Over the Years

50 YEARS AGO
October 24, 1957 — A $2,000 deficit in the water department account prompted Hillsboro city commissioners to consider a rate hike for municipal water users. The new rate would be $2.50 per month plus 77 cents per hundred cubic feet of water consumed. Old rates were $1 per month plus 44 cents per hundred cubic feet. City supt. Ralph Byars advised that the department had been losing money for years and expenses were expected to increase with a long list of repairs to complete.
The McCabe Company’s new barley pellet mill in Hunter celebrated its grand opening with an open house. Frank Prete was the plant’s manager. The 50-horsepower mill had increased capacity to produce three to four tons of pellets per hour. The pellets were a popular hog feed. The plant also had storage capacity of 105,000 bushels for other products like crumbled poultry rations and mash feeds. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
October 17, 1957 — State education officials were scheduled to conduct a meeting in Hillsboro regarding the annexation of rural school districts into the Hillsboro school district.
A “bruising, hard-fought battle” between the Hillsboro and Larimore football teams ended in a 6-6 tie.
A Clifford man was sentenced to one to three years in the state penitentiary for stealing liquor from the Staupe’s Liquor in Clifford. The theft occurred just two weeks prior to the sentencing.
Harlum Ydstie showed off a whopper of a sugarbeet. The monster beet measured close to 18 inches tall and weighed 12 pounds — even with a hollow heart. (more…)

50 YEARS AGO
October 10, 1957 — Fire destroyed the Farmers Union Elevator in Buxton, N.D. More than 23,000 bushels of barley were lost in the Saturday evening blaze. Hundreds of onlookers watched until early Sunday morning as the fire completely consumed the elevator structure, which had been remodeled during the past year with new metal sheeting, wiring and overhead drive. Firemen from Buxton, Reynolds, Mayville and Hillsboro worked to contain the fire to one building. Concrete units on either side of the wooden elevator, belonging to Buxton Co-op and Farmers Union, were not affected. The fire continued to smolder all day Sunday.
Hillsboro city leaders considered adding an iron filtration plant to the city’s water treatment facility.
40 YEARS AGO
October 11, 1967 — After 28 years of ownership, the Mehl family sold the Hillsboro Gambles Store to Lyle Larson of Genuine Auto Supply. Larson planned to move his store into the building by the end of the month. The Gambles store would close.
Dead fish below the dam on the Goose River in Hillsboro concerned local game warden Lee Johnson. He speculated that pollution might be the cause. Debris had also plugged the channel and limited the flow, he said.
The Hillsboro football team was credited with playing the “finest game ever seen” on the local field in their 35-0 homecoming win over Mayville. With 23 consecutive wins, the Burros were on track to complete their second undefeated season. Coach Dennis Nelson praised defensive play by Richard Flieth, Terry Beach, Bill Koering and Stephen Basol for repeatedly stopping drives by Mayville and forcing three fumbles.
30 YEARS AGO
October 13, 1977 — Hillsboro’s municipal swimming pool ended the season with a $10,500 operating los. The pool cost about $26,000 to operate and only generated $8,700 in fees. A $7,300 Community Block Grant provided additional funding. City commissioner Merrill Knodle insisted that pool expenses should be the responsibility of the park board, not the city. The city planned to turn over the operation of the pool and the summer recreation program to the park board in 1978. Knodle urged the park board to seek a mill levy increase to cover the additional costs. More than 9,270 swimmers used the pool in 1977.
20 YEARS AGO
October 12, 1987 — Hillsboro’s Ford man for the past 25 years, Ed Baumgartner, welcomed visitors to Hillsboro Auto’s showroom to see the new 1988 Ford line of vehicles.
Public health nurse Julie Johnson alerted residents to a small outbreak of headlice in the Hillsboro schools.
10 YEARS AGO
October 11, 1997 — Hillsboro High School homecoming candidates included Josh Rude, Christy Juelson, Adam Cotton, Kim Kraby, Erica Larson and Jason Brustad.
First too warm and then too wet, weather conditions failed to cooperate for the annual sugarbeet harvest. For the first five days of the scheduled harvest , lifting was limited to the cool overnight hours. After three days of cooler weather, three inches of rain fell in the valley, forcing a stop to all lifting. Only 16 percent of the harvest was done.

— compiled by Michelle McLean

50 YEARS AGO
October 3, 1957 — Strong support was shown for geographically enlarging the Hillsboro School District. The local PTA met with representatives from surrounding townships — Eldorado, Hillsboro, Bloomfield and Norway — and the Hillsboro school board, Hillsboro supt. Lars Grant and county supt. of schools Esther Miller. PTA president George Sorlie said the annexation process would help provide a broader curriculum for students.
The Clifford liquor store was robbed twice in three days. One suspect signed a confession admitting he took a small amount of liquor in the first burglary but denying any involvement in the second theft.
The annual Kiwanis Kids Day featured a parade with the HHS band and kids and their pets and dolls in costume. The Saturday event ended with a free movie for 350 kids at the Traill Theater. (more…)