone.

Katie Ussery is an example of what is good in Tonganoxie. The 17-year-old has logged over 600 hours of community service.

She recently was awarded The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a Girl Scout. Katie also worked at the United Methodist Church nursery and took it upon herself to make it a better place. “I started out wanting to get safer toys and make the environment safer.” She went on to give the nursery a makeover. She scraped off the old paint and replaced it with a newer water-resistant paint and, with a friend, added a mural of Noah’s Ark on the wall.

50 years ago: March 8, 1973

Sheri Stephenson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Stephenson, is participating in the THS Senior Votech training program.  She is working and learning at Gouge’s Fabric Shop in the afternoon five days a week.

There is growing optimism in the country. Spring is around the corner and the prisoners of war from Vietnam are coming home. Those happy smiles as they land and are welcomed are understandable.

So war becomes a secondary matter, difficult as it was to get us out. It must be conceded that President Nixon was successful.

Businessmen are voting by petition on a plan that would have downtown businesses finance street improvements on three blocks of the city’s commercial district. The project would extend city council plans to put an asphalt overlay on four blocks of Fourth Street from U.S. 24-40 to Green Street.

Businessmen are circulating a petition to determine if downtown property owners will finance the cost of overlaying three additional blocks of Fourth Street from Green to Pleasant Street. One businessman, J.W. Evans, said he expects to have about 75% of the property owners of the three blocks sign the petition favoring the street project. The cost of the improvements is $9,000, Evans said, and the cost could be assessed against the property taxes of the businesses or paid in a lump sum.

75 years ago: March 4, 1948

March came in like a confused lion. We had snow, sleet, wind, rain, and thunder. Hopefully, the little lamb at the end of the month will be much nicer. We need some milder weather.

The cat is NOT out of the bag on this report. The American Feline Society wanted to ship 50,000 alley cats to Europe to deal with their tremendous rat problem. This is a post war situation and is ravaging the continent. The ASPCA objected saying that the cats could not survive on a constant meal of rodents and would need supplemental food to keep them alive. Our barn cats must be a sturdy breed since their diet is strictly rat.

Norman Wiley is selling off his herd of Guernsey cows and heifers, hogs, and horses due to the farm being sold. Included will be household items and farm equipment.

Another reminder from The Gas Service Company to conserve as much gas as possible during these very cold months. The gas is coming in from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, compressed through the lines at high speed, and there is a possibility of a rupture. The lines are loaded to peak capacity. The new gas lines need to be completed soon.

100 years ago: March 8, 1923

Last Friday evening the Commercial Club held a big dairy and good roads meeting at the Royal Theatre, at which J. Frank Smith, manager of the Greater Kansas City Good Roads Association was the principal speaker. Mr. Smith made a strong plea for the dairy cow, the hen, and the hog, in preference to strictly grain farming.

After Mr. Smith’s speech the following resolution was presented by a committee composed of Wm. Heyman, J. C. Laming and C., E. Todd: ” Be It Resolved by the farmers and business men of Leavenworth county, Kansas that we endorse the state road program as outlined in the above Constitutional Amendment [authorizing the state to build a complete system of highways to be financed wholly from the auto license fees and Federal Aid] and urge our senator and representative to support this measure to the end that it may go carefully prepared and submitted to a vote of the people at the next election.”

Two years ago, the citizens got together in a mass meeting and decided to elect a ticket without a contest. Would it not be well to consider the same plan this year?

The administration about ready to retire was elected to finish their water-works program and as it was hoped would build a sewer system for the town. They have demonstrated that the large well plan was the proper way of getting an adequate supply of water. In another year or two the waterworks will be paying its own expenses and the cost of its installation. The sewer system is in a fair way toward completion and will be ready for use by the middle of May if the Spring weather permits the continuance of work.

Under these conditions some are very much in favor of letting the old administration hold over another term, and some of the Councilmen feel the same regarding themselves. Our town is launched on a progressive program and now is the time when a reactionary program would be fatal.

Tonganoxie has experienced three years of prosperity while the towns around were standing still or slipping This condition is attributable to the hard surface road construction., and later the sewer improvement, making plenty of work for our people.

125 years ago: March 10, 1898

Black smoke once more curled upward from the Roller Mill Monday morning, and the mill is again running steadily since that time.

The old force has been retained and no new faces are seen about the place. Last week the boiler was repaired by some Leavenworth machinists and declared to be good for four or five years yet.

The amount of wheat coming in indicates that there is still considerable of that cereal in the country and high prices are coaxing it out.

The board of county commissioners let contracts for five bridges Monday, and the Missouri Valley Bridge Co. was the successful bidder in all instances. Two of these bridges are on the new road running east from Fourth street. R.H. Southard secured the grading on all the approaches except one, at 11 cents per cubic yard. The city of Tonganoxie will do the grading on the approaches to the new bridge across Tonganoxie creek.

The bridges are supposed to be finished by April 1.