Tidbits From the Past

 Tom Long , had been looking at some old newspapers and was kind enough to share the information he gleaned with us.
Thanks Tom

July 21, 1910 - Sitting Bull Jr. and a small band of his braves, and one
medicine man came in off the reservation one night this week and treated the
citizens to a ghost dance.
March 2, 1911 - Henry Sandkamp has purchased the Merchants Hotel with
furniture. The price was $6100.
June 22, 1911 - "Real Estate Deal" - Henry Sandkamp bought the old drugstore
wing adjacent to the Merchants Hotel from Val Herman last Monday morning.
The price of the property has not been given out, but is understood to be
about $3500 to $4000. The property is a two story brick veneered building
with a full stone basement and also includes a piece of ground in the angle
between the hotel and the addition just transferred. Mr. Sandkamp has now a
handsome and valuable piece of property as there is in town.
May 15, 1913 - "New Telephone Service" - Holdingford has now the most
complete and prompt service that can be procured. The Northwestern Telephone
Company has begun a continuous day and night service with Miss Mary Abeln as
chief operator and Miss Lizzie Sandkamp as assistant. Holdingford has wanted
this service for many years and will now take pride in at last securing the
best there is to be had. Nothing slow about this town!
October 29, 1914 - "Attention" A meeting of the citizens of Holdingford will
be held in the Scenic Opera House, Saturday evening Oct. 31st, 1914, at 7:30
to consider the matter of electric lights. A representative from
Minneapolis, and others, will be on hand to give information on the subject.
Everyone is invited to attend.
December 10, 1914 - "Lights Coming" - It takes a time keeper and a card
index to keep up with Holdingford.
We are going to have electric lights after all. They are almost ready. The
building is up and the machinery will be installed at once. The poles have
been set and the wire strung and today we print the franchise and the
contract whereby the village gets street lights. About the middle of January
next, Holdingford will be shining like a jewel.
January 14, 1915 - The electric light plant was first started up last Friday
evening and light furnished in the corner saloon for a while. Saturday
evening the lights were turned on the streets. It certainly looked good. The
lights will not be turned on regularly for a few days yet.
June 10, 1915 - Val Herman has traded his lot back of the Merchants Hotel to
Henry Sandkamp for a lot opposite the depot near Mr. Stewart's residence.
This last lot he has sold to the Standard Oil Company which is now putting
in two storage tanks for kerosene and gasoline. Mr. Herman will now have
charge of the station here and will run a tank team to deliver oil to nearby
stations.
February 3, 1916 - Nemec Theatre, St. Cloud - One week starting February 6,
Sunday matinee - Elliot and Sherman present twice daily - "The Worlds
Mightiest Spectacle", D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation". Good Horses,
18,000 People, 5,000 Scenes, Cost $500,000, Symphony Orchestra of 30.
Daily Matinees, 25c, 50c, 75c, 1.00
Evening "	50c, 75c, 1.00, 1.50
November 29, 1917 - "Thanksgiving Midnight Supper" - A big Thanksgiving
mid-night supper will be served The Merchants Hotel beginning at 11:00 p.m.
Price 75c per couple. Everyone is cordially invited to come and enjoy a
good, square meal.
December 27, 1917 - The Merchants Hotel has put on fire escape ladders on
the east and south side of the building to comply with the state
regulations. Winkler Brothers won the contract, and their valuable employ,
Stephen Gruidl made the iron fire escapes here, which is a creditable piece
of work.
February 28, 1918 - "Holdingford Lightless" - The mass meeting held here
last Monday evening by Mr. Fred Speechly, secretary of the Holdingford Light
Company. was not very well attended, and according to all probabilities,
Holdingford will not only have Wheatless, Meatless, Heatless, Snowless, days
but most of all "Lightless nights" and the people of this community are
wondering what the "whatnextless" will mean.
May 27, 1920 - "Aeroplane creates sensation in Holdingford on Monday" -
Cyril Stodolka, the Royalton aviator, accompanied by Alvin Orth, arrived on
the Frank Meier field at five-thirty Monday afternoon with 65-horse Curtis.
He came over in about 8 minutes against the wind. The news of his coming was
circulated around earlier in the day, and a large crowd of spectators were
awaiting his arrival.