25 years ago: March 24, 1999

Tonganoxie High School’s production of “Singin’ in the Rain” ran from March 11-13 in the Tonganoxie High School Auditorium. The story is based on the struggle of silent movie stars as the era of talking movies begins in America. This was the first production to involve the school’s new musical teacher, Charles Van Middlesworth II, as the show’s musical director. Tonganoxie High teacher Steve Harrell took on the stage direction.

A medium-sized brown paper shopping bag was inserted into the newspaper from Brewer’s Country Mart. The bag was printed with the promise to give holders of a Country Mart Card 20% off “every frozen item you can fit in this bag.”

50 years ago: March 28, 1974

Tonganoxie was described as the Dairy Center of Kansas by an article in the Kansas City Star in 1910. One of the top representatives of the dairy industry at Tonganoxie was Frank Fairchild who owned 480 acres of fertile land. It was long known later as the home of A.L. and Bessie Knox. Bessie was the daughter of Frank Fairchild. It is owned today by Arthur and Mildred Young. Mildred is the granddaughter of Frank Fairchild. The Young’s own 100 acres of the original farm. The original barn burnt down and was replaced by the one on the farm now. An attractive historical spot right here in Tonganoxie.

In 1917 at a railroad crossing six miles northwest of Lawrence a great tragedy happened.  Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild had driven to Topeka and were returning home. They stopped at the railroad crossing for a freight train to pass from the east. As the last car passed, the Fairchild car started across the tracks, when struck by a fast Rock Island passenger train from the west. Mrs. Fairchild was killed Instantly, Thelma Knox, their six-year-old granddaughter died on the way to the hospital, and Mr. Fairchild died the next morning. The entire area of southern Leavenworth County was shocked beyond description. The funeral was the largest ever in Tonganoxie. Burial was in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Parke Johnson won the Leavenworth County Spelling Bee. There were 22 contestants from Leavenworth County. Parke will participate in the State Spelling Bee in Topeka.

Friday is Arbor Day which is a good day to plant a tree or obtain information on better care of existing trees.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Robbins are the proud parents of a son, Jeremy Ralphil.

75 years ago: March 27, 1949

Tonganoxie dentist, Dr. L.C. Cox, completed his free dental inspections at Basehor High School. Several local rural school populations participated in this very important inspection of teeth. Dr. Cox did take time off from the inspections to lecture parents and students about the conditions that he was finding. It appears many young people have stain and tartar, and unfilled cavities. Of greatest concern were the number of students with decay in their sixth-year molars. Some conditions were so bad that the teeth had to be extracted.

“The Three Musketeers” is showing this week at The Royal Theatre.  

Several WWII veterans are throwing their hats in the ring to run for office in Tonganoxie. Mr. Dale Rawlings is running for mayor, Gerald Salmon a Battle of the Bulge veteran is running for city council and Jack Himpel, aerial war veteran is finishing his first term on the council.  These men served the nation and are willing to serve our community, too.

A new Chevrolet dealership is being established in the Kraft-Starr Building which is north of Zoellners. [For current readers, this is the white concrete block building across the street from the city court offices.] This location originally sold farm equipment.

100 years ago: March 27, 1924

Last Thursday evening Marshall Love received notice that a car was in the ditch south of town. Upon investigation he found an abandoned car in which he discovered three five-gallon tin containers full of alcohol – that is except one which in the wreck had a hole punched through and about one and a half gallons had run out. The car also had empty bottles already labeled, with corks and seals for gin and other kinds of liquor.

Marshal Love telephoned to the Douglas County sheriff who caught the owner of the car and a woman at the Interurban station. The sheriff held them until Mr. Love drove over and got them.

That night, at Leavenworth where Marshall Love took his prisoners the man gave his name as Earl McQuilkin, and his home as Topeka. There would appear to be a large whiskey ring in Kansas City where McQuilkin said he got the alcohol, that is putting the booze out to the bootleggers.

125 years ago: March 23, 1899

Nominations for city offices are going begging this year. No one wants to run, of if there are any candidates they are exceedingly modest about letting their ambitions be known. No names are mentioned for any of the offices. Tomorrow is the last day when nomination papers may be filed with the city clerk. It is hardly likely that no ticket or tickets will be filed before the time limit expires.

Friday evening, a meeting was held in the Friends church to put a ticket in the field but owing to the bad weather the meeting adjourned till Monday night. Q.A. Baldwin was urged as a temperance candidate for mayor at the second meeting, but he declined to make the race. The people present finally became so urgent, that he stated he would not lead in the fight until nine out of ten present would cease voting for whiskey men for higher offices. He positively declined to become a candidate, and some of the hasty accused Mr. Baldwin of throwing cold water on the temperance movement in Tonganoxie.

The board of county commissioners was in session last Saturday and the following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bleakley and adopted by the board: “Resolved, that a reward of one hundred dollars is hereby offered for the capture and conviction of any one who steals a horse or mule within the boundaries of Leavenworth county, provided the owner of said animal is a resident of Leavenworth county.”

The commissioners of Johnson county appeared before the board and urged an appropriation for a bridge across the Kaw river between Lenape and De Soto. Citizens of Lenape were also present to urge the matter. The proposition is for Johnson county to pay $6,000, Leavenworth county $2,000 and Sherman township $2,000. No action was taken by the board.

Three years ago, a proposition to build a bridge across the Kaw at Lenape was voted down in this county. The citizens of the east end of Sherman township are very anxious for a bridge, to get advantage railroad facilities especially during the potato season.