Editor’s note: To capture time accurately, language from the past generally is left unchanged. This may result in some antiquated or out-of-use language from time to time. We try to maintain the exact wording when possible, but edits are occasionally made for the sake of brevity or because such wording isn’t acceptable today.

25 years ago: Jan. 3, 2001

Federal officials have recently announced they believe they are close to identifying a Russian cemetery where a U.S. Air Force officer was buried after the Russians shot down his spy plane in 1960. Forty years later, retired Col. John McKone, a 1950 graduate of Tonganoxie High School and one of the two survivors of the shootdown, said he hopes the body of Major Eugene Posa will make it home. McKone and fellow survivor, Freeman Olmstead, were both in the Bering Sea in 33-degree water in 12-15 foot swells. Both men were imprisoned in 1960 and released in early 1961. [John McKone’s story is part of an exhibit at the Tonganoxie Community Historical Museum.]

When it comes to housing, Tonganoxie leads the county. In 2000, the city of Tonganoxie issued 90 housing permits for new construction. That outpaced other cities in Leavenworth County. The city of Leavenworth issued 60 permits, Lansing issued 54 permits and Basehor issued 24 permits. Outside of cities, growth was strong. Leavenworth County issued 192 permits for construction of new family homes in 2000, according to John Zoellner, Leavenworth County planning director. He said that subdivisions were on the rise. “We had 33 plats this year – more than most other years.”

Neighborhood teams got together recently to build a snow fort. During the process, a lot of snow flew, but not all from the skies. Tyler Percy, Noah Fugate, Brice Percy, and Ben Pitts were pictured.

50 years ago: Jan. 7, 1976

Christmas vacation is over and the students are back in school and the hectic round of activities have begun. The custodians really did a fine job over Christmas vacation getting all the buildings cleaned, polished and ready for the return of the students. The elementary playground is not ready for the children. The contractor says there must be a couple of decent days in a row before he can finish it. Enough of it is done so the children do have a place to stay out of the mud.

KP&L crews are working among many sets of lines and wires in Tonganoxie to replace transformers so that services may be switched to the higher voltage system. About 140 transformers have to be changed. The job is not of small magnitude. It takes about 500-man hours to change 30 transformers. That time did not count the brush crew work.

The Senior Citizen’s covered dish dinner will be at the 4-H building and a highlight of the evening will be pictures shown by Mr. Virgil Morey taken last summer when he toured the Baja Peninsula. Everyone enjoys Mr. Morey’s pictures.

Persons wanting to renew their truck license may not be able to do so until January 12 or after. The reason for the delay is due to the fact that the decals that will be used in renewing the license are not yet available from the company manufacturing them.

You will receive a free Americana Platter when you deposit $200 or more in a new or existing savings account at Leavenworth Mutual on 4th and Shawnee in Tonganoxie.

Springdale – Miss Drusie Coffin of Cushing Hospital Pavilion spent Monday through Wednesday visiting at the Charles Coffin home. Miss Coffin recently presented a nice waste basket to the Friends Church.

75 years ago: Jan. 4, 1951

Happy New Year as we welcome the second half of this century. Reports this week give us some important updates. The 1950 Federal Census is completed and shows Tonganoxie has a population of 1,146 persons. One of our newest persons of 1951 is a newborn baby, little man John Allen Shoemaker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bud Shoemaker. The tiny one, who is the first born in all of Leavenworth County came into the world at 9:15 pm.

Tonganoxie City Library will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this week with an open house and speakers. What started as a small group of women who were interested in the welfare of our community grew into a modern library of today. Citizens of our city can borrow books free of charge and rural residents need only purchase a $1 card.

Sunflower Ordinance Plant is reopening with a three and half million dollar contract to rehabilitate the location. Hercules Company will begin making powder once again after de-mothballing equipment and starting up systems.

100 years ago: Dec. 31, 1925

Arthur West, of Kansas City, will locate in Tonganoxie and put in a stock of jewelry. Mr. West is a jeweler and watchmaker of many years experience, also an engraver. He will be located in the Parney building, east of the Dale Dressery grocery store. Mr. and Mrs. West have four children, the oldest a boy having finished High School and two daughters in High School, and the youngest child in Junior High. The family will probably not move here until after the school year. We welcome Mr. West to Tonganoxie and wish for him a thriving business.

Mrs. Myra Keller was the recipient of a nice turkey from her son, Charles Keller and family, of Meeker, Colo. for Christmas.

Wishin’.all our Customers and Friends a Happy and a Prosperous New Year and soliciting your patronage throughout the coming months. Harry Sorensen, Your Milk Man, Phone 77.

Last Saturday night the thermometer went to two degrees below zero, the coldest weather of the season.

A wedding ceremony took place in the Congregational parsonage last Saturday evening at 8 o’clock, when Mr. Claude H. Pace and Miss Marie L. Calhoun both of Kansas City, were united in marriage by the Rev. Charles Schofield. Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Smart, who were married in the Congregational Church the seventh day of last June by the present minister, witnessed the ceremony last Saturday evening.

Mr. and Mrs. FA McRill entertained a group of relatives at a Christmas dinner.

Wanted–To Exchange Painting or Papering, for common labor or hauling. See H. Cronemeyer.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Miller and children, of Chickasha, Okla., for a Christmas visit at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wooten.

125 years ago: Jan. 3, 1901

The annual business meeting and dinner for members will be held at the Congregational church next Saturday. All members are urged to be present to answer roll call.

The Northwestern moved its station at Basehor into the new depot Saturday, and at once tore the old one down. The new depot is considerably larger than the old one.

Miss Rachael Timmons left for Wamego this week, to attend her brother’s wedding which occurs today.

The Scholars in Principal Jones’ room and those in Miss Hunt’s room are each preparing a play to be presented in a few weeks.

Mrs. Hiatt made a holiday visit to her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Baldwin. She left for her home in Emporia again Tuesday.

RW Freeman last week, completed a nice milk cave for Ferd Borst southeast of town.

The State Board of Education last week, issued an instructor’s certificate to Elmer Jones.

Miss Flora Carter came up from the Blind Asylum on Saturday to visit at home for a few days.

The Tonganoxie Creamery has established an agency for its butter at Lawrence. The agent drives a span of Shetland ponies, a fact that will prove an advertising feature.

Will Lawrence moved from Armourdale this week, to Junction City. He will be agent for Swift and Co., and Will, will have charge of the meat the packing company furnishes the government.

Miss Naomi Schenk is visiting her brother FA Schenck. She has been stenographer in the city clerk’s office in Omaha for several years and is taking a holiday vacation.