APRIL 21
20 years ago (2003)
Don McFarland, owner with wife, Patty, of the Paul Bunyan Amusement Center in Baxter, has declared this will be the center's final summer season. Destination of the iconic statues of Paul and Babe the Blue Ox is unknown, but Brainerd, Baxter and Pequot Lakes have all shown an interest.
30 years ago (1993)
In yet another step in the county attorney/county board battle, Jack Graham filed a motion to have all documents filed by the board in response to his civil suit stricken from the record. He called the documents a “gigantic smear of my life . . . built on half-truths and twisted facts.” “I shall not condescend to answer them.”
40 years ago (1983)
(Photo) Jack Graham, special counsel for the city council on the fluoride issue, met with Gov. Rudy Perpich at the Capitol to discuss Brainerd's deadline at noon tomorrow to fluoridate its water. Perpich had bad news for Brainerd, rejecting the city's last-minute plea and setting fluoridation for tomorrow.
60 years ago (1963)
The Pequot Lakes school board has asked for an advisory vote on two questions regarding proposed consolidation with Nisswa. The questions are: (1) Do you favor the consolidation, and (2) Do you favor a bond issue to build a new high school and remodel the elementary school if the consolidation occurs?
80 years ago (1943)
William George Senn, of Brainerd, an ordinary seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine, is missing, it was announced today. The Brainerd seaman, son of William Senn, Brainerd, is one of 293 men in the Merchant Marine reported missing in March.
100 years ago (1923)
Announcement has just been made of the appointment of the Franson Auto Co. as dealers for the new Gardner Four automobile. The firm was started last fall by E.I. Franson, formerly in charge of the repair department at the Lively Auto Co. The showroom featuring the Gardner auto is at 307 S. 5th Street in Brainerd.
8/46: First shipment of iron ore on the Cuyuna Range from the Kennedy Mine.
27/46: People in the Northern Pacific Railroad depot waiting area, circa 1910. Source: 'Out of the Woods, A Pictorial History of The Brainerd Lakes Area', Published by The Brainerd Daily Dispatch. Copyright 1994.
28/46: Chicago Tavern on Gilbert Lake circa 1938-1943. Dancing and food. Al LaBarre was the owner. Source: 'Out of the Woods, A Pictorial History of The Brainerd Lakes Area' published by The Brainerd Daily Dispatch. Copyright 1994.
29/46: State Champion was this Brainerd amateur baseball team of 1894, which later saw two of those players advance to the major leagues. Pictured here are (front row) Frary, catcher; Phyle, rf-pit.; Howe, pit., rf; C. McCarthy, 1st; (middle row) Burgum, shortstop, W.P. Buckley, manager; Hill; 3rd; (back row) W. McCarthy, cf; Blandy, lf; Warner, 2nd. Source: 'Brainerd Minnesota 1871 - 1971'. Reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch. Copyright 1971.
35/46: Brainerd Fire Department. Dispatch archives
36/46: W.E. Lively, the hustling Maxwell auto dealer, has sold a Maxwell to Joseph Johnson. Pictured is a Maxwell Mascotte Touring 1911 by Lars-Göran Lindgren Sweden - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1526033
37/46: This truck belonged to Silas Hall's Transfer Line just after World War I. It was used for hauling freight from the NP (Northern Pacific Railroad) depot to stores around town as well as for other kinds of moving. The picture was taken in front of the railroad freight office. Before the truck, Silas Hal used teams of horses and wagons which he kept at 415 Main (now Washington Street). Source: Brainerd Minnesota 1871 - 1971. Reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch.
38/46: 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.
39/46: This building at Seventh and Laurel, still a well-known landmark in Brainerd, was the home of the Citizen's State Bank, from 1909 to 1927, when the bank then moved to quarters across the street. This picture was taken in 1913. Source: Brainerd Minnesota 1871 - 1971. Reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch.
40/46: The "fill" grounds skating rink, located near Franklin Junior High School, winter of 1938-39. Source: 'Out of the Woods, A Pictorial History of The Brainerd Lakes Area', Published by The Brainerd Daily Dispatch. Copyright 1994.
41/46: 60 years ago (1959) (Photo) Robert Dobson, 15, is interested in how long he can keep a kite aloft. He launched a kite at 3 p.m. yesterday near the court house and it's still flying despite a near disaster when a truck caught the kite string. The weatherman says it will remain windy today. Photo illustration, Metro Creative Graphics, Inc.
42/46: Brainerd Dispatch archives
43/46: The state hospital campus on Highway 18.
44/46: Santa takes a ride during a Christmas parade in downtown Brainerd.
45/46: Children crowd around Santa during downtown Brainerd Christmas festivities.
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