RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 3 No. 9 Thursday, Feb. 29, 1968
Today is a rare day. Today is Feb. 29, that bonus day we get. Further, it is the fifth Thursday this month. That means you’re reading the fifth Pea Ridge Graphic published in February. While Leap Year comes every four years, it is not nearly so often that the month has five Thursdays. An Iowa newspaperman figured it has happened in 1776, 1816, 1844, 1872, 1912, 1940, 1968, and will happen again in 1996 and 2024!
Nine men are working on highways in this area have 200 miles to cover. That runs into quite a feat when an ice storm hits as it did Tuesday, Feb. 20, especially so since there are so many hills and valleys that motorists have to contend with. For instance, on Wednesday morning, beginning at 4 a.m. , Pratt and his crew started trying to get the roads ready for Pea Ridge’s big work force that takes off for jobs in surrounding towns. They used 7,000 pounds of salt and mixed 33 sacks (2,640 pounds) of calcium chloride in with the chat they were spreading. By Thursday, the crew was bracing themselves for what weathermen were predicting to be a heavy snow forecast for that night.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 13 No. 9 Wednesday, March 1, 1978
The bald eagle that was found near Pea Ridge last Monday with a gunshot would died Thursday at Auburn University in Alabama where it was taken for treatment according to Andrew Pursley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent in Little Rock. It was determined from a band on the eagle’s leg that it was banded June 26, 1976, at Ord Lake, near Perault Falls in Ontario, Canada. Pursley said the veterinarian at the special Auburn University facility was surprised the eagle shot near here lived for as long as it did. The wound appeared to have been made by a rifle bullet which hit the wing and shoulder. A person convicted of shooting an eagle (either a bald eagle or golden eagle) could face a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The Blackhawk senior boys, top-seeded in last week’s district tournament at Winslow, fell to fifthseeded Farmington 61-54 Thursday night before a stunned Pea Ridge crowd and coaching staff. “This is the most disappointing loss I’ve ever had, without a doubt,” coach Jimmy Roe told the GRAPHIC-SCENE. “You expect so much from something and then it all just falls in your face.”
30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 23 No. 9 Thursday, March 2, 1988
Pea Ridge went to its first Power Lifting meet last week and took fifth out of the six teams. However, their placing is somewhat deceiving. Pea Ridge was seven people short of a full team. Each weight class had anywhere from 10 to 12 people competing. Coach Miller felt Pea Ridge made a good showing and will help them in future competition.
Come home to northeast Benton County per Realtors section. Harris-McHaney Real Estate Co. listing: an acre and a 2-bedroom beauty is what you get here. This home is so immaculate it looks better than new. It has lots of pretty wallpaper, wood stove, large breakfast bar, two ceiling fans, satellite dish and other extras. Owner would consider trade to Rogers or lake area. Call today — $50,000. Shearin & Company Realtors listing: Exceptional. Well landscaped corner lot in Sundance Acres. Quality guilt home with all the extras. Beautiful fireplace in spacious living area. Custom cabinets in kitchen; three bedrooms and two baths. Appealing interior will win you over. $56,900.00
20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 33 No. 9 Thursday, March 5, 1998
As many as 200 people attended the meeting in Pea Ridge last Thursday during which questions were raised and answered concerning the Summit water project. The Summit project is designed to provide potable water to rural residents north of Pea Ridge to the Missouri line and west to Bella Vista, including Plentywood subdivision. The City of Pea Ridge will oversee construction and manage the Summit association once completed. Pea Ridge Water superintendent Robert Button said that at least 400 households in the area will have to sign up for water before construction can begin.
Gardeners and homeowners have a love-hate relationship with armadillos. The armored-covered critters are cousins to anteaters and gobble up pests such as termites and fire ants. However, they like to dig for their food and to create burrows, and this is what gets them in trouble with homeowners. There are no successful repellents or poisons registered for armadillos. In 1880, armadillos ranged south of a line from Corpus Christi to Eagle Pass in Texas. Extension Wildlife Specialist Becky Stout said, “Since that time, they’ve been quite successful in spreading northward as far as Missouri and Kansas, and eastward as far as Florida.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 43 No. 9 Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Weston Street widening is one step closer to beginning now that the city has approved a constructions company. Hutchens Construction Company of Cassville, Mo., was hired at a special City Council meeting Monday contingent on being legally acceptable. Hutchens does not have a municipal and utility construction specialty license. Assistant City Attorney Andrew Huntsinger said there was a question about their being able to do the work, even if they hired a licensed subcontractor. City councilmen hired Hutchens, the low bidder, contingent on approval from the state. A city official said Tuesday Hutchens was approved.
The 146th anniversary of the pivotal battle that saved Missouri for the Union — the Battle off Pea Ridge — will be commemorated Saturday and Sunday at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Due to heavy rains that the park has received in the past few weeks making the overflow grass parking lot too wet to park cars on, free public transportation around the park for the annual battle anniversary event this weekend has been cancelled. As a result, the public will have to drive their own vehicles around the park to view this weekend’s activities.