Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, April 28, 1949
• Mr. and Mrs. Carl Petersen and daughter Sharon moved to the Fred Topp farm east of Verndale last week from Devils Lake, North Dakota. They purchased the farm place early this spring.
• This picture was taken several months ago of three of Verndale’s oldest residents. The three gentlemen are Ed. W. Dickinson, 90; Clark M. Hasting, 90; and Burt H. Pettit, 91. Their three ages total over 271 years.
• Three hundred and fifty baby turkeys were asphyxiated and a fire was averted by a hairs breath at the Rodney Mills farm last week when a thermostat on an oil brooder went out of control. Kerosene flooded the brooder causing fumes which damaged the chicken coop and killed the turkeys, but the fire was put out before the building went up in smoke.
40 Years Ago, April 25, 1984
• A DNR helicopter circled above timber and brush fires in Section 12 of Thomastown Township last Saturday, making periodic drops of water while area residents and the Verndale Fire Department fought the blaze from the ground. Over 40 acres were burned before the fire was declared out. It was believed to have ignited from embers from the burning of an area meadow just north of this site the previous evening. The lack of moisture has caused tinder dry conditions and extreme caution should be used even when burning in a container.
• Deb Sommars of rural Verndale resident placed first in business proofreading-spelling at the Spring Leadership Conference held recently at the Leamington Hotel in Minneapolis, representing the Wadena Area Vocational Technical Institute Model Office Education Association students. The spring conference is set up by the Minnesota Office Education Association for post-secondary students from throughout the state to compete in several areas.
• Mrs. Dyer’s fourth grade found out what it feels like to teach when they taught a language story to one section of the kindergarten class and Mrs. Lieder’s first grade class. Students went in groups of two and read the story Wiggles’ Surprise (story of a caterpillar) to groups of two or three students.
15 Years Ago, May 7, 2009
• Vi Jessen was born and raised in the southwestern part of Minnesota in Lakefield. At the age of 12, Vi was diagnosed with diphtheria. Because of this she lived with her aunt during the summer. Vi’s aunt was an awesome sewer. During her stay, Vi learned to quilt and treadle. Vi missed a year of school to get her health back. After moving to Verndale with her husband Alfred, and retiring, Vi revived her skills of quilt making. Whenever one of her grandchildren gets married she makes them a full size quilt.
• The weekend of April 3, eight young Raiders participated in the NWYA State Individual Wrestling Tournament in Rochester. They wrestled very well. The eight individuals who earned a trip to the State Tourney were Craig Orlando, Ricky Hang, Holton Truax, Ethan Kimber, Ethan Orlando, Anthony Kern, Dillon Card and Andy Bounds.
• The Verndale Sun creative director Carol Clauson was invited to the Governor’s Fishing Opener 2009 in White Bear Lake. The 61st annual kickoff of the fishing season will be held May 8 and 9.