Memories for the Week of December 30, 2015

100 years ago

December 30, 1915

City Dads at work

The City Council held their semi-monthly meeting Tuesday night and among other things done, they passed an ordinance to prohibit minors from frequenting pool halls and bowling alleys in the town of Malta. The question was brought up very forcibly a short time ago whether it was to the best interest of the young boys if this town to frequent such places and it was deemed advisable by the council to put a restriction on these places of amusement. Playing games called "high beanes" was also abolished by the authorities.

EDITORS NOTE: Nearly 20-minutes searching the internet for "high beanes" resulted in 20 minutes of wasted time as the only reference to the word, according to the World Wide Web, was in this article.

Local News

The Western Union Telegraph Co. is making arrangements to open a telegraph office on this side of town. A downtown office has long been needed and will save the patrons of the telegraph company considerable trouble. The location of the office has not yet been determined.

G.L. Partridge has been having all kinds of trouble in getting ice to freeze on his skating rink on account of the warm weather, but from the appearance of things he will not be bothered longer from that source.

Our beautiful winter weather was terminated Christmas day when a heavy snow commenced falling and the first of the week we were visited by a genuine blizzard. While the mercury dropped several degrees, the weather has been fine for this time of year. It is making the coal man and ice man smile and the ice harvest will soon be in full blast.

75 years ago

December 26, 1940

Unidentified body is found near Bowdoin

The body of an unidentified man was found at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon by Walter Simpson in a stack of last year's hay in one of Simpson's hay pastures, five miles east of Bowdoin.

Simpson had gone to the pasture for a load of hay and uncovered the body when he lifted a fork full of hay from the top of the stack. H. Fox of Chinook who had delivered a load of coal to Simpson and who had accompanied him to the field, notified Sheriff R. L. Campbell and Coroner Wilford Bell went to the scene of the discovery but could not find any evidence that there might have been foul play.

The body was in an advanced state if decomposition said Coroner Bell, leading to the belief that the man had been dead for at least eight months. The deceased wore summer weight clothing, giving further rise to the opinion he had died sometime in the spring or summer.

Fire Department makes run to courthouse

The fire department was called to the courthouse late Saturday afternoon to extinguish a fire in the janitor's room in the basement.

It has not definitely been determined how the fire started but it is believed a smoldering cigarette ignited some trash in a basket. Officials used extinguishers but these failed to put out the blaze. A call was made to the City Hall and firemen responded immediately. The fire was extinguished easily despite the heavy smoke and gas which enveloped the lower floors of the building.

50 years ago

December 30, 1965

Highlights of 1965

The new year started out with lots of snow and cold weather. A minus 20 reading was registered for the first day and by January 28, 26 inches of snow had fallen.

The Big Flat Electric Cooperative announced a rate reduction...the Malta Kiwanis club celebrated their 25th anniversary... the first baby of the year was a daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Spoonheim on January 6...the Turner Tornadoes won the Class C (basketball) Tournament held in Malta.

25 years ago

December 31, 1990

Sgt. Mark Azure gets Army medal

Sgt. Mark L. Azure has been decorated with the Army Achievement Medal. The medal is awarded to soldiers for meritorious service, acts of courage or other outstanding accomplishments.

Azure is an air defense artillery intelligence and operations assistant at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He is the son of Joseph A. and Ramona S. Azure of Dodson.

His wife, Mary, is the daughter of David L. and Norman L. Snell of Dodson.

10 years ago

December 28, 2005

Corps of Engineers official promises to follow up on effort to get new flood plain map for city

Some relief might finally be in store for those Malta homeowners who are still being compelled by their mortgage lenders to purchase federal flood insurance 10 years after completion of work on a flood dike which was supposed to protect them from floods.

The new map should show the areas of the city protected by the dike improvements made a decade ago and exempt some homeowners from the necessity of purchasing flood insurance.

Street Talk: "What's the best thing that happened to you in 2005?"

Arthur Sanguins: I guess being here at the Hi-Line home. I don't have far to travel.

Cassie Black: Our whole family got to go to South Dakota for a family gathering in September. That doesn't happen very often.

Ryan Salsbery: I got started in my own business.

Jerry Maloney: My son Jim and his family moved back from Colorado to Montana.