Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, August 22, 1946
• At a meeting on Monday night of this week, the Verndale Board of Education decided to adhere to the suggestions of the State Department of Education and not open the Verndale Public School until Monday, September 16, which is two weeks later than the regular opening date. Other schools in the county are opening at the same time. Although the polio epidemic may have subsided considerably by the regular opening date, it was deemed advisable to postpone the opening for two weeks just to be safe.
• L.E. Suddendorf made an unusual discovery last Sunday afternoon when he found a stone measuring 8x12 inches that had a perfect red cross embedded therein. The rock of grayish color was formed with the lines bringing out the distinct image of a red cross. Mr. Suddendorf was scouting around First Crow Wing Lake with Dr. Schuft and Jim and Percy Pettit, and Earl and Willard Jenkins when he found the stone. Louie, however, did not bring the stone back to Verndale, leaving it with Father Van Rooy at Blue Grass instead.
• By a vote of 38 in favor and six against, Nimrod legal voters in the proposed area decided on Monday, August 12 in favor of incorporating to become a village.
40 Years Ago, August 20, 1981
• Ground was broken on Tuesday at the England Prairie Pioneer Club site for the footings for the 500 foot UHF tower and guy wires by Waln Excavators under the direction of the Dietz Brothers, Inc. of Spicer, contractors for the tower. The tower will provide programs via KSTP-TV.
• Proudly displaying their first-place trophy, won in the Wadena women’s softball league, are members of The Peddler team from Verndale. They are: DeeAnn Boe, Lori Beaver, Julie Carr, Ann Freyholtz, Rita Boehland, Margaret Runyan, Pam Peterson, Linda Fry, Liz Runyan, Cindy Goepferd, Kathy Rach and Ida Hennagir. The Peddler team defeated the Bluffton Babes 4-2.
• Sam, Verndale’s renowned police dog belonging to Police Chief Cedric Haugen, placed second in three events at the Region 12 Dog Trials held at Superior, Wisconsin last weekend. He was one of 47 dogs from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa competing. Sam placed second in drug/narcotics detection.
15 Years Ago, August 24, 2006
• The Verndale Historical Society is in the process of building a model of the old Verndale Flour Mill. Using information pictured from early Verndale and Wadena papers, and other sources, the building committee has figured out how the old mill was constructed. The mill, which burned down in 1912, was once a central hub of business for the Verndale area.
• Eight new members were recently inducted into the Lions Club. District Governor Berth Nelson attended the meeting to help conduct the ceremony. New inductees include: Sandy Kerns, Richard Kerns, Tina Wegschied, Bert Nelson, Andrea Amundson, Ardith Carr, Chuck Dick, Cami Dick and Judy Carr.
• Over 90 cancer survivors let their balloons sail into the air before walking the first lap of the evening as part of the opening ceremonies for the Wadena Relay for Life. The Verndale St. Fredrick’s Crusaders Team were: Craig and Ethan Orlando, Marilyn Neurberg, Vicky Kern and granddaughter Alison Bessler, Terri Bessler, Linda McIntire, Josh Roiko, Amanda Daniels, Richard Nichols, Charlene Orlando, Margo Nichols and Julie Orlando.