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Iowa News
from the
Postville Scrapbook
Page 1
Contributed to Iowa Old Press by Mary Durr
Sept. 7, 1900
Postville never gave such a sleepy impression as she did last week but the
terrific heat was to blame for this condition. Cooler weather will come
soon and bring new life to town.
Hearing an unusual noise on the street Tuesday, our first thought was -- it
is a threshing machine -- but it was an automobile of the largest kind.
This fine vehicle was driven with gasoline and could go 25 miles an hour.
It was occupied by a man with his wife and child who were going to the
vicinity of McGregor.
--
November 19, 1909
Night Marshal Ed Maroney has been instructed to discourage farm lads leaving
their horses tied to hitching post all night and until three and four
o'clock in the morning unattended. They will be instructed to drive into
the livery barns hereafter or the teams will be put there by the marshal at
the owners' expense.
--
February 1918
Local business houses are now operating on short hours because of the coal
shortage. Stores open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m., daily except
Saturdays. Only a half ton of coal may be purchased at a time now,
according to Harvey Douglass, local fuel administrator, who recommended that
lodges call off all meetings for the time being; churches should hold union
services; bowling alleys and pool halls should open at 10:00 a.m. and
everyone should burn wood for heating wherever it is available.
--
February 1919
When grocerymen were brought before a dairymen's convention at Waterloo last
week to state why they persist in selling oleomargarine when Iowa creameries
are producing the highest grade butter in the world, to their astonishment
they were told that farmers are the biggest purchasers of oleo and some red
faces ensued among the program fixers.
March 21, 1919
Two inches of rain fell here over the weekend that filled cellars with
water, swelled the creek through south Postville, put Pearl Ellis'
blacksmith shop on an island and made the Gregg lumber yard look like a
lake.
Postville's cry for better light and power service will soon be answered. A
highline is being erected over the Mississippi river at McGregor and when
completed power will be available here from the hydro-electric plant at
Galena, Illinois.
June 6, 1919
Farmers of the district are sending petitions to Congressman Gilbert N.
Haugen to have the clocks in the rural districts set back to sun time.
Postville really has the paving bug, three more petitions are being
circulated in residential districts to have streets included in the
contracts now being considered.
July 1919
Postville is removing the hitching posts from its main street and along with
them will go the barnyard odors that have been so noticeable here since the
coming of the warm summertime.
Postage rates on letters will go back to two cents after July 1. The three
cent rate for letters and two cents for post cards in effect during the war
have been ordered discontinued.
August 1919
After May 1 soda fountains and confectioneries must charge a ten per cent
tax on all purchases. After that date a sundae that formerly cost
15¢ will be 17¢ each.
October 3, 1919
Rev. Hadwen Williams has been returned here as pastor of the Methodist
Church for another year.
It was 80 degrees in the shade here on October 2 and still no frost in sight
this fall. Even California can't beat that.
It takes $1.20 to buy a pound of butter and a dozen eggs this week, butter
jumping to 70 cents and eggs to 50 cents since last week.
November 1919
Max Shelhorn, an interned German sailor, who walked from New York to
Postville recently upon getting his release, has bought the fifty acres of
land from Wm. Dundee. Max has been working for Mr. Oehring since coming
here.
December 1919
Mayor W. H. Burling submitted his resignation at the council meeting on
Friday evening and A. L. Meier was chosen by the councilmen to succeed him.
Mr. Meier had held the office several years ago.
By order of Fuel Administrator Harvey Douglas all stores and business places
are now open only from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Lodges are barred from
holding meetings and churches are limited to one service per week until the
shortage of fuel is alleviated. During the moonlit nights all street
lighting is also dispensed with.
--
July 1920
The town has the king drag out polishing off the dirt streets. Have a good
look, folks. After these same streets are paved the dragging will be a
thing of the past. And it can't come too soon to suit most of us -- the
paving, we mean. A car of sewer pipe arrived here this morning and the
Dearborn Construction Company should soon get started on the contract.
--
Interesting Items Taken From the Files of the Postville Herald of Thursday,
June 23, 1921
- Put it down on your calendar that on the first day of summer, June 21,
1921, the first cement was laid on the first street paving project in
Postville.
--
Nov. 1922
West Union and Elgin are doing their darndest to have No. 19 (now No. 18)
rerouted to leave Postville out, and propose to have the road go via Elgin,
Gunder and thence over the old Clermont-McGregor road. But they aren't
making much headway, according to last reports.
--
Note from the transcriber, Mary Durr: Clipping likely from
a Postville, Iowa newspaper of the time. I assume this is a 1928 issue as it
is on a page of 1928 clippings, but it is not hand dated.
ELEVEN IOWA BANKS ARE ROBBED DURING YEAR 1928
A united press dispatch issued December 6th, says that there have been
eleven bank robberies during the year in the state of Iowa. The latest
occurred December 5th at Little Rock when $10,000 was taken by two bandits
traveling in a green automobile and carrying a Minnesota license. Both men
appeared to be in the twenties. Four customers were in the bank at the
time. The dispatch says:
Eleven bank robberies in Iowa in 1928 have netted bandits $93,937.71,
including yesterdays' haul of $10,000 at Little Rock, according to figures
secured today from James Risden, chief of the state bureau of
identification, and Frank Warner, secretary of the Iowa Bankers association.
Three men have been arrested and convicted in two of the robberies. Two of
them, Joe Hadrava and Jerry Nepovin were convicted of participation in both
the robberies at Palo, where $3,000 was secured, and Swisher, where they got
$2, 017.50. Between the two robberies they went to Canada and were joined
in the second robbery by Wilfred Perron. Nepovin and Hadrava are serving
life sentences and Perron got 20 years.
The biggest haul of the year was made at Atlantic, where a gang got $48,000.
The same day at Albert City two robbers walked into the bank at closing
time, pulled down the curtains in routine manner and escaped with $4,785.
On October 17, robbers secured $2,217 from the Moravia State Bank, while on
October 30, $2,500 was taken at Waverly. The Atlantic and Albert City
robberies also occurred in October.
The first robbery of the year occurred at Davenport when $2,500 was taken
from the People's Trust and Savings Bank, on March 7. The second, on March
23, was the first attempt of Hadrava and Nepovin. Bank robbers than "lay
low" until May 6, when the Palo bandits returned with Perron to Swisher.
One robbery occurred July 12, when $6,000 was taken from a bank at
Northwood. The next was Sept. 5, when bandits stole $5,920.21 from the
State Savings Bank at Missouri Valley. The only Des Moines attempt of the
year came Sept. 15, when the University State bank was relieved of $7,000.
--
Note: Postville, Iowa newspaper of the time clipping, hand dated July 1928
HORSE KICKS OVER LANTERN AND STARTS A FARM FIRE
The cow that kicked over Widow O'Leary's lamp and set Chicago on fire has
nothing on the horse which kicked over a lantern at the Fred Nuss farm
Friday night and burned down the barn, says the Hawkeye Beacon. The horse
was sick. Mr. Nuss went to the barn with lantern on arm to doctor the
animal. Unappreciative of these ministrations, the horse launched out,
kicking over the lantern and sending blazing kerosene over both the barn and
Mr. Nuss.
Fred succeeded in putting out the fire on his own clothes with much hurt to
himself, but seeing that the flames were getting beyond him and having no
phone, he ran to neighbors to secure help. By the time help came the barn
was a mass of flame. All livestock was saved but six tons of hay were
destroyed. The barn was a 42 X 26 ft. structure with a 16 foot leanto. Mr.
Nuss was protected by $1,800 worth of insurance and plans to rebuild
immediately.