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The 1916 Brainerd police force, pictured here, included the following men: The plain clothes men at either end were Jack Brandt (left) and Ted Nesheim; (front row, left to right) Charles Varner, chief, and Tom Templeton. (Rear, left to right) Erick Graff, Hans Saude and August Swanson. Source: Brainerd Minnesota 1871 - 1971. Reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch.
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 22

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 21

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 19

Downtown Brainerd
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 18

Northern Pacific locomotives west of Brainerd 1870s. Photo by W.H. Illingworth
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 17

Harvey Shew, principal at Franklin Junior High, looks over damage done yesterday as vandals tipped over library bookshelves, smashed furniture and 89 windows, and threw paint and food over school floors. The vandalism spree, which Shew calls “the worst I've ever seen,” is estimated at $20,000.
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 16

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Fittingly, Joe Plut returned to his teaching job at Central Lakes College on Valentines Day to a host of hugs and the gift of a teddy bear. Plut, the man known everywhere as the “Mad Hugger,” had been missing for seven days while doctors placed a stent in his heart to repair an artery that was 90 percent blocked.
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 15

The Nisswa Rollarena sat on County Highway 77 from 1975 to sometime in the early- to mid-1980s and served as the backdrop for many romantic encounters between teenagers and young adults. Photo courtesy of the Nisswa Area Historical Society
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Good things come to those who skate: Couples have old Nisswa roller rink to thank for relationships

History

This Was Brainerd - Feb. 14

Of the four members of the Brainerd Golden Gloves boxing team that qualified for the Minneapolis Northwest tournament, only Russ Fitzsimmons remains. The popular heavyweight scored a knockout in the second round of his first bout, then in his second match, he knocked out his opponent in the first round.
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 12

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 11

A portrait of Charles Scrutchin by area artist Alice Blessing is on display at the Bemidji High School. The school’s media center was named after Scrutchin in 2018. Photo courtesy of the Beltrami County Historical Society.
History

Celebrating Charles Scrutchin: Minnesota's first Black lawyer outside the Twin Cities and a defender of civil rights

Lyle Mayo, 87, is the survivor of 12 children born to Malon and Blanche Mayo and says he's “done a lot of things and been a lot of places.” Recently he published a book about his parents and his life, including the steamer excursion boats his father ran up the Mississippi from Lum Park to Riverton.
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 10

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 9

A piece of America's military history arrived in Brainerd last week. After a months-long search, the airport commission acquired a U.S. Navy Grumman “Panther” jet to display at the airport entrance. The commission chair, Judge Bob Ryan, flew such jets during the Korean War.
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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 8

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 7

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 5

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 4

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 3

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 2

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This Was Brainerd - Feb. 1