Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, February 2, 1950
• Homer Waterhouse sold his service station in Verndale on Highway 10 this week to George Gilliand of Mill Town, Wisconsin, and Clarence W. Veden of Ely. Mr Gilliand, formerly of Mill Town, but of late from Wadena where Mrs. Gilliand is employed at the Wesley hospital, plans to move to Verndale in the near future. Mr. Veden, formerly of Deer Creek and of late from Ely, is a brother-in-law of Mr. Gilliand and a bachelor.
• Something new in basketball entertainment is in store for local fans on Friday, February 17 when Jack Moore brings his trained donkey basketball team to Verndale to play the local high school team. Profits from the game will be used to help finance the basketball trip for the local team to the state tournament.
• As the result of the Aldrich depot being closed on Wednesday of this week, Station Agent Roger Button of Aldrich has been assigned to the Verndale depot. Carl Dahlquist, who has been the agent at Verndale the past two years, is taking over the second train operator’s position at Wadena and will work from 4 p.m. to midnight on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday of each week.
40 Years Ago, January 30, 1985
• In keeping with this year’s celebration honoring the Verndale High School band’s 50th anniversary, historical society members decided to erect a display of old band uniforms and instruments at the museum. Anyone having either of these is asked to contact either MaryLu McClure, Mary Tangeman or Alyce and Virgil Seaton.
• Ten area residents submitted 19 entries in the Verndale Celebration button/t-shirt design contest which were judged recently by committee members. Winners, who entries earned them $25 cash, were: Devon Dougherty for his design which was chosen to be used on this year’s buttons, and Ken Waisanen’s, chosen for this year’s t-shirts.
• Mrs. Judy Bounds of Verndale has just completed the medical secretary program at the Wadena Area Vocational Technical Institute. Judy has accepted employment at the Tri-County Hospital in Wadena in the medical records department.
15 Years Ago, February 4, 2010
• Larry D. Hahn retired from the First National Bank in Wadena on December 31, 2009 after completing nearly 50 years in the banking business. He began his career on October 10, 1960 when he received a job at the Marquette National Bank in downtown Minneapolis. He left his family’s home north of Verndale riding down to The Cities with a family friend.
• For citizens of Nimrod the closing of their post office and the loss of their zip code were lost with the closing of the store where the post office was located. The box holders in Nimrod had a choice to make and that was to make a switch to either go on route or find another post office. To some this may not be the end of the world, but for those who have grown up and lived there most of their life, it is devastating to lose their town’s identity.
• Verndale students, fourth through eighth grade, participated in a spelling bee held on Friday, January 29. The top five students in each grade level who had pre-qualified competed in the bee for a total of 25 participants. The winner was eighth grader Chad Anderson. He will go on to regional competition in Brainerd on February 19.