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

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 3, 1904

Hoodlums in Office Buildings

They Go in Upper Hall Closets to Drink Wishkey (sic)

Throw Bottles in Sewer Pipes, Clogging Them and Requiring Plumbers to Remove the Debris

It is surprising to know the extent to which hoodlums make free with other people’s property, as demonstrated in a good many down town business buildings. Complaints are being made constantly that somebody, whether boys or full grown bums, enters the upper halls of business buildings and make trouble by stealing the electric light globes from their sockets, taking the chains from toilet room apparatus, and clogging up the bowls of the toilet room traps with all kinds of old junk from coarse paper to empty whiskey flasks. The frequency with which glass bottles are found by plumbers whose services are required to remedy troubles caused by such hoodlumism proves that the people who are to blame for a good deal of this are men and not small boys.

To show the extent of this trouble it may be mentioned that L.K. Phillips tells a Messenger representative that his plumbers were summoned to a large building on Central avenue used for offices three times last week on account of the drainage of the toilets room traps being clogged so the water could not run away. Each time they found an empty whiskey bottle stuck in the pipe. It takes a good deal of gall for a man to seek the seclusion of another person’s building to drink his whiskey, but it is certainly the limit of meanness to follow that action by throwing the bottle down the pipes.

This petty mischief should be stopped by the police if vigilance on their part can do it. It is difficult to catch people in such acts and some good detective talent will be necessary.

Tags: 1904

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 2, 1905

Operators Stop Work as Bees Swarm

Western Union Telegraph Office Closed for Half an Hour

Drive Operators From Keys

A Very Amusing Incident Occurred at the Western Union Telegraph Office This Morning But One Whose Comic Part is Not Appreciated

The Western Union Telegraph operators, manager and messenger boys were all driven from their office in quick fashion this morning at about 10 o’clock. The operators and other employes (sic) were working at their desks when a swarm of bees flew through the open door and began to light on different objects all over the room.

With a shout of dismay the operators left their keys and hurried from the office. They all hurried  with heads down too, for the upper part of the room was filled with these insects. The operators and other employes rushed into the street and before any had stopped they were on the other side of the street.

A hurried consultation was held and a plan of attack was drawn up. The plan had to be decided upon quickly too for the operators had left their work, even while they were sending and receiving message. The could hear the dot and dashes being rattled off which signified their call and knew that operators elsewhere were all wondering what was the matter at Fort Dodge.

Fortunately as the employes took themselves out of the door the door itself was left wide open and some of the bees seeing that there was nothing to be found there were leaving the room. As the employes discovered that the enemy’s forces were being reduced they made a valiant rush for the office and taking newspapers rolled up and other misslies (sic) began the work of extermination. Soon the slaughter was great and over-whelming. But meanwhile the time had been flying and before it was thought safe to resume operations at the keys a half hour had gone, and messages from all points were piling up. Now the office rules are that a door shall be kept tightly closed until a screen door can be purchased.

The swarm of bees is attacking many business houses.

At the Keim and Bunn candy factory they have become a veritable nuisance. Sulphur (sic) is being burned constantly there to drive them away.

Tags: 1905

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 1, 1904

Fireman Lou Pray Injured

His Foot Crushed in an Accident at Tara Monday – Caught Between Car and Water Tank

Louis Pray is confined to his home suffering from a crushed foot as a result of an accident of which he was the victim Monday night. Pray is a fireman employed by the Illinois Central and was on his engine bound west at the time of the accident. From what can be learned the mishap was due to a string of cars not being “clear” on a sidetrack at Tara. As the engine was passing the cars Pray’s foot was caught between them and the tank in the tender and painfully hurt.

Tags: 1904, Pray