Eugene Keck deserves a pat on the back for his interest and efforts to get rid of the weeds and grass poking up through the cracks in the curb and guttering and city sidewalks on Fourth Street.

The next S.O.R.T. recycling date will be Saturday, August 23rd, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds. Tonganoxie Kiwanis Club members will be volunteering their time to collect items at this drop off.

50 years ago: Aug. 24, 1972

The new principal at Tonganoxie High School is Kenneth Bontrager. He comes here from U.S.D. 334 at Glasgow, Kansas.

Lee Smith has returned to Tonganoxie Grade School for his seventh year. This year Mr. Smith will be in charge of both the grade school and the junior high.

The new Superintendent of U.S.D. 464 is Mr. Robert L. Powers, formerly of U.S.D. 221 in Washington County, Kansas. Superintendent Mr. Powers announced that over 100 students new to the district have enrolled in school for the fall and more are expected. There is now a total of 1400 students enrolled. This includes the largest Senior High class ever with now over 100 students.

Twenty-nine members of the local Boy Scouts did their good deed of the day Sunday when they gathered at the Fairgrounds and cleaned up cans, paper, etc. that accumulated during the Fair. Six truckloads of trash were hauled away. Adult leaders assisting were Bob Daniels, Vic Dyerson, Merle Myers, Mike Lux, John Brassart, and Bill Seymour. 

Governor Robert Docking announced he has appointed Douglas G. Waters, Jr., an attorney in Leavenworth, to the position of judge of the probate Court, Leavenworth County. Waters succeeds the late Joseph J. Dawes.

In a special meeting Friday, the Leavenworth County Commission passed an ordinance calling for the annexation of a 66 acre plot of land south of Lansing for the city’s sanitary landfill.

Richard Townes, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary, walked away from the prison honor farm Saturday afternoon. Sheriff Hawes reported Townes was hitch-hiking on U.S. 73 north of Leavenworth when Sheriff Hawes pulled his unmarked patrol car off the road and offered to give him a lift. Hawes returned Townes to the prison before he was discovered missing. Townes is serving 30 years for bank robbery.

75 years ago: Aug. 21 , 1947

Twenty-two young people went to Funspiration in Kansas City, Mo. Tuesday evening. After they arrived there, they boarded trucks along with many other young people from various towns and were taken to the Pendergast estate where they enjoyed a picnic. There were five truckloads of young people.

A basket dinner was enjoyed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. M.F. Black, Sr. Sunday, August 2.

Stranger – Smith Aid met last Thursday with co-hosts Mrs. Marie Black and Mrs. Anna Denholm.

Hoge Station – Mr. A.P. Hitzeman and Rev. Howard Toeter of Leavenworth spent Sunday afternoon with Mr. and Mrs. August Gruendel.

100 years ago: Aug. 24, 1922

Tonganoxie, Lawrence and Topeka celebrated the opening of the Fort to Fort hard surface road opened for traffic at noon Tuesday, August 22, 1922

The celebration was held at the Fitzpatrick farm on the county line between Shawnee and Douglas counties. The celebration committee had a prepared program consisting of speaking by Mayor Corwine of Topeka and Editor Simons of the Journal World representing the mayor of Lawrence two ball games, horse shoe pitching, races and other events.

A big chicken dinner was serviced to the hungry crowd by a corps of efficient ladies, and was all that the name implies, and at only fifty cents per plate. There were various stands and concessions also on the grounds.

In conversation with other on the grounds the crowd was estimated at between eight and ten thousand.

This road is a wonderful piece of engineering and is a great credit to those who first conceived the idea, and worked unremittingly until now the completion of the project is in sight

The project was first conceived in Tonganoxie and although Leavenworth County is the last to complete its portion through the three counties, Shawnee and Douglas have paid a higher average price than Leavenworth by several thousand dollars per mile.

Leavenworth County Commissioners Mr. Short, Mr. Eberth and Rr. Roe and County Engineer Clark, and the Editor were the guests of Tom Sweeney, of Lawrence, at dinner. Mr. Sweeny took a prominent part in making the celebration a success.

125 years ago: Aug. 26, 1897

A rattling snake story comes from the Dreisbach farm, south of town. Mark Todd and Charles Cooledge were helping Jack Todd in the hay field Tuesday, and the latter was just making for the noonday viands [an archaic noun meaning food] when he narrowly missed stepping on a bunch of little snakes. The crowd proved to be rattlers and they were speedily killed. The snakes numbered ten and were about twenty inches long. A hole near where the snakes lay was stopped up until after dinner when upon digging three more little rattlers were found with the old one. When the old one was dispatched, it was found to have five rattles and a button. The destruction of fourteen rattlesnakes in one day is a feat hard to surpass.

The case against J.C. Stone, of High Prairie township, for interfering with the United States mails has not yet been decided. Judge Porter appeared for the defendant before U.S. Commissioner Bond at Leavenworth and moved to quash the complaint because it was inaccurate, incorrect, incomplete, and inconsistent, and not such as would sustain a warrant. It did not bear proper date, the word “diverse” was used when it should have been “divers other persons, etc.” and it was sworn to by George J. Chaplin without a statement that the charges contained were true.

Judge Porter argued that Mr. Chaplin did not have any knowledge that the charges were true, and consequently the complaint made by him was void. He quoted several opinions in support of his argument. The complaint alleged a felony when obstruction of the mails is punishable only by fine and that not to exceed $100 without imprisonment.

Commissioner Bone overruled the motion and proceeded to try the case. After hearing all the evidence submitted he took the matter under advisement.