This Was Brainerd - July 15

JULY 15

20 years ago (2002)

Discussion has begun on the future of the BMX track in east Brainerd. The BMX Assn. signed a lease with the state on land just off Hwy 25 in 1999. But the city recently bought 61 acres from the state and plans to sell it to a developer. The land contains the BMX track, and the association worries about raising donations if the track has to move again.

30 years ago (1992)

(Photo) There was turkey trauma as terrified turkeys trembled today when the trailer they were traveling in tipped. Really. Turkeys were strewn across Hwy 210 between Brainerd and the airport today when a semi-truck rolled at 4:45 a.m. A man in the photo held a turkey in each hand and shooed another to a waiting truck. About 2,000 birds were involved.

40 years ago (1982)

Jim Kramer's two-run double in the fourth inning backed up the five-hit hurling of Tim Martin to give the Brainerd American Legion team a 2-1 win over the St. Cloud 76ers. Brainerd now stands 8-4 overall, while St. Cloud's record is 12-3.

60 years ago (1962)

An expanding clothing market has taxed the facilities at Hickerson and Co. here to capacity, and in the future it could mean a second plant will be needed. They specialize in outdoor coats and are churning out 24,000 per month under the “Long Lake” label. A shortage of available workers is a problem.

80 years ago (1942)

(Photo) This view from the second floor of the county courthouse shows some of the 143 men who left here at 9 a.m. today bound for Ft. Snelling and induction into the armed forces. A crowd of friends and relatives were there to see them off. The number of those being drafted is steadily increasing.

100 years ago (1922)

It is believed that the strike between the railroad shopmen and the railroads will be a fight to the finish. The unions are settling in for a long strike as negotiations have failed, and the railroads are prepared to operate shops with strikebreakers. Brainerd's NP Railroad shops have 1,250 workers currently on strike.

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Community

This Was Brainerd - Jan. 30

A look through the Brainerd Dispatch archives with Terry McCollough combing the microfilm for tidbits of history through the decades going back to 1923.

January 30, 2023 04:30 AM

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By  Terry McCollough

Community

This Was Brainerd - Jan. 28

January 28, 2023 03:57 AM

Community

This Was Brainerd - Jan. 27

January 27, 2023 03:57 AM

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28/50: 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.

29/50: 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.

30/50: 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.

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37/50: Brainerd Fire Department. Dispatch archives

38/50: 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

39/50: 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.

40/50: 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.

41/50: 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.

42/50: 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.

43/50: 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.

44/50: 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.

45/50: Brainerd Dispatch archives

46/50: The state hospital campus on Highway 18.

47/50: Santa takes a ride during a Christmas parade in downtown Brainerd.

48/50: Children crowd around Santa during downtown Brainerd Christmas festivities.

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50/50: Brainerd Dispatch archives