Quick highlights from the journalist history of Franklin County over the past 100 years. Taken from the newspaper archives of the Franklin County Citizen and Preston Citizen.
25 Years Ago, March 24, 1999High school principal Jon Abrams tended his resignation to the West Side School Board telling officials he is moving to Idaho Falls this summer. He is taking a position as assistant principal at Clair E. Gayle Junior High School in the Idaho Falls School District.
The West Side High School drama department will present the screenplay, “Our Town,” written by Thornton Wilder. The three-act play will be held at the Worm Creek Opera House. Directed by John Abbott, a large portion of the play will be mime. “Eric Call, who plays George, is a state gold medal winner in mime,” said Abbott.
A full-time Franklin County ambulance position has been created and will help the volunteer organization with an ever-increasing number of calls that require advanced emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Commissioners agreed to hire Lana Baird, an advanced EMT who has been working on a part-time basis for the county.
Hunting deer and elk provides a multi-million boost to Idaho’s economy each year. Idaho Department of Fish and Game figures show hunters spent $84.1 million on elk hunting trips and $97.7 million on deer in 1996.
Fire from a weed-burning project caught a utility pole on fire on North State Street last week. Because the poles are the property of Utah Power, there has been discussion as to whether damage caused by unattended fires will be considered vandalism, said Ryan Hobley, of Utah Power.
Averaging $200 per auctioned breed fee, the Franklin County 4-H horse program raised just over $3,000 during their annual breed auction. Fifteen stallions from Pocatello to Providence, UT, were brought to the Franklin county Fair Grounds and shown by their owners.
50 Years Ago, March 28, 1974Heavy equipment of the city and county began coverup operations at the old city dump west of Preston. Sand was hauled from a hill and covered most of the unsightly rubbish. The dump has been replaced by a new Franklin County Sanitary Landfill on the other side of Bear River.
A National Guard chorus, probably the only one of its kind in the U. S., is functioning at the Preston National Guard Armory. Stephen Noyes, spokes person for the 45 member choir, said he got the idea for such a chorus when he heard the group — mostly LDS men — sing in church servicemen’s meetings. The chorus made its public debut in the Preston North Stake Conference last week.
No practical effective treatment has been found for Brucellosis (contagious abortion, Bang’s Disease) and efforts have been directed at control and prevention. Franklin county cattlemen were issued the warning from County Agent Daniel Roberts. Idaho still has active Brucellosis in many counties and all methods available are being used to prevent spreading of the disease in cattle throughout Idaho.
Seven members of the Preston High School Auto Tech Vocational Industrial Club of America will enter the VICA Skill Olympics in Idaho Falls. The seven, Doug Porter, Jackie Rindlisbaker, Jay Hansen, Kevin Heath, Vance Winn, Denis Jepsen and Val Sparrow will compete in the auto mechanics phase. It will mark the first time members from Preston have participated as the group just this year received it’s VICA charter.
75 Years Ago, March 31, 1949Hub caps and other accessories have been stolen recently from numerous automobiles in Preston which are left outdoors overnight, according to Chief of Police Harold Campbell…He urged that whenever possible cars be stored overnight indoors. If any prowlers are seen he asks that city police be advised immediately.
Opening date of the new A & H recreation parlor in Preston is announced in the Citizen for Friday, April 8, by the owners, Aroet and Howard Bennett.
Once a landmark to pioneer travelers, the Twin Buttes, east of the Navy’s gun-proving grounds near Arco, overlook the vast expanse of southeast Idaho desert land to be utilized by the atomic energy commission for its national reactor plant. The half-billion dollar plant will be located just 19 miles southeast of Arco.
A truck loaded with a huge poplar tree stump nearly caused death or serious injury to a Preston man when the stump shifted on the truck bed and overturned the vehicle, pinning Leonard “Red” Davis under the machine. Davis was imprisoned beneath the truck for over a half hour. Efforts to lift the heavy machine with another truck and a tractor failed.
100 Years Ago, March 26, 1924Autos, Trucks and Tractors are driving horses off farms. The number of horses on the farms of the U. S. decreased 15 per cent in six years. At the beginning of 1918, there were 21,555,000 horses on farms in this country. When 1924 opened this number decreased to 18,263,000. There were, however increases in a number of other domestic animals during the same period.
A young man walked into the J. C. Penney Store and purchased a suit of clothes. He wrote out a check for $45 on a Preston bank, $15 was given him back in change. Mr. Larson of Penney Co., got busy and found out the party had never had an account at the bank. The officers went to the car to wait the boy’s departure for the South and there he was taken by them and placed in the County Jail.
For Sale or Trade — Iver Johnson --Bicycle almost new, for a young cow. Phone 306-F12.
Detectives in Canada are being taught a code by means of which they can communicate with one another by dropping, raising or other movements of the eyes, and also how to “talk” secretly by means of finger touches, by twisting of a cigar, fingering of a mustache and twiddling fingers behind the back. This is being done so that they can transfer their thoughts when in the presence of criminals or prisoners.
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