The Independent-News, Volume 120, Number 3, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 1 June 1995 — Page 17

Memories And ivents From The Historical Society Robbie Dare had a coal yard just •ast of the Walkerton Lumber Yard. (Now the Ford agency). He was a dealer mostly in anthracite coal. He did some of his leliveries of small orders in a onewrse wagon, probably before 916. How many remember stove rucks? Years ago there were few tomes with central heat. Every all you went to one of the hardware tores, Houser’s or George Posss’, who later became Frater and -art, then just Tom Frater, borowed a stove truck to bring your (eating stove (many were hard coal

tuiiA uZ giUMlp! You are a fine bunch of kids. Regards to all. Salyer Realty Bruce Salyer Broker-Appraiser Walkerton

A O /mWq Z i/i i I Jr - I * ftMsl Mu J 4 You've earned the honors that come with graduation. Preferred Auto Parts 616 Roosevelt Rd. Walkerton

burners) out of storage and set it up for the winter. In the spring you reversed the procedure and put your stove in storage for the summer. About 1918 give or take some, Pine Creek and the Kankakee Rivers were re-dredged. A twostory house boat was built on Pine Creek by the L.E. & W. railroad just as Pine Creek entered Place’s Woods. After the house boat the dredge was built and work progressed on a three-shift basis. Three dredges were used, two on the Kankakee, one of which started at Crumstown and one just south of the B&O railroad bridge west of Walkerton. It had a 75-foot boom. All dredges were tied onto their house boats or living quarters. The Waib Construction Company of Fort Wayne was the contractor. Before Pine Creek and the river were re-dredged, every spring, the marshes around town flooded, particularly remembered is Seller’s Marsh. It started where State Road 23 crosses the B&O railroad, the eastward or upstream clear to the bridge on the Teegarden Road. Other areas were also flooded and if it froze again, it made good ice skating. (Seller’s Marsh was large but did not extend clear to the Teegarden v ridge). Charley McCabe was our number one blacksmith, but how many know he built an automobile? (Horseless carriage). I remember seeing it. It was topless, had an engine that you cranked on the side and the wheels were of the large buggy type, steel tires or hard rubber. After Main Street, now Route 6, was paved with bricks before 1912, there was occasionally a threshing rig (steam engine and separator) would want to cross the pavement at now 6 and 23 (by City Building). This was not permitted until planks were laid down for the engine and separator to cross the bricks. Steel lugs on the engine were thought to tear up the bricks. Before our present day combines, we had threshing rings in the country. Wheat, oats and rye was cut with a binder into sheaves and stacked in the field in shocks to dry. Later it was threshed. Neighbors helping neighbors formed a ring. A threshing crew would move in and thresh out the grain by running it through the separator that was powered by the steam engine, and attended by a water wagon. Harve Mull is the only

old owner I can remember and Leslie Harmison’s outfit was powered by a Rumley oil pull is the last i remember. Here is one not many will recall. Previous to 1914, the post office remained opened and the carriers made their regular routes on Christmas day but they always had New Year’s day off. The old G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) building was located on Illinois Street between now Route 6 and the N. & W. Railroad tracks, close to the old depot and bandstand. The sidewalk at that time was made of wood. The now occupied area back of it reached to the elevator and was commonly called “The Commons’’ where we used to play One-O-Cat-Bat or a small team game. Next to the band stand by the pavement stood a cement watering trough for the convenience of farmers to water their horses. Also there were hitching racks to tie up their teams or buggies while shopping. We were not bothered with automobile traffic in those days, so the rigs stood in the street. Something else that has passed into oblivion is the milkman. He used to make his daily rounds leaving his customers milk in glass bottles; Using a horse-drawn wagon to carry his product, later changing to motorized conveyance. In the spring of 1917, we had a disastrous fire. The glass factory burned one night when it was convenient not to have electricity to pump water. While never proven, it was thought the fire was not an accident. It was easy to black out the town by throwing a barrel hoop over certain poles east of town that carried the electric line from Plymouth to Walkerton. Lon Rogers operated a ladder factory for a short period of time on the site of the old glass factory; later Plas-Steel moved in. Previous to 1910 nearly all railroad crossings were protected by cattle guards. In the early times, over a hundred years ago or so, this was all open range and sheep and cattle were not fenced in, to keep them from wandering uu the tracks, wooden guards protected the crossings. They were of wood probably 6 to 8 feet wide, triangular shaped wooden pieces with the sharp edge up between the rails and a wooden fence from the right of way fence down to the outside rails. (Railroad right of ways were fenced on both sides then.) The last (Railroad right of ways were fenced

((the \\ BEST Look the world over. It’s a beautiful planetand now you’re really a part of it. The Tractor Shop 103 W. Center St. North Liberty

JUNE 1, 1995 — THE INDEPENDENT NEWS —

on both sides then). The last section of the guard fence was set at an angle of about 45 degrees so that the steps of the train could clear it but stock could not squeeze between it and the rails. I can remember they started to be removed about 1910 or 1912. Before 1914 all groceries in town had their own delivery service. You could call up, place your order and it would be delivered some time that day. It even included the delivery of kerosene to be poured into the customers container on their premises. This service was discontinued in the ’4os. Do you remember when Walkerton first started to have fireworks in the park on the 4th of July? Fireworks was not of the commercial variety, small pieces were donated by private individuals such as roman candles, pin wheels, firecrackers and sky-rockets. It was collected and people went to the park to enjoy the display. Probably about the second year, when all the articles were collected, they were placed just west of the steps of the school. Somehow at the beginning of the shooting off of the works, a spark or misplaced lighter got into the container and all the fireworks went off without any further help. (Not with one big bang, but a dozen or so at one time.) That year the celebration was rather brief. Note: The Everett Henry memories will continue. Here’s a statistic that may startle some; every day, newspapers reach more than 113 million adults. On Sunday, they’re read by nearly 122 million adults.

grads ■ You’re tops with us, \ grads. Best of luck. Linda’s Hair-Way To Heaven 2347 N. Union Road Walkerton

CONGRATULATIONS ’r > ’W Keep going higher, Graduates... and know that our best wishes go with you. Guy Rizek PLUMBING - HEATING - COOLING & MINI HARDWARE 600 S. State St. North Liberty

The world abberation comes from a Latin word meaning “to wander from a given path".

. z ' P WK You’re ready, grads, for a bright and rewarding future. Eberly Orchard 67118 Sage Road North Liberty

17