125 Years Ago: 1901
Reverend I.T. Creek gave his celebrated lecture on the Galveston flood at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Elmo. Reverend Creek was a first-hand witness to the flood, which was said to be the most appalling event in American history. Because of this, local residents were advised to purchase their tickets early.
In happier news, a coupon was issued in Hopkins to vote for the most beautiful woman. Residents could send in one vote per person, and whoever won would be entered into the St. Louis Globe World’s Fair Beauty Contest.
On Thursday morning, the Maryville sheriff took two adolescent boys to the reform school. After pleading guilty to having broken the switch on the Wilcox train, an event that left two passengers in a ditch, the boys were sentenced to two years in the reform school.
Two other young Maryville boys also found themselves in trouble with the law this week. They were arrested after stealing tools from Henry Struck. The boys protested their innocence, and due to a lack of evidence against them, the two boys were turned loose.
The winning colt “Bill Garrett” was sold for $10,000 to a French woman. The horse had been owned by well-known local stock raiser Frank Bellows. Bellows had given the horse its unique name as he had a tradition of honoring his friends by naming his colts after them.
75 Years Ago: 1951
Very early in the morning of Saturday, April 28th, an explosion occurred just outside the local Northwest College Women’s Residence Hall. Approximately 30 students were injured, some of them critically with severe burns. The explosion was from a natural gas tank leak, but the exact cause of the leak was unknown at this time. College officials estimated it would cost $400,000 to repair the building. High on the list of losses due to the fire were 13 pianos, the basement dining room, and practice rooms in the music department.
After the explosion, calls swamped the Maryville phone lines. Many frightened parents took to the phone exchange and were notified that students had been given alternative housing arrangements with Maryville residents.
Pranksters sent a few college girls back to the hospital not long after the terrible explosion. Some of the girls living off campus were frightened when firecrackers were shot at the windows where they were staying. The young women experienced waves of shock and were sent to St. Francis Hospital for evaluation.
50 Years Ago: 1976
The Northwest Bearcat Jazz Group played at a pre-game show at the Kansas City Royals Stadium. The group performed at a game between the Royals and the New York Yankees.
New Red Cross officers were selected at the chapter meeting in Nodaway County. The meeting took place at the student union building on the Northwest Missouri State University campus. 127 members were present at the meeting.
Delta Sigma Theta, a women’s service sorority, joined the ranks of organizations at Northwest Missouri State University. Eight women were initiated to join the new student group.
Four “non-traditional” students arrived at Northwest Missouri State University. The group of men had graduated high school and gone straight into manual labor. After some time in the workforce, they had decided to return to higher education to earn college degrees.
The Maryville girls track team set new school records. The team took six first place wins and produced three new records for the school, but were still defeated by Lafayette in the first annual Midland Empire Conference girls track meet. Lafayette scored 70 points with Maryville not far behind at 65 points.