KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE
TAKE A TRIP BACK TO SIOUX COUNTY 1961 Since the 1990s, newspapers in the U.S. have been decimated by the amount of information available on the internet. Billions of dollars in ad revenue has been siphoned off by services such as Craigslist.com and ZipRecruiter.com But northwest Iowa is fortunate to have retained a strong group of quality newspapers. There are four weeklies and the Le Mars Daily Sentinel in Plymouth County, five weeklies in Lyon County, and an astounding seven weeklies in Sioux County. In addition, the weekly Northwest Iowa Review serves multiple counties with a team of news and sports reporters. A look back through old newspapers captures a snapshot in time of a community, plus provides perspective on how a town has progressed or regressed over the years. Sioux County residents have a unique free resource at their fingertips: Going back into the 1800s, residents can view the back issues of six weekly newspapers via the websites of several area libraries. So let’s jump in our way-back machine and travel through time to November 1961. What was happening 60 years ago this month in Sioux County? COLLEGE BOARD OK’S 5-YEAR EXPANSION PLAN: 4 BUILDINGS, $1,250,000 COST. Authority to implement the five major points of Phase Two of Northwestern’s master development plan during (the next five years) was voted by the executive committee of the College Board of Trustees. Major items in the $1.25 million development include: New men’s dormitory, new library building, faculty expansion, addition to women’s dormitory, new Memorial Chapel. Sioux County Capital, 11-2-61
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fmiahull.com | 712.439.1722 Serving northwest Iowa farmers and homeowners since 1886. 26
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | November 2021
200 KIDS TURN OUT FOR ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY AT ALTON TOWN HALL. “Halloween 1961 passed off with the usual “tricks or treats” but not without some mischief making, such as soaping of windows, misplaced property, etc. in Alton.” Alton Democrat, 11-2-61 HOT BEARING STARTS FIRE. “A hot bearing in a pull-type corn picker started a fire at the Kearney Hemmingson farm in a corn field south of Oak Grove State Park last Thursday afternoon. The picker was considerably burned and the blaze spread into the cornfield and started a roadside fire.” Hawarden Independent, 11-2-61
