These historical excerpts from one century ago were selected from the Looking Back feature of The Vidette-Messenger, which are part of the PoCo Muse Collection.
July 1, 1920
Business houses of the city and all public buildings are beginning to loom up in fine shape for the big July 5th celebration which takes place next Monday. F.W. Lawson, decorator of Toledo, Ohio, is busy decorating the store fronts. A number of business men are contending for the silver cup for the best decorated front.
The Co-operative society of America with headquarters in Chicago will open a store in Valparaiso. H.C. Riordan, who has been here, has sold stock in the company to a number of local people. Members participate in the profits resulting from sales.
July 2, 1920
S.B. Sink yesterday served his connection as county agent and took up his work with the Schleman-Morton company. He will look after farms owned by the company and also select farms suitable to the wants of the firm’s clients.
The Salvation Army drive which has been in progress in Porter county for a number of weeks, will probably net close to $1,000 when all reports are in. Charles H. Stinchfield, county chairman, stated that little interest was shown and it was difficult to secure canvassers. The county’s quota was $3,000.
July 3, 1920
T. P. Galvin, head of the Valparaiso Knights of Columbus lodge, has received word the state secretary of the Indiana Knights of Columbus to the effect that Valparaiso lodge led all lodges of the state in membership gain during the fiscal year just ended. The local lodge showed a gain in membership of 391 per cent.
Business men of Valparaiso will go on daylight saving time schedule beginning next Tuesday. On Monday night clocks will be turned one hour ahead, and the plan will continue through the months of July, August and September. The plan was submitted to the chamber of commerce by local people some tome ago and more than 100 business men favored it. Sentiment was developed in favor of the new time by the fact that more than 400 men of this city are employed in the Calumet region. Local factories some time ago went on the time and railroads adopted it for their suburban trains.
July 4, 1920
Valparaiso’s 4th of July celebration was one of this most successful the city has ever held. From early in the day until late at night the festivities continued. The parade in the down town districts was the big feature off the celebration. Free vaudeville acts were given at the court house lawn, and in the afternoon the Valparaiso Elks’ baseball teams defeated the Gary All Stars at the fair grounds 6 to 2. Wrestling bouts at Armory hall, concerts by the band, an address by Peter Collins, of Boston, Mass., and a mardi gras on Main street with fireworks as a climax were other features of the big day’s program.
July 5, 1920
The bus line between Valparaiso and Kouts and Wheatfield is doing fine business. This morning eight passengers were brought to this city from the south end, and every day the bus is filled both coming and going.
July 6, 1920
About 200 Elks left this morning on a special train for Chicago to attend a national meeting of Elks. Headed by the A. F. of M. band the “Bills” parted the downtown district before embarking for the depot. In the afternoon the local band was scheduled to give a concert in Grant Park.
July 7, 1920
At a meeting of the township trustees yesterday, a resolution was passed favoring old time in the different townships. The trustees also passed a resolution to pay beginning teachers $70 to $75 a month, and teachers from 2 to 3 years’ experience in grade schools $80 to $90 a month, depending on the size of the schools.
July 8, 1920
Census figures for Valparaiso announced today from Washington give the city a population of 6,518, a decrease of 469 in ten years. The 1910 census showing a total of 6,987. According to local citizens faulty enumeration was responsible for the failure to count many families. The pay for enumerators was only four cents per name.
July 9, 1920
Dr. C. O. Wiltfong of Chesterton, Mrs. Wiltfong, Mrs. Charles Jeffrey, wife of Charles Jeffrey, of the Farmer’s bank of Valparaiso, and daughter Elouise Jeffrey, narrowly escaped death last evening near Aylesworth school, north of Hebron. Dr. Wiltfong failed to discern an S turn in the road during a heavy fog and drove straight ahead into a creek. Mrs. Wiltfong was rendered unconscious, Dr. Wiltfong was cut on the right arm, but Mrs. Jeffrey and daughter escaped with slight hurts.
July 10, 1920
Valpoites developed a case of sore neck today when they watched the maneuvers of Henry F. Fawcet, an army aviator, pilot the flying fish, an airplane designed like a fish. Fawcett had a landing field on the Walter bond farm east of the city and took up passengers.
Because an appeal made by merchants to the citizens to set their clocks ahead one hour for adoption of fast time did not meet with support, local merchants have gone back to old time. Local factories however, will still remain on fast time.
June 11, 1920
A special election on the R.M. Phillips gravel road in Porter township held Saturday carried by a large majority. Only one vote was cast against it. The vote was very light because the farmers were busy with farm work.
Promoters of the Valpo Home Ice company are today looking over available sites and will soon decide upon a site to build a new ice plant. Incorporation of the company is expected shortly and stock will be offered for sale.
July 12, 1920
Boone Grove, which has the best baseball team in Porter township people, lost its first game to the Gary All-Stars. The score was 11 to 10. The Gary team hit Maloney hard and the Boone Grove players’ efforts to keep pace failed. Raymond, of Gary, and Clinedinst, of Boone Grove, hit home runs. Twice the game was stopped because Gary players objected to decisions of the umpire and refused to play on until they were reversed in their favor.
The Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce and the Porter County Farm association at a meeting last night voted their opposition to the proposed bill calling for the creation of a park in the sand dunes of north Porter county to be presented to the state legislature at a special session soon to meet. Resolutions were passed against the bill and a committee was named to go to Indianapolis to protest against its passage.
June 13, 1920
Oil drilling at Suman in Jackson township has suddenly and mysteriously stopped and numerous reasons have been assigned for the move. One is that oil men know there is a large amount of oil in that section and desire to lease more ground. Officers of the oil company declare the delay is due to the failure of machinery to arrive.
Articles of incorporation have been filed with the secretary of state by the Lewis E. Myers and Company of this city. The capital stock is $500,000. The directors are Lewis E. Myers, John A. Hauff and M.A. Gregory.
July 14, 1920
Oil drilling at Suman in Jackson township has suddenly and mysteriously stopped and numerous reasons have been assigned for the move. One is that the oil men know there is a large amount of oil in that section and desire to lease more ground. Officers of the oil company declare the delay is due to failure of machinery to arrive.
July 15, 1920
The Daly school in Liberty township which was struck by lightning and destroyed in a storm Tuesday night, will probably be rebuilt. Trustee Ira M. Biggs and others, of Liberty township, discussed the matter yesterday and the opinion seems to prevail that the school should be constructed.
July 16, 1920
Residents of Liberty, Jackson and Portage townships are said to be against the proposed state park in Porter county sand dunes. A number have expressed themselves in bitter opposition to taking land from Porter county for pleasure purposes. Attorney D.E. Kelly, who is fighting the park proposition has received word from Indianapolis that nothing yet has been done by the park promoters.
July 17, 1920
Indiana avenue residents were peeved yesterday when workmen for the city street department swooped down on the vicinity of Indiana avenue, just east of Michigan avenue, and began cutting weeds. The weeds proved to be bushes and shrubbery. Owners remonstrated and told the men to shift their forces a block away where weeds were growing to a height of several feet on the side of the Hiser hitch barn property.
Hearkening to the demand of employes, the McGill Manufacturing company will go back to the old time beginning Monday. Employes of the Chicago Mica company voted to go back to the old time but the factory heads have made no announcement of whether it will grant the request.
July 18, 1920
Aviator H. C. Heyn, of Detroit Mich., in an airplane carrying Harry Smith, Chesterton merchant and his son, narrowly escaped death Saturday evening when the craft crashed against a telegraph post on the Michigan Central railroad near Chesterton. The crash resulted when the engine went dead just after the takeoff. The three occupants were only slightly bruised.
July 19, 1920
The Valparaiso Home Ice company will offer for sale in a few days an issue of $25,000 of common stock of an authorized issue of $75,000. The shares will be sold at $10 each. The directors of the company are Carl F. Mason, William Schleman, E.W. Agar, John H. Ross ad W. B. Wasser. The capacity of the plant will be 4,503 tons per year.
Pleasant township, around Kouts, will soon be the scene of oil drilling. Oil men from Oklahoma and Texas are securing leases of land in the vicinity of Kouts and expect to drill soon. A.B. McNabb, of Chicago, is head of the promotion.
July 20, 1920
Twenty-five men of the West Side Non-Political club of Michigan City have purchased 160 acres of land of Richard Arden. Three fourths of the land is in Porter county. The land will be divided into smaller parcels for suburban home sites.
The Burlington Beach tennis club has been formed with a membership of 25. The committee in charge of the club’s affairs are Max Specht, Edwin Szold and John Van Ness. It is planned to stage a local tourney and participate in the northern Indiana tourney in Gary in August.
July 21, 1920
The Burlington Beach tennis club has been formed with a membership of 25. The committee in charge of the club’s affairs are Max Specht, Edwin Szold and John VanNess. It is planned to stage a local tourney and participate in the northern Indiana tourney in Gary in August.
July 22, 1920
A three weeks’ old baby boy was left in a basket at the N. L. Bradfield home at Nickel Station, east of the city, last night. A man brought the baby, left it on the porch, knocked on the door and dashed away. The Bradfields will keep the little tot.
The Federal Land bank of Louisville, Ky., has notified Anna Mohnssen, secretary-treasurer of the local association that a six percent dividend as been declared. There are nine borrowers in the local association with loan of $30,600.
July 23, 1920
An American Legion post has been established at Kouts with Luther B. Wise as commander. It is called the William Radilyack Post, No. 300, the William Radilyack Post, No. 300, in memory of the Kouts by who saw distinguished service in France, and was killed several months ago in an auto accident near Malden.
July 24, 1920
The concrete road at Waverly Beach, on Lake Michigan, north of Chesterton, built at a cost of $10,000, will be finished by the end of the week. Only a small part of the concrete remains to be put in. The road is seventy-five wide and 800 feet long. There remains to be built an eighty-five foot water bound macadam stretch of road on the end up to the high water mark, but this will not be attempted until material can be obtained.
At a meeting of the board of trustees of Valparaiso university yesterday, Charles L. Jeffrey was elected chairman, M.R. Lowenstine, secretary, and George F. Beach, treasurer. Sometime ago the university was turned over to a board of trustees consisting of Messers. Jaffrey, Lowenstine and Beach, Frank Morton and Dr. H. E. Chislett, of Chicago, and three other prominent business and industrial men whose names were withheld. At yesterday’s meeting Henry Kinsey Brown, who has been president of the university since May 1, 1919, resigned, and was elected bursar. He was succeeded as president of Hahnemann Medical college.
July 25, 1920
Alex Watt, local contractor, is erecting a building on Linwood avenue, 40x100 feet, which he will lease for an automobile salesroom and garage. Mr. Watt obtained a large amount of material from the Eglin hitch barn and other structures recently razed.
The Gary Connecting Railway, controlling 16 miles of interurban railway between Goodrum Junction and Gary, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000. The incorporators are Lester Woodard, secretary-treasurer of the Gary Street Railway; John A. Norman and Ralph W. Melin. The strip of arilroad was bought at receiver’s sale two years ago by Charles W. Alvord, of Philadelphia, Pa. It is leased by the Gary Valparaiso railway.
July 26, 1920
The city jail in the rear of the city hall is being razed to build a barn for the street department. Deputy Prosecutor William Johnston and John Fabing, husky center on last year’s high school basketball team, are doing the work of dismantling the jail which was built many years ago but of late has been used as a coal storage.
July 27, 1920
The Wheeler baseball team defeated the Gary Slovak Athletic club in a slugging match Sunday 13 to 12. Conrich pitched for Wheeler and struck out eight. The Slovaks showed some fine base running and nearly tied the score in the ninth.
July 28, 1920
Special Judge William H. Dowdell yesterday in a written opinion sustained a motion to quash an affidavit against Attorney N. J. Bozarth in a case brought against him for hunting on lands without the owner’s consent. The prosecuting attorney stated the affidavit was prepared by the attorney general at Indianapolis. Judge Dowdell, however, held it was defective.
Valparaiso firemen will participate in the 6th annual tourney of the Northern Indiana Firemen’s association to be held at Lowell on August 6. Whiting, Hobart, Chesterton and Lowell departments will also compete. A grand parade will take place with a band concert and dance in the evening.
July 29, 1920
Rev. W. H. Book of Columbus, Ind., pastor of the Tabernacle Christian church, will be the chief speaker at the 7th annual meeting of the Christian churches of Porter county here Sunday on the Chistian chirch lawn. In the evening, Rev. Book will deliver the sermon at the union meeting to be held in the Methodist church.
The state highway commission has at last explained the reason for its failure to keep the Lincoln highway, east of Valparaiso, in repair. According to word from the commission the Interstate Commerce Commission will not permit the railroads to haul stone at the present time because the hopper cars used for this purpose are now employed in hauling coal.
July 30, 1920
The Floyd W. Sleb meat market and grocery will open in the Sieb building on Franklin avenue next Monday. The interior of the store has been remodeled throughout. A cork and concrete composition floor is one of the features. The latest in refrigeration has also been installed.
July 31, 1920
Byron Loomis, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Loomis, of this city, will leave this evening for Annapolis, Md., to enter the United States Military Academy. He attended the preparatory school of the academy a short time ago to fit himself for the examinations. He passed with flying colors.