Tonganoxie received a special gift last Wednesday. A M68-3 tank arrived from Fort Riley. The tank, which weighs 167,000 pounds and cost $700,000 when it was made, traveled 360 miles to its final resting spot in Tonganoxie VFW Park. VFW members are pictured in front of the tank: Bo Himpel, Larry Meadows, Lloyd Dehoff, Jim Watson, Butch Crawford, Earl Parson, Harold Putthoff, Harold Denholm and Bob Klinkenberg.

From Don Waterman — A television report last week showed a fisherman and his fish he had caught from the Kaw River at Lawrence. The man was catching fish for a Fourth of July fish fry. However, another man came by and said he wouldn’t eat the fish, as the pollutants in the river could cause the fish to be harmful. Don Waterman called Larry Zuckerman Wildlife and Game Department and found that chlordane runoff from cities grows in algae and is stored in the fat of fish. A 40-pound flathead catfish could quite possibly contain enough chlordane to cause lots of cancer.

50 years ago: June 29, 1972

Vicki Wedel, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Wedel, was crowned Leavenworth County Dairy Princess at the Dairy Day Activities June 24 at the Lansing 4-H Building.

“Festus Finds a Baby” is a funny wild and nutty comedy which is about the familiar television show “Gunsmoke” with Matt, Doc, Kitty and Festus. To see the live “Gunsmoke” performance, you need to get to Linwood where you will see an excellent cast of all local talent stage a matchless image of the nationally famous television show “Gunsmoke”.

Dick Dunham, Extension Dairy Specialist, Kansas State University, will lead the discussion at the Dairy Management Field Day at the James Jeannin farm 2 and 3/4 miles west of Jarbalo in Leavenworth County. This is an opportunity for area dairymen and others to view the Jeannin dairy set up and visit with them about the management of their herd. Some features visitors will see include: a new air conditioned twelve stall herringbone milking parlor, a high low vacuum milking system, an automatic feeding system, and pipeline delivery of the milk to a 1,500-gallon bulk tank. They have a 51-stall calf barn with elevated stalls arranged in three rows in the climate controlled unit.

Many Kansas laws are changed effective July 1, this year. One of the most important states “No Board of Education or any other tax-supported public body may make binding decisions in closed meetings or take action by secret ballot.” It applies to all groups using public funds. Violators can be punished by a month in jail.

75 years ago: June 26, 1947

One of our town’s most successful institutions is being sold after 25 years of ownership by one family. Musil’s Tonganoxie Bakery will be sold to the Albert Yonally family of Basehor. Wondering why this is news? Because it has happened only once before-exactly 25 years earlier. The Musil family purchased the local bakery from Henry Toburen 25 years ago. If the Yonally family follows the tradition, they will own and operate it until 1972. That date seems so far in the future, but time does fly. Operating a bakery or any business during the war was no easy task. Ingredient shortages and lack of workers made the situation tight for the Musil family. They stuck with the job and provided much needed bakery goods for our entire community. Here’s to a well-deserved vacation and rest for the couple.

A fun event happens about this time in California and its attendees are all former Tonganoxie residents. Individuals and families who have moved to the Pasadena area join together each summer, as they have for the last eleven years, and celebrate their connection to our home. An honored guest is chosen to be the Big Chief Tonganoxie and then dons the full headdress and regalia. Guests share their memories of time in Tonganoxie and then the picnic ends with high school yells, songs, ice cream and games.  The Mirror has contact information if you would like to be on the invitation list for next summer.

100 years ago: June 29, 1922

Black and Veatch, the consulting engineers, through their agent Mr. Haskins, submitted the preliminary papers and estimates for a sewer system for Tonganoxie to the Mayor and Councilmen at their regular meeting last Monday evening.

The system as laid out will accommodate practically every residence and business house in town.

The disposal plant will be located on the Foley place, near Tonganoxie Creek, just outside of the city limits, southeast of town.

Mr. Haskins explained that the estimated cost was high and that the Council could eliminate parts of the proposed plans as they saw fit. The estimated cost of the main sewer and the disposal plant was placed at $47,600. The laterals are estimated to cost $30,400 for a total of $78,000. This system will cover practically the whole town.

It will take the engineers three or four weeks to make the final surveys and borings, after which the Council will advertise for bids on as much of the proposition as it is decided to build at this time. It will be about sixty or seventy-five days before work will begin on the system if the bids are satisfactory.

The blueprints of the proposed system are on file at the E.H. Skaggs hardware and plumbing store for your inspection.

It is not the idea of the Council to have built long strings of laterals if the property owners do not want them. So look over the plans and advise with your neighbors and if the council consistently can your wishes will be carried out.

125 years ago: July 1, 1897

The school board will hold a meeting at the public school tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock, and the patrons of the school district are invited to be present. An architect will present several plans for the new schoolhouse and the patrons are expected to discuss them.

The school board has negotiated the bonds voted June 3rd to the advantage of the district. Soon after the election copies of all papers were sent to the state school commissioners and as nothing further was heard, C.J. Halsted went to Topeka, Monday and found the papers had been “pigeon-holed.” Everything in connection with the election was found legal, and the commissioners agreed to accept the $5,500 bonds at face value at five per cent interest. The bonds will be issued in a few days by the school board and county superintendent.