Peekin' into the Past

Five Years Ago — May 4, 2017

The 500 block of East Denver Street that housed the Cedar Inn has received a face-lift over the last couple of weeks, leaving it practically unrecognizable without the motel and trees that were there for years.

Bemis Drug, located in Olde Holyoke Square at 221 N. Interocean Ave., closed May 1. Owner Mike Bemis said they have appreciated the business in the past two and a half years that they’ve been open in Holyoke.

A four-part project to address failing roofs and drainage problems at the courthouse was explained when Phillips County commissioners reported the county’s April activity on April 28.

Ten Years Ago — May 3, 2012

Seaboard Foods was scheduled to begin the mobilization portion of construction on a new feed mill west of Holyoke on April 30. With the hopes of offering a more centralized mill to their live operations, Seaboard has chosen an area of land 2 miles west of Holyoke just north of Highway 6 at County Road 35. The 33-acre site will be home to the new mill, and there will also be a small office building constructed on the site.

Phillips County commissioners approved the purchase of security cameras for the Phillips County Event Center, as reported at their April 26 meeting. They also reported that the second phase of the Homesteaders Park project was scheduled to begin this week. The enhancement project includes sprinklers, fencing, curb/gutter, parking lot and electrical lights.

Twenty-Five Years Ago — May 8, 1997

Jeremiah “Jerry” Cogan, M.D., began seeing patients at Family Practice of Holyoke on May 1.

Based on requests made by citizens and the city of Holyoke, Phillips County commissioners have agreed to widen Johnson Street east of Worley Avenue. Construction is scheduled to start later this month. Johnson Street, aka County Road 20.5, is owned partly by the city and partly by the county.

Papers were signed last week transferring ownership of the BJ’s Originals building at 517 Broadway in Imperial, Nebraska, to the Holyoke Community Federal Credit Union. HCFCU is in the process of gaining approval from the National Credit Union Administration to open a branch office in Imperial.

Fifty Years Ago — May 4, 1972

The All-States Rabbit Club held their annual rabbit show at Phillips County Fairgrounds on April 29. There were 286 entries in the show from Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota. Fried rabbit was served to the visitors at noon by the local club.

The Holyoke Board of Trustees, at their regular meeting last Monday night, appointed Leslie Lutze town superintendent, effective May 1. He will work with Willard Bolen, present town superintendent, until Bolen’s retirement Oct. 1.

Seventy-Five Years Ago — May 8, 1947

Harold R. Lee, power manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, and Ren Read, contract engineer for the bureau, were in Holyoke on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and according to their statement, the Brush-Holyoke power line is expected to be finished sometime between the first of November and the first of December, and electric current for distribution to the members of the Highline Electric Association will be available at that time.

There were only 24 votes cast in the annual school election of District 39, which was held Monday afternoon, May 5. Fred R. Peterson was the only candidate for reelection to the office of president of school board. Twenty-three votes were cast for Peterson, and one name was written in on the ballot, but it was disqualified because there was no cross mark put after the name.