Excerpted stories in Crawford County newspaper archives
100 years ago
May 30, 1926
Tribute to the memory of veterans of the Civil, Spanish-American and World wars was paid by Pittsburg residents today with an impressive parade and Memorial Day services at the Grand Army of the Republic mound in Mt. Olive cemetery. It was estimated that 2,000 persons attended the services at the cemetery. A stiff breeze floated the flags over the throng at the mound, while darkening clouds failed to disperse them until after the services.
Announcement was made today of the consolidation, effective tomorrow, June 1, of the American Exchange State Bank and the National Bank of Commerce. The consolidated bank's name will be the American Exchange National Bank of Commerce. The new bank will occupy the present quarters of the National Bank of Commerce in the Commerce building. Plans have already been made for the remodeling and enlarging of the quarters. A. E. Maxwell, president of the National Bank of Commerce, will be president of the new bank.
Motion pictures of Pittsburg's golden jubilee are to be shown here Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Colonial and Klock theatres as a part of the Pathe news reel, it was announced yesterday by Edward Shamberg of the Midland circuit of theatres, who supervised the taking of the pictures. Simultaneous with the release of the Pathe film here releases of the same film will be made to all theatres throughout the country having first run contracts with the Pathe company. National distribution on the Pittsburg birthday celebration and on scenes over the county peculiar to the early days was obtained by the producers.
Trial of W. E. Tindel, Pittsburg patrolman, on a charge of first degree murder for the killing of Sam Lyle, jr., on the night of Dec. 18, 1925, was started in division No. 2 of the district court under Judge G. F. Beezley here today. Patrolman Tindel shot Lyle as the youth was running from the officers after his arrest by Tindel and Ossle Pickard. Tindel is alleged to have fired at the fleeing youth with a revolver after he had been ordered to halt and after he had run a considerable distance from the officer.
50 years ago
May 30, 1976
Rain threatens to dampen activities for the Memorial Day holiday, according to the National Weather Service. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast both for today and Monday in Kansas. The showers are expected to be scattered with heaviest concentration in the eastern portion of the state. Meanwhile, plans are going ahead for observance of the holiday in Pittsburg. In observance of the Memorial Day holiday Monday, most area governmental offices and a number of businesses will take a day vacation.
Excessively stringent federal regulations and harassment by state. health agencies are forcing many Kansas nursing homes out of business, several area nursing home operators said last week. However, state health and welfare officials, while denying charges of harassment, contend the strict nursing home regulations are necessary to retain over $20 million in federal Medicaid funds. Approximately 50 of Kansas' 370 nursing homes are in the process of losing state certification necessary to receive Medicaid money (Title XIX).
FORT SCOTT - Although a lot of building has taken place during the last six months in Fort Scott, it looks as if it were already more than 100 years old. The building has taken place at the Old Fort Historic Site, on the northeast edge of the city's downtown district, and the new buildings are being built to accurately resemble the fort the way it was during the mid-1800s. Mrs. Sam Moore, chairman of the Old Fort Governing Board, said recently that additions at the fort site included a large infantry barracks next to the main hospital building, an officer's quarters house, a quartermaster storeroom and a guard house.
COLUMBUS - When Roger Neer, Columbus, was defeated almost two years ago as an incumbent running for probate judge, his life began to take a slow turn for the better. It was shortly after that that Neer went into the heat-transfer and T-shirt business. His company, Roger Dodger, Inc., which makes T-shirts with any desired design on them, will be two years old in August, and Neer says with pride that his company will do about $250,000 in business this year. "The idea actually came from going to church," he said.
25 years ago
May 30, 2001
With its insurance problem squared away, The Pitt skate park is ready to open this morning. City officials said they were told by Charlesworth & Associates LC, the city's insurance consultant, that it had made arrangements for the park to be insured through The St. Paul Cos. Inc. With that question resolved, the park will open today at 8 a.m. Construction of The Pitt at Schlanger Park was completed last week, but the city would not open the park until it had liability insurance for it.
More than 40 years ago the bison herd north of Pittsburg in the Mined Land Wildlife Reserve area moved in and, since then, tens of thousands of people have stopped by the roadside to observe the quiet strength of these impressive animals. However, the herd, is having problems. The aging bison suffer from lack of natural habitat and funding. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, which manages the herd, is looking at several options for dealing with the herd.
Kids and their parents got a taste of family fun Tuesday at a "Parents and Children Together" night sponsored by the Even Start and Migrant Even Start programs at the Family Resource Center. Colleen Brooks, director of the Migrant Even Start program, prepared Sloppy Joes, corn on the cob and banana splits with groceries donated by Ron's IGA. Other activities included Penny Armstrong reading a story in both English and Spanish, and a fun activity teaching about proper hand-washing.
GIRARD - A Pittsburg construction company was apparent low-bidder Tuesday on the this year's Crawford County road overlay project. Heckert Construction Co. submitted a base bid of $879,611, with an alternate bid of $844,024 for using a maximum of 15 percent recycled asphalt. The only other bidder, Masters Jackson of Springfield, Mo., bid $980,256. Financing for the project will come from a $1.2 million general obligation bond issue Crawford County commissioners approved late last year.
