Peek at the Past

100 Years Ago

Oct. 7, 1920

Sheriff J.C. Hurtt received word yesterday that a fire Sunday morning had destroyed the hay stacks of A.B. McConnaughy on Little Missouri. Indications point to the work of an incendiary. Mr. McConnaughy is a witness in the Hickey case, and is here to attend court.

Threshing is about over in this locality (Beulah) and there have been some very good yields. T.J. Vore had a piece of winter wheat on the old Williams place that went 43-1/2 bushels per acre, and he had over 4000 bushels of wheat in all. Others have had similar results.

Frank Hickey will not be tried at the present term of court for the murder of Laben Wood. Attorneys for both sides of the case have reached an agreement whereby a change of venue will be taken to Weston County, and the trial will be called at Newcastle early in November.

75 Years Ago

Oct. 4, 1945

By cablegram received Sept. 25 Lyle E. Graham went word to his mother that he is alive and will be home soon, the first word she has from him directly since he was taken prisoner shortly after Pearl Harbor at Wake Island where he was a civilian employee. The only word received of Lyle had been indirectly. His name was included in the first list of 1200 civilians presumed by the navy department to be prisoners of the Japanese first released in February 1942. Then after a complete silence of two years the Pacific Island Employees Foundation informed her that he had been officially reported as interned at Fukuoka Island of Honshu, Japan. Letters sent to the address given received no answer and the family feared that he had perished in the camp. Lyle was born and raised in Sundance where he is well known. He is now around 32 years of age.

Maps showing the location of each REA signer in Crook Campbell and Weston counties have been sent to the consulting engineer, who will make out the pre-allotment maps and draw the proposed route of the REA line, the first step in applying for a loan to set up the Tri-county association.

50 Years Ago

Oct. 8, 1970

Progress on the proposed Crook County Airport was discussed here Thursday during meeting of the Rural Development Committee. Leading the discussion on the airport site was William Cook, Spearfish, who has been working with state and federal agencies on the airport. Cook said 56 percent of the money for the airport would come from the federal government with another 25 percent from the state. Jim Larsen, Black Hills RC&D coordinator, said land acquisition would count as part of the county’s share of 19 percent.

Sundance’s 1970 Girls’ and Boys’ Staters spoke before a joint meeting of the Sundance American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. Reporting on their experiences at last summer’s events were Debbie Gerhart, Mark Ferrell and Mark Hughes.

25 Years Ago

Oct. 5, 1995

The Mule Creek boat dock at Keyhole State Park was destroyed on Friday, Sept. 22 by an arsonist. The estimated amount of loss is $9500. Installed in July the only part of the structure saved was the walkway.

Sundance Jr/Sr High School principal, Randy Ludeman, was named Wyoming’s Principal of the Year by the WASSP Steering Committee at the Wyoming School Administrator’s annual spring conference at Wapiti Valley.