APRIL 8
20 years ago (2003)
Ten minutes after U.S. Marines helped Iraqis topple a 40-foot statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad today, Walt Straka, 83, and Henry Peck, 82, placed a wreath in front of the tank at the National Guard Armory in Brainerd. The two survivors of the Bataan Death March remembered their comrades of 61 years ago in less glorious days.
30 years ago (1993)
Anderson Bros. Construction Co. has received final approval to operate a gravel mining operation in Maple Grove Twp. After several meetings and many hours of debate the county planning commission voted 3-1 to grant the five-year permit. A group of neighbors who have been fighting the pit operation said they will appeal the decision.
40 years ago (1983)
The fate of three of the five Brainerd teachers who were laid off by board budget cuts – including Tom Younghans, head hockey coach – may have changed after a recommendation of a hearing officer. The officer said Younghans, Janell Carlson and Gary Davis should be retained. The other two can be put on unrequested leave.
60 years ago (1963)
Harold Knutson, off-duty Brainerd policeman, and his sister figured out who crashed a stolen car into the Mill Ave. bridge. The sister saw the crash and told Harold about the youth who drove it, then disappeared. Breaking up a fight in downtown the next day, Harold noted one of the boys fit the description. The boy confessed to stealing and crashing the car.
80 years ago (1943)
Voters of Brainerd turned out in light numbers for the municipal and school board election, with 2,178 voting out of 4,582 registered voters. The totals in the 1st Ward of the school board election ended in a tie. Incumbent Louis Hohman and challenger Charles Fleischer each got 122 votes. Incumbents in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th school board wards were unopposed.
100 years ago (1923)
When the stork paid a double visit to the home of Frank Barnes, a Civil War veteran aged 79, Barnes was surprised and then bursting with happiness. His wife, age 36, delivered a girl weighing 7-3/4 pounds and a boy of 8 pounds. Barnes, a veteran of the 148th Illinois Infantry, has 10 children by his first wife, and his wife has three children by her first husband.
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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