Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, February 19, 1913, Page 1

Vor. XXIII. BOOSTERS CLUB HAS BiG MEETING About Four Huadred Citizens At- tend Banquet and Disenss’ Public Affairs. No. 27 S00 RAILROAD MAN IS PRESENT W. H. Killen Represents President Pennington and Makes In- structive Talk on How Communities Grow. The banner meeting of the Grand Rapids Booster’s club was held last evening in the assembly hall of St. Joseph’s Catholic church. Abou four hundred citizens were seated to a sumptious supper prepared by the ladies of the Catholic society. Serving began promptly at seven o'clock, and at 9:40 the guests filed out to their homes. Roecker’s or- chestra furnished music, The speaking began promptly and there was not a dull moment during the evening. Rev. Father Buechler, of St. Joseph’s church, acted as toastmaster, and in that capacity he discharged the duties of his office in a manner that ad- ded much to hte evening’s entertain ment. The first speaker of the evening was C. H. Dickinson, whose sub- ject was “Industries.” Mr. Dick- inson covered the topic in a ten minute talk. The possibility of es- tablishing many new industries in Grand Rapids, especially plants that used forest products, were briefly referred to.. Increased railway facilities, he said, would hasten the realization of these enterprizes, and the extension of the Soo road to and through Grand Rapids, is what the people of this communi- ty hoped for. Agriculture, dairying and the industries here are essen- tials to our continued and increased prosperity, said he. “For the Good of the County,” was the subject assigned to County Attorney, R. A. McQuat. The in- creased settlement of Itasca coun- ty’s agricultural acres, the building of more good roads, and the ad- ministration of public business in a manner to make this a desirable county in which to live were among the points made by the speaker. County commissioner James Pas- sart, made a brief talk on “Develop- ment of Roads and Streets.” Mr. Passard was emphatic in his po- sition as an advocate of more roads and better roads, and expressed the opinion that Itasca county might well afford to issue bonds that these roads could be built and enjoyed by this generation of citizens. J. S. Gole discussed “Immigra- tion,’ from a view point of a real state agent. Mr. Gale contended that Itasca county and all north- eastern Minnesota would today be enjoying a very advanced position as a highly cultivated agricultural and dairying section if-the proper effort in advertising had been made during the years that western Can- ada has been so rapidly settling. Canada did it, and Canada got the people, while Minnesota has been keeping her vast undeveloped wealth a secret. Intelligent, hon- est publicity is what Itasca coun- ty needs. said Mr. Gole. Mr. W. H. Killen, land and in- dustrial commissioner of the Soo road, arrived on the noon train from the east, and was kept busy during the afternoon learning thin; @ about Grand Rapids and _ Itasca county. He had lunch with Supt. and Mrs. McGuire at the experime: & farm and dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Cc. T. Kennedy, old time acquain- tances. In his talk to the club there was much to cause the aver- age man to do some serious think- ing and much, that was of benefit to those who are interested in the upbuilding of the community. Mr. Killen, among his other duties, has charge of the Soo’s townsite busi- ness. He knows something about town building, and settlement of lands, and he gave his audience the benefit of his experience. While he is essentially a railroad man, he realizes that railroads can only prosper where the people generally Grand 7 prosper. The Soo road, he said, was interested in every man’s well- fare who lived in the territory through which that line runs trains He had nothing definite to offer as to whether the Soo would build to Grand Rapids, but he had learne that this is one of the richest sec- tions of the state with wonderful possibilities that would soon make railway traffic from this immedi- ate point very attractive,eand that’s what the Soo is interested in. Mr. Killen did not come to tell the peo- ple of Grand Rapids that the Soo road would build to this point. President Pennington had been in- vited to meet with the Booster’s club, to see Grand Rapids, learn something of the traffic tonnage from this point, its future growth in manufacturing industeries, iron ore development, agriculture, etc. Mr. Killen came as his personal representative and when he reports the Soo president will know more about Grand Rapids, and he will be advised that the people of this community are very much in earn- est in their desire to have the Soo road competing for business with the Great Northern at this point. Membership blanks were passed out to those present, following a talk by President €. C. Peterson on the purposes and aims of the or ganization. The sum each person would voluntarily subscribe as a yearly assessment was filled in to the aggregate amount of over one thousand dollars. WIRELESS TROUBLE ALL FIXED UP NOW Grand Rapids: Station Will not Longer Reach Out and Mar Commerciah Work Government officials are complain schoo] is entirely too efficient, and) interfering wiht governimént “and commercial messages. Prof. Fraser, in charge of the scientific work at the school has remedied the con- dition. i Private and experimental wireless stations are limited by government ha.f a kilowat power. This is all the local high school uses, but for some reason it has been originat- ing a wave that travels as far as if impelled by several times that energy. As a consequence messages sent out here were picked up by stations several hundred miles away, and interfered with the send ing of dispatches from officers at many points along Lake Superior. In addition to this it is said the boys Have been rather careless with their subject matter, and have often necessarily. The universal distress signal, it is claimed, has often been sent out, throwing stations on the Great Lakes and crews on boats far from shore into spasms, in the be- lief that a tragedy of the deep was being enacted somewhere near KING RETURNS FROM TRIP TO ANTIPODES Stafford King, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. M. King, of Deer River, is back from a trip to the south seas and Australia, made in the interest. of the botanical depart- ment of the Minnesota University, where he is a student. Miss Jose- phine Tilden of the university fa- culty was at the head of the party, and her assistants were young King and Fred G. Tryon, a stu- dent froia Minneapolis. They left Minneapolis July 20, and arrived back in VanCouver Feb. 4, after having pursued their quest of rare plant life in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia, also visiting practically all of the in- teresting places in those extreme- ly interesting countries. Young King is a proficient stu- dent in botany, and his aptitude in this study earned him the chance of a place on the expidition. He has lived in Itasca county since he was nine years old, and is widely known to its people.. He is an excellent woodsman, a keen hunter, and much devoted to clean outdoor sports. His father is president of the Northern Minnesota Development association, and recognized as one of the builders of the north coun- try. ing that the wireless telegraph |‘ {plant at the Grand Rapids high regulations to the use of a plant of ! alarmed commrecial interests un-| MOVE TO ORGANIZE HIGH CLASS BAND ;Grand Rapids People Propose to Form Strong Organization the Present Spring NOTED LEADER 18 WILLING 10 COME | Former Director of Dana’s Aggre- | Does Some Effective Boosting While| | gation May Be Secured as Chief--Fisancial Problem to Be Worked Out A movement has been started by prominent loval people looking to- ward the organization of a band in Grand Rapids which shall not be secona to any in the state outside of cities of the first class, lt,is proposed to launch the or- ganization early in the spring and to give free outdoor concerts once a week during the summer. Preetically all of the preliminary work done so far has been in the hands of A. L. Wellien, who has carried the details so far as to en- ter-into ecrrespondence with A. J. Rice, with a view of securing him as director. Mr. Rice is a band lead er of considerable note and a musician of unusual ability, He was fo: a time director of Dana’s band when that organization was one of the foremost in the country, but lately -has been leading his own ferring the more settled Jife which this makes posslble. He is now located at Ada, Minn., and his band there is notable for fits excellence.” He also. conducted a band.at Fertile, which was of so high an order that it was sent throughout the state by the village as a inunicipal advertisement. Mr. Rice has written Mr. Wel- lein that he would be willing to lo- cate here and direct the proposed band, it suitable financial assur- ances can be given. He is desir- ous of quitting the prairies coun- try, and wishes to locate perma- nently with his family at Grand Rapids. He would bring with him several of his present musicians, and these added to the local material, ‘he believes would make certain the upbuilding of a musical organ- ization which would be a credit to the village, and a source of plea- sure to its people. It is the intention to ask the vil- lage council to assist in the task of providing funds, by making an ap- propriation of $600 or\more per year, and it is probably that the remainder of the financial problem wili be taken care of by private guarantee, or put up to the, commer- cial organizations. | A meeting of business men will be called early next month, at which plans will be discussed after which it is probable all the dethils will be speedily worked out. In former ~years the vilkge ap- propriated $600 for. a bakd, and while the now defunct orgahization | was in existence the week certs on the Central school was attested by the large dance of. home people and the fur- ther fact that farmers _the surrounding country and__ parties from villages for miles around drove in to enjoy them. \ There are fully a dozen trained bandsmen in Grand Rapids ani more than as many younger | who give promise of developing ins to excellent musicians, Coleraine Skee Tourney Coleraine will hold its anual skee tournament a week from Sun- day, when all the range riders, and many of the best amatures from the outside’ will take pari in the competition. The principal trophy to be competed for is the range championship medal jut there wili be many other prize: | Work on the slide has been un- der way for several days, and |it mt now in readiness for the cop- A banquet at the Hotel Arcan will follow the tournament. — organizations in smaller towns, pre= HECOUNTS STORY ~ OF POEL Mrs. K. C. Lent, Grand Rapids Pioneer Whito Woman, Talks Interestingly of Old Days SPEAKS OF COUNTY'S DEVELOPMENT ences of Forty Years in the North Country Mrs. K, C. Lent, the grand old . WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1913 familie It is better so, I think. While I recall many pleasant mem- aries of the old days, still the hopes of the future development of the country discounts all these.” Tonnage Tax Defeated. * Once more the proposal to tax the iron ore of Minnesota on the tonnage thereof mined was beaten in the house of representatives Tuesday. The Bjorge-Frankson measure, drawn along the same general lines as all the tonnage tax bill heretofore, but with some fanglings and furbishings of new and wonderful kind for talking points, lacked six votes of passage. The rolleall showed 55 votes for and 61 against it. “¢ Intends. to Pay: all: Jobn P. Treddenick, the Eveleth broker who has been sentenced to thirty years in prison for robbing clients out of $40,000,.it laying plar: to recoup his losses and pay back every cent taken from others by oman of Grand Rapids, first white] crooked dealings. rson of her sex to settle here,and a continuous resident of Grand Rap ids for the past forty-one years, is an effective booster for Itasca coun- ty and an excellent publicity agent. For the past week she has been in the Twin Cities on a business trip. Despite her 67 years she is one of the best “business men” of this section. Mrs. Lent came here when a young woman of 26, and has witnessed the growth of the vil age rrom a few log cabins to its present proportions. .| Other white women came here ‘about the same time as Mrs. Lent, t all of them moved away, she alone showing the pioneer spirit, and remaining in the beautiful ; Wilderness which first attracted her She came here by boat from Ait- kin, as there was no railroad and no trail across country to this re- gion at that time. Since her coming she has seen many changes, both in the country its. p : iS) “from a bar- vest field for lumbermen to the po- sition of one of the foremost coun- ties in the state from an agricul- tural standpoint. Among the pio- neers whose growth she has watch- ed.was G. G. Hartley, who in the on the Prairie river, and who’ is now one of the wealthiest men in Mimesota. Others have also be- come wealthy, and many gone the way of the less energetic or the les fortunate. Speaking of her pioneer exper- iences Mrs. Lent said to a report- er on one of the Twin City pa- pers: “When I arrived at Grand Rapids there was no town, only a, little trading post. The only stores were conducted by John Beckfelt, who is still in the mercantile business there, and Warren Potter, who since removed to Aitkin. Mr.Beck- | felt’s store ‘was constructed of logs. Many of the logging concerns outfitted there and the principal clothing staples were mackinaws, wool socks and heavy shoes. In the spring the demand was for spiked soles. “The lumberjacks came in from Aitkin in the fall. Many of them walked. following the supply teams. Others came by boat. They stayed two or three days and then left tor the woods. It Was spring when they came back, the only time the village teemed with life. All had money then. All were spending it. They were the real, old-time lum- berjacks. not like those of the present age. and money was no ob- ject to them. “Still. there were many excep- tious. I conducted a hotel and I desire to say right here that among uy class of men_will a woman meet with more courtesy than from the lumberjack of 30 years ago..Some saved their money. A few be¢éame wealthy of those I knew. One of these is William Deerey, who, I understand, is now rated as a millionaire on the Pacific coast. where he is engaged in the lum- ber business, G, G. Hartley of Du- luth, used to be foreman of a erew on the Prairie river in the old days. “Times have “changed, though. Logging is nearly a thing of the past. The farmer is crowding out the logger. Fine farms are now tilled where but a few years ago several thousand men were en- in cutting down trees. The chi is for the better. The land is now yielding a return and the ‘country is being filled up with old days ran. a crew of lunyberjack In an interview out at the coun- ty jail in Duluth, where he was held previous to being taken to Stillwater, he said he has already partly laid his plans to regain his fortune, and that he will put them into execution as soon as he is free. His sentence is on the indetermi- nate order, and he may be given his liberty after two years if the pardon board is so minded. ROADS ARE SAVED BY FALL OF SNOW Loggers Were Beginning to Have Trouble Owing to Thaw---Sea- son Nearly Done Springlike weather toward the end of last week caused the snow in the woods, particularly along the Jogging roads, to melt rapidly, leay- ‘ing the earth bare in the more ex= poséd spots. The hauling of ties and posts at the small camps was seriously im- peded as a consequence, and a num tion is an enterprise which is of ber of the operators sent some of their horses to the villages, with the intention of curtailing opera- tions unless weather conditions im- proved. The snowfall Friday night made hauling again practicable, and it is expected the foundation will last lanother _ week. The breakup is jJooked for early this year, and it is not believed much snow will re- main on the ground after the last week of the present month. The snowfall during the winter has bee light, not more than a few inches being on the ground in most places. The winter has been a good one, particularly for the tie and post men, which industry covers the bulk of the operations around here. There is such heavy demand for these particular forest products tha the loggers would be glad to con- tinue their operations some weeks longer if the weather made it pos- sible. : Cass Lake Beaten. The first basket ball game play- ed here this season was staged at Ponti’s hall Saturday evening and proved and easy victory for th Grand Rapids boys. Their oppo- nents were the Cass Lake quintet, and the score of 65 to 6 would indicate that the visitors were outclassed at all points of the game At that the Cass Lake team play- ed a good game, but the locals out- weighed them to such a degree that it would-have been next to im- possible for the up-lme crew to get a look-in, even if the teams had been evenly matched in point ca- pability. The game was at times a trifle rough, and one Grand Ra- pids- player was removed for be- coming too energetic during the first 20 minutes of play. Tha game was witnessed by a fair- sized crowd. The line-up was as follows: Cass Lake Grand. Rapids Hart center Benton Christenson guard Whaling Jordahl guard Farrell Lett forward McAlpine Kennedy forward Lee Johnson referee Carson ‘Easton, substitute Next Saturday evening the Co-|! hassett city team will meet the locals at the same place, and as this team is nearer the weight of the Grand Rapids boys, a much better game should result. BG AAT DSPLAY Sn wa at the Local Schools The art exhibition at the Cen- tral school will start next Monday and continue until March 1. A preparations have heen made for the event by the school authorities and it is reported that it will be the most successful display ever given in Northern Minnesota. It consists, for the most part, of reproductions of famous works of art by carbon photography and en- graving, and is loaned to the schools by W. A. Elson & Co. of Boston, The collection comprises two hun- dred subjects representing all the -|principal schools of art, and in- cludes many reproductions of sculp ture, architecture and views from nature. So complete is it as am educational collection that nearly every gallery of importance in every country in the world has been drawn upon to furnish the material of which it is made up. Several originals will also be shown. Few collections have ever beer brought together so completely cov- ering the history of art of all times exhibition, and will be on sale at the scltool. t The bringing here of this exhibi- much educational importance. It will give the people of the village an opportunity to familiarize them- selves with the art masterpieces which have been for ages, and are today the delight of the art lover in every land. The importance of art in education, has been greatly underestimated, particularly by the people of small communities, and this attitude is in a large measure, responsible for the rather narrow views of life often held by many in these places. Prof. Freeman and his staff are fully alive to the importance of the exhibition, and are particularly anxious that it be accorded the pa~ tronage it deserves. They appre- ciate the fact that no city or town can fail to profit by such a display; that it makes immeasurably for the spread of culture and refine- ment among young people, They realize that it is properly a part of the sehool work to inculcate these qualities in the children through whatever means may be offered. The wholesome and refin- ing influence of pictures is now recognized as one of the most val- uable means of securing this end. Funds for purchasing such pic- tures for the school walls, as well as the opportunity to make a pro- per selection, are secured through these exhibitions. And the larger the patronage the larger the fund that can be raised. * : : The school management is in hopes that every person in Grand Rapids and the surrounding coun- try will find time to view this ex- hibition, and gives the assurance . that the time thus spent will be more than compensated for by the pleasure and profit of the visit, and the further fact that your patron- age will help bring some of these works to the village as permanent fixtures at the schools and a con- stant source of refinement and in- spiration to the pupils. © : A short program has been ar- ranged ‘as follows: Solo -++-.Mr. Holmes :-Erwin DeShaw -Misses Ely and Benton -.-Donald Claus 4th and 5th grades Miss Mable Thompson -Miss Benton In another column will be found a call. for a meeting of the Com- mercial club at the court. house om < & SCHOOLS TO HAVE t as this. An extellent jgattlog has / :