Over the Years

50 YEARS AGO
September 26, 1957 — A minor flu epidemic among high school students forced the postponement of a football game between Mayville and Hillsboro. The game was rescheduled for 10 days later.
A record number of entries were exhibited at the annual county 4-H Achievement Days. More than 800 entries prepared by 500 4-H club members were on display at the three-day event in Mayville.
Hillsboro Banner editor William Kremer noted in his weekly column the need for additional housing in the city. He pointed out that the shortage was problematic but if the town were to expand the shortage would soon become critical.
The Haga Blacksmith Shop in Reynolds was razed. Mr. Haga died in January 1957. He had been the town’s blacksmith for 40 years. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
September 19, 1957 — Traill County veterans officially protested the use of war memorial funds in the new Hillsboro armory. Veterans from VFW and American Legion posts around the county asked that funds collected under the four-year, four-mill war memorial levy be kept intact until the full $200,000 in expected revenues were collected in 1959. Hillsboro vets had requested $30,000 to help complete construction of the city’s new National Guard armory.
The Hillsboro Fire Department asked that Hillsboro residents “refrain from rushing to fires or emergencies when the fire whistle blows.” Crowds at fire scenes had prevented firemen from doing their job. Cars rushing to fires had created traffic jams and hindered fire-fighting operations. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
September 12, 1957 — Howard Carver was the new city police chief in Hillsboro. Carver served with the military police in the U.S. Army. He replaced Ed Hill.
Hillsboro veterans discussed plans for how to spend $200,000 collected by Traill County as a war memorial fund levy. Hillsboro veterans had asked county officials to donate $30,000 toward the new National Guard armory project. The funds would be earmarked for creating a veterans room in the armory, providing a kitchen and good flooring in the assembly hall. The four-mill levy was expected to raise more than $35,000 a year and be in place for four years.
Hillsboro High School’s football roster included John Oman, Roger Dahlstrom, Darrell Rotvold, David Soholt, Butch Fankhanel, Jerry Lindgren, David Shafer, Ronald Thorsrud, Charles Mueller, Wesley Fossum and Bruce Kaldor. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
September 5, 1957 — Two Hillsboro community leaders were remembered at funerals. R.W. Johnston, an accountant and insurance agent, died at 65. He had served as city auditor for 23 years. Lynn Elton, 50, died after years of ailing health. He had operated the Elton Meat Market for many years. When Elton was buried, he was the first person laid to rest in a new addition of the Hillsboro City Cemetery. The Lynn Elton Memorial Cemetery was located adjacent Riverside Cemetery to the east. The seven acres was a gift to the city planned by Elton for some time.
“Rain poured down” — more than five inches in one day in Hillsboro — and halted harvest and construction work. The rain shut down work on the new National Guard armory and the Our Savior’s Lutheran Church education wing. (more…)