The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 10, 1905

Are Many Rooters in Neighbor Towns

They Get Result of the Game as Soon as Known Here

Bet Money, Chalk or Marbles

Back Their Favorite Teams to Win – They Get The Score By Innings on All Iowa League Games Played in Fort Dodge

Evidently base ball enthusiasm is at a high temperature about Fort Dodge. The surrounding towns seem to be obtaining the reports of the Iowa League ball games at the same time as the local fans get them. While the games at Fort Dodge are in progress a good-sized crowd is in the store where the long distance telephone is, following the game with intense interest. The members of the crowd always have their favorite team and are also ready to back it. The reports come in by innings and often after a game a large number of cigars or a number of small amounts of coin change hands. Fort Dodge is the metropolis of the surrounding county and is looked to for a great deal of amusement. When any inhabitants of the surrounding towns are in the city they invariably attend the ball games. The baseball association is therefore seen to be doing good work in advertising the town and offering some inducement to the people to come here.

The interest manifested in Duncombe over the ball games may be seen by the following clipping from the Duncombe paper: “Uncle George Palmer and a number of the other baseball fans of this place became very much worked up over the Fort Dodge-Marshalltown game played in Fort Dodge Tuesday morning. Uncle George had figured that Marshalltown had a sinch (sic) on the game and was backing up his figures; but luck was against him, and he will support Marshalltown no more, especially when they are pitted against hte Gypsumites.”

Traveling men say that the fans of all the surrounding towns know as much about the team as the home fans and are more enthusiastic. Manson, Lake City, Rockwell City, and all other towns of equal distance get the result of the Fort Dodge games by innings by telephone.

Tags: 1905, Palmer

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 10, 1905

Bones Broken in Game

Ball Player Breaks Collar Bone in Webster City

Webster City, June 10 – Third Baseman Dow of the Williams’ base ball team, which played in this city, had the misfortune to break his collar bone during the game. He was taken to the office of Dr. Rummel where the fracture was dressed. The injury will not prove serious and the young man returned home on the afternoon train.

The accident happened in the last half o the sixth inning. The Williams team was at bat and Dow was on first base. He attempted to make second and a long low ball was thrown (to) Arthur Martin, who was  holding this base for the Baraca team. Martin stooped to get it and tag the runner and Dow attempted a slide. He collided with Martin’s knee with such force as to break the collar bone.

The young man was taken from the ball diamond and assisted to the office of Dr. Rummel. The doctor states tat the injury is by no means serious. It will lay the young man up for two or three weeks, however. Of course beside the breaking of the collar bone, Mr. Dow was considerably bruised about the shoulder.

Tags: 1905, Dow, Rummel

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 9, 1905

Carriage Horse Runs From Fright

Bad Stroke of Luck for W.E. Parsons But it Might Be Worse.

Run Into By Another Horse

The Collision was The Cause of Mr. Parson’s Horse Running Away – Buggy Was Somewhat Damaged and Horse was Slightly Hurt.

W.E. Parsons had a narrow escape yesterday afternoon. He and Mrs. Parsons were out in the woods on north Fifteenth street, plucking flowers for the hotel. Mrs. Parsons was engaged in picking the flowers when two boys came downt he street as fast as there (sic) horse could draw them. Mr. Parsons was keeping the flies off his horse and was standing just past the turn of the lane that goes from Fifteenth street to Fourteenth street. Instead of turning out to escape Mr. Parson’s buggy the boys went directly for ti and hitting one (of) the rear wheels, upset the buggy. The horse which is a high spirited one, became frightened and started to run and, Mr. Parsons being on the ground was unable to stop the horse, so let go of the bit. Away went the horse, tipping the buggy over three times, then the buggy righted itself and the horse ran in the middle of the road home. The loss was slight, being to one of the lamps, the footrest, a whip, and the injury to the foreleg of the horse caused by the casting of a shoe, and a light wrench to one of the rear wheels. Luckily the buggy, which was a high Stanhope, was unoccupied at the time of the accident or Mr. and Mrs. Parsons would very likely have been seriously injured.

Tags: 1905, Parsons

Becker Florists is still in business. They run this truck every year in the Frontier Days Parade. This photo is from June 2, 2012.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 8, 1905

Gardening Done on a Large Scale

Becker Brothers Have Been in Business Since 1885.

Have Two Separate Gardens

Rich River Bottom Land Below Town Furnishes Several Crops a Year and Farm Land East of Town is Also Worked – Ups and Downs.

Let the amateur gardner (sic) walk west on First avenue south from Sixth street and down in the valley he will see a sight that will delight his eyes. Laying out in regular rows or planted in solid plots, are many kinds of vegetables. about a block of the rich river bottom land is used for truck farming and supplies many of the people of the city with vegetables.

This plot and a ninety acre farm are owned by the Becker brothers, Fred, John and Chris. John Becker tends to the garden on the flats and the other brothers to the farm, on which are raised more vegetables and the ordinary farm products. The ground on the flat is so rich that no attention is paid to the evolution of crop theory but the same kind of vegetable is sown repeatedly. In the farm east of town the land is not so rich, so that care in the planing of the vegetables is necessary.

The Becker brothers started operations in the year ’85 (1885) and have continued them in the same place ever since. The place has undergone some improvements, such as tearing down the extensive green houses and building hot beds instead, but beyond that and a few other changes, the place is just the same. All of the early vegetables are started about the fifth of February if the weather permits. If the weather does not permit at that time the gardeners are forced to wait until some time in March. The earlier the stuff is planted the better it is, of course, for the planter’s pocket book. The ground is plowed deep in the fall so as to let the frost get in the earth and pulverize it. As soon as the weather permits the plants are set out and the seed sown. The earliest stuff is planted in the ground on the flat and the late product in the ground east of the city. No fertilizer is needed as the ground is so rich that two or three crops are grown on this piece each year.

All of the products of these plots are sold to the stores, and not peddled from house to house. This selling to the stores reminded Mr. Becker of the uncertainty of the income obtained from the sale of the vegetables. He said: “one year in the middle of July I had nothing to do but sit around and smoke. The price of the early potatoes was twenty-five cents a bushel and we decided to sell our crop. We thot (sic) we had done quite well but when fall arrived potatoes were selling at eighty cents per bushel and we had lost a large sum of money. I remember of another time when we decided to hold our crop for higher prices. We did, and in the fall our potatoes sold at 23 cents a bushel and we lost again. So  you see that while the income is good some years, at the end of other seasons, even the weather thought the weather is fine we get little for our crop.”

(Editor’s note: In the quote from Mr. Becker, he refers to prices from different years. I used an inflation calculator, but since I didn’t know which years he was referring to, I used 1905. So 25 cents would be about $5.99, 80 cents would be about $19.16, and 23 cents would be about $5.51 – if he meant 1905. Since he was referring to previous years, the amounts would be higher.)

Tags: 1905, Becker

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 7, 1904

Message From Dead Found in Bottle

 Boys Fish Out the Bottle as it is Floating in the River Near Kalo.

“Matt McDermott, Clare, Iowa. Tired of living, will seek a watery grave.”

This message was found enclosed in a tightly corked bottle by some small boys at Kalo. While playing near the river they noticed the bottle floating near the shore and fished it out with a pole.

Matt McDermott, a young farmer living near Clare, disappeared last summer and if the note in the botle (sic) proves to be writen (sic) by him it is the first real clue discovered as to his possible fate. McDermott drove to Fort Dodge one Saturday. He put his team in a livery stable and was seen at several places until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. He is supposed to have been seen later in the day but conclusive evidence to that effect has never been produced and the same holds in regard to his being seen near the public square the following morning. Many rumors were afloat for a time, but after the first three hours he spent in the city that afternoon he had disappeared almost as completely as if the earth had opened and swallowed him. Suicide was the theory for his disappearance, but the authorities and many of the missing man’s friends were not wont to disbelieve the theory that he is still living. McDermott had been inclined to be morose for a year or so preceding his disappearance and various troubles are assigned as the causes for his wishing to suddenly disappear.

A brother of the missing man living at Clare was notified of the discovery and immediately went to Kalo. He identified the handwriting as that of his brother and feels certain it is not a deceit. The only unusual feature of the note is the fact that it was signed Matt McDermott. His brother’s usual way of signing was his initials only.

The discovery has created considerable excitement in Kalo, but no search has yet been made for the body.

It is quite likely, if the missing man did take his life in this was he threw himself into the Des Moines at a point not far from this city and there is no way of accurately judging how far the body may have drifted since the deed was done.

Tags: 1904, McDermott

From the movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”

Dobbs: “If you’re the police where are your badges?”
Gold Hat: “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”

Had I known there would be badges, I would have tried to index at least one batch from every state. I get like that sometimes.

But here are the states I’ve worked on so far:

Now I’m going to have to try to index from a wider variety of states, in order to get more – you guessed it – badges!

And, incidentally, the 1940 Census Community Project is halfway through indexing – yay!

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 5, 1905

Little Baby Passes Away

One of the little six months old twins of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Koke passed away Sunday morning. The funeral of the little child will be held from the house Tuesday afternoon and interment will be in Oakland cemetery. The little child was sick for some time.

The many friends of the parents sympathize deeply with them in their loss.

Tags: 1905, Koke

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 5, 1905

An Early Settler Passes Away

Mrs. Jane Crosby, One of the Earliest of Fort Dodge Settlers Dies

Over Eighty Years of Age

Mrs. Crosby Leaves Three Children to Mourn Her Loss – Funeral was  Held From the Family Home on Second Avenue South This Afternoon

Mrs. Jane J. Crosby, widow of Seth S. Crosby, one of the earliest Fort Dodge settlers passed away at her home on Second Avenue South between Seventh and Eighth streets on Sunday morning at about 10:00. Mrs. Crosby had been ill for some time and her death was not unexpected. It was due to old age and heart failure, she being over eighty years of age.

Mrs. Crosby is well known in this city especially among the early settlers for she has resided here constantly for over two score years. Her husband has been dead several years, but she leaves two sons and a daughter to mourn her loss.

One son, Charles Crosby, was formerly a member of the firm of Crosby & Bechtel who operated the Model restaurant. Another son is D.M. Crosby of Boston, who was called here some time ago by the serious illness of his mother and had been with her constantly. A daughter from Chicago is also here to attend the funeral.

The funeral was held from the house this afternoon at 2:00 and interment was at Oakland cemetery. Rev. Fort of the Methodist church preached the funeral sermon.

Tags: 1905, Crosby

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 4, 1904

Destructive Fire at Knierim

East Side of Main Street Swept by Flames

Loss Amounts to About $4,000 – Fire Originated in Hay Mow of a Livery Barn

The whole east side of the main street of Knierim was destroyed by fire Friday evening, causing a loss of about $4,000 ($95,798 today), partially covered by insurance.The fire originated in the haymow of the livery barn, and had broken thru the roof of that building before being noticed. Three horses were burned before they could be rescued. The fire spread rapidly to the adjoining  buildings, all of which were consumed despite the utmost efforts of the fire company. The strong wind which was blowing at the time made control of the blaze impossible.

The buildings consumed were the livery barn, belonging to John Burr, partially covered by insurance, the George Wright harness shop, fully insured and a carpenter shop. The last named building was empty.

The fire was discovered about 4:30 in the afternoon and was so far advanced that nothing could be done by the fire department.

Tags: 1904, Burr, Wright