Over the Years

50 YEARS AGO
February 21, 1957 — Cost estimates for a city-wide street improvement project totaled about $7,000 per block for curb and gutter, storm sewers and asphalt paving for all streets. Banner editor Bill Kremer said “talk around town” suggested the cost was “excessive.” He added that the city’s priority list also included a promise to the state board of health to install a sanitary sewer system in Hillsboro by 1959.
Allan W. Arneson was appointed Hillsboro city auditor, replacing O.S. Hagelie, who died recently. Arneson had been deputy auditor in the past and was most recently working at Northwestern State Bank. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
February 14, 1957 — Engineers estimated it would cost about $2.25 per lineal foot to install curb and gutter on all Hillsboro city streets, less if the streets were paved at the same time. Engineers discouraged the commissioners from having the city crew do the paving work, instead advising the city to hire professional pavers.
Banner editor Bill Kremer heard from a longtime local resident that the old Traill County Jail in Hillsboro should not be demolished but instead used as a museum or a library.
Eight teams were set to play in the Class C District 7 tournament at Hillsboro — defending champion Clifford plus Emerado, Buxton, Logan Center, Galesburg, Thompson, Reynolds and Caledonia. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
February 7, 1957 — Hillsboro city commissioners checked the price of installing curb and gutter on all city streets. Engineers estimated the cost at $2.25 per lineal foot. If the work was done as part of a street paving project, the cost would decrease to about $2 per foot, the engineers said. City commissioners were considering having the city crew do the paving work rather than hiring a paving company. The engineers advised hiring professional pavers.
Banner editor Bill Kremer heard from at least one Hillsboro resident that the old Traill County Jail in Hillsboro should not be demolished. The longtime resident suggested the building could be used as a museum or a library. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
January 31, 1957 — Players for the South Dakota State University basketball team were stranded briefly in Hillsboro when their bus broke down on Hwy. 81. Local law enforcement shuttled the players to city hall to keep warm while another bus was summoned around midnight. They’d won their game at UND that night and were on their way to play NDAC in Fargo the next night. They later won the Fargo game by two points, the Banner reported.
Hillsboro firemen battled a truck fire for nearly five hours in bitter cold weather. Temperatures dipped to 28 below zero as firemen poured a steady stream of water on the grocery transport for three hours. Firemen moved the truck off Hwy. 81 to unload some of the load from the rear to get to the fire at the front of the trailer. (more…)