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: Oct. 28, 1998

Trouble is brewing in Tonganoxie over some extended warranties sold by Marcus Allen Ford before they sold out to City Ford in July 1998. The problem erupted when purchasers of these warranties began bringing in in their vehicles for repairs, only to find their vehicles were not covered.

Matthew Griffith, 22, Olathe, survived being buried alive in a four-foot-deep trench where he had been working on a waterline pipe last Wednesday morning in the 700 block of Washington, just west of Pleasant in Tonganoxie.

50 years ago: Oct. 25, 1973

Homecoming at the Tonganoxie High School is Friday. The Chieftains will play Lansing. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at the half-time of the football game. The Queen candidates are Kim Bontrager, Karen Sturgeon, and Joy Eubanks.

John Putthoff, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don Putthoff, was promoted to Army Specialist Four at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He is a Radar Operator with the Combat Support Company. He entered the Army in 1971 after graduating from Tonganoxie High School and was last stationed in Vietnam. He holds the Army Commendation Medal.

A $50,000 negligence suit was filed against the Twin City Shows, Inc. of Olathe in District Court by Joseph Mohan whose wife, Joyce Mohan, was killed in August at the County Fair. Mohan charges the amusement company was negligent when it failed to engage a safety bar on a ride in which Mrs. Mohan and her sister aged 7 were riding.

Fire of undetermined origin destroyed the house on the north side of Hwy 16, just east of the Fairgrounds. The property is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gene B. Roche who built a new home north of the other residence.

The Forestry, Fish, and Game Commission accepted a bid of $17,176.00 from A.G. Tollefson and Company for construction of a maintenance building at Leavenworth State Fishing Lake.

BRB Construction Company of Topeka has been awarded a contract to build the Rural Water District #9 adjoining Tonganoxie. The system is being financed during construction by the Tonganoxie State Bank and the First National Bank of Topeka. The loan is over a half million dollars being guaranteed by the Farmers Home Administration. It has been two years and four months since a half dozen drought-stricken landowners met to get something done. They hope to have water by spring.

75 years ago: Oct. 21, 1948

The Community Club reports the development of a special committee to investigate city zoning and building codes in Tonganoxie. The proposal of this committee is to require building permits that will get away from haphazard development in town. They will look into ordinances in other communities.

Plans are going forward for the annual Halloween celebration and parade. Four sets of prizes will be awarded for parade participants, along with a free dance at the high school and prizes at the theater for anyone in costume.  

Four schoolhouses in the Jarbalo area will be sold to the public. They are Eagle, Star, Valley, and Skaggs. The sale will include land, buildings, and equipment.  Students have consolidated in recent years in the Jarbalo 1 District. Consolidation in these districts was brought about by the old law and not the compulsory consolidation law which has stirred up so much controversy.

Western Railroads are posting full scale ads that the unions are making unreasonable demands. Currently the unions are asking 48 hour pay for 40 hours of work. In addition, they want a minimum of 12 hours pay for any work performed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.  What these leaders don’t understand according to the owners is that these pay increases will be a financial hardship for you and everyone else who rides the rails.  Strike votes are in the works. Hopefully something can be worked out soon.

The corn contest results are in and the prizes have been awarded. Tommy Holton of Route 3 won second place with a prize of $6.00. Longest ear came from Reed Taggart with a prize of $1. Hope to see you next year, too! Hap Evans

100 years ago: Oct. 18, 1923

Legion officials of the state of Kansas are urging all ex-service men in the state who have not as yet made an application for their compensation to do so at once as the final date for filing of these claim applications has been set at January 1, 1924. The time limit was extended at the recent session of the legislature in order that a number who are now living in foreign countries and are having trouble with their claims will have sufficient time to make application before the doors are closed for further filing.

That the American Legion should continue the “big brother” movement that it has in the past few years, was one of the striking recommendations made by W.P. MacLean, retired department commander of the Legion in Kansas. MacLean has recently appeared before the national orphans’ home committee and there outlined a policy which he believed the Legion should pursue. As head of the Boys’ Industrial School he received a great deal of assistance from the many posts of the Legion in the stated in sending the boys on short trips, supplying them with hand instruments and sponsoring other phases of development of the delinquent boys in the proper channels.

More than 110,000 acres of government land will soon be opened to settlement for veterans of the late war, according to information furnished the American Legion nations department by the Department of the Interior. The land is to be located in SanDiego County, California, near Camp; in Chavos county, New Mexico, near Pinon; in Mineral county, Nevada, near Hawthorne; and in Garfield county near Hanksville, Utah.

125 years ago: Oct. 27, 1898

Linwood Lines – There are some parties in the Kaw bottom here who have not dug their potatoes yet.

Lem Evans is building a barn on his premises in the south part of town.

The DeSoto Eagle Eye is the name of a new paper just across the river from Linwood.

Mr. Whitlock has traded his farm two miles west of town and will move back to Leavenworth.

Linc Ballou is making preparations for building himself a house on the northeast corner of Shawnee and Sixth streets.

The records of the University show that the snow storm of October 17 was the earliest of its kind known in Kansas during the thirty-one years record of observation taken at the University.