News from this Week’s Past: Aug. 11 – 18

All items are from the Door County Library’s newspaper archives, and they appear in the same form as they were first published, including misspellings and grammatical errors.

The Weekly Expositor Independent, August 9, 1878

Some persons abused a horse of J. Leatham’s last Sunday, by stabbing it with a pitch-fork, inflicting fourteen or fifteen cuts, one of them quite severe, as a part of one of the fork tines broke off, and still remains in the cut.

The Independent, August 13, 1886

The usual quiet of our city was disturbed Monday morning by a mad-dog scare, a small dog owned by Wilson Warner being the disturber. The purp ran up and down Cedar street for a time followed by our local crack shots who opened fire on him with a fusillade of small arms, which endangered the lives of the bystanders more than that of the dog. Finally some one hit the animal with a plank and put him out of his misery.

The Republican, August 11, 1892

A meeting of the Door County Agricultural Society was held on Saturday evening for the purpose of making arrangements for their eighteenth annual fair which is to be held in this city on the 28th, 29th and 30th of September and the 1st of October. It is the intention of the society to make their fair held this fall surpass anything in that line yet held in the county. A liberal award of premiums will be given for farm products of all kinds, and with the excellent crops of this season the display in that line should be equal to the best….The officers of the society are in correspondence with a celebrated aeronaut, and it is expected that a balloon ascension will be one of the features of the affair.

Door County Democrat, August 13, 1904

Work on Abner Calhoun’s hotel building is being pushed forward rapidly, and when completed will make a fine looking structure. It is the first building in the city to be erected out of concrete building blocks.

Door County Democrat, August 10, 1917

The number of automobiles passing over the bridge continually furnishes an indisputable record of the rapidly increasing popularity of Door county as a place for touring parties to enjoy an outing. Of the 5,786 cars that passed over the bridge in July a large majority of them were touring parties from outside. Figuring less than one-half, and an average of five people to a car, it brings the total of tourists visiting this county in cars in July to 12,500. When roads to the south of Door county become improved and in better traveling condition, it will have a tendency to increase the travel to this county to even a greater extent. The greatest complaint from tourists seems to be bad stretches of road thru the Fox River valley.

Door County News, August 11, 1927

State Dry Officers Make Raids Tuesday

Several state prohibition officers accompanied by Sheriff Osmuson were busy Tuesday making numerous raids through the county.

The business places operated by Arthur Parent, Egg Harbor, John Poh, Forestville, and Esther Rossman, Brussels, were raided Tuesday and it is stated by authorities that evidence was obtained at each place. Other buffets were raided, it is stated, but no evidence was obtained.

Door County News, August 11, 1938

State Probes Wages of Cherry Pickers

The wages paid cherry pickers in Door county is being investigated by the director of women and child labor, Miss Maud Swett. The complaint was made by Rev. Edwin A. Brown, pastor of Kenwood Methodist church, Milwaukee, who said that he had studied the cases of twelve Milwaukee boys who had worked in the cherry orchards and found that they had not been paid the legal minimum of 16 cents an hour for minor.

In reporting the above news item to one of the prominent growers of the county, he said, “The cherry growers will welcome any investigation that the state will wish to make. There are many angles to cherry picking that are unknown to the individual that had not experience in picking cherries.”