Looking Back: Soldiers at the front
110 years ago - Jan. 20, 1916
Reprinted were two letters from soldiers at the front.
“The Germans made a gas attack two days ago, just to the left of us, but, as usual, they got a severe beating . . . We could smell the gas . . . and it made our eyes water,” wrote Ike Bennett to Harry Ball.
The Christmas box Francis Foreman received from Mrs. Coulter of the Ridpath Patriotic League “was a pleasant surprise,” and he shared some of its contents with Jimmie Quinn of Rosetown, he wrote to her.
The manager of the large Agricultural Development Co. farm north of Stranraer, W. A. Moore, visited here. The company had “an enormous crop” in 1915, including 110,000 total bushels of oats, almost 32,000 bu. of wheat and 4,000 bu. of flax, yielding 112 1/2 bu. per acre for oats, 49 for wheat and 20 for flax.
The United Producing Co. was putting on the play Within The Law at the Rex Theatre on Jan. 31. Tickets cost $1 and 75¢ for adults and 50¢ for children.
100 years ago - Jan. 21, 1926
Workers had started gravelling the main streets of Rosetown.
Idaleen curlers defended the Badger Cup. Tied coming home were
skip Thomas Gardner, John Gardner, George McGregor and Bert Hay of Idaleen and skip L. Naismith, J. R. Winter, Robert Scobie and E. G. Huck of Rosetown. In the last end, skip Gardner was lying one and didn’t throw his last rock.
A De Laval cream separator was saving a farmer $96 per year, according to a testimonial ad from C. E. Conlin.
A 10-bar carton of Fels Naptha soap cost 80¢ at Assaly Bros.
70 years ago - Jan. 19, 1956
The Austin Snow Plow Club held its annual meeting at Charles Macena’s home, reported Valley Centre correspondent Mrs. Beatrice Jedlicka. Members elected Arnold Esler as vice-president and re-elected Macena as president and James Blazek as secretary-treasurer.
T.V. antennas “are emerging one by one,” wrote Mrs. Jedlicka. J. Stanek, E. Krchov, J. Scrivens, the Jiricka brothers, G. Kadler and R. Krchov had got them lately.
Robert Farquharson won first prize for wheat among 98 entries in 4-H club work.
50 years ago - Jan. 21, 1976
Three people were running for a town council position: John Cloutier, Norm Mackie and Dennis Sabo.
Members elected Stan Hovde as president of the Rosetown Wildlife Federation. Among others elected was Marg Gowen as treasurer, the first woman to become a branch officer.
The first baby born here in 1976 was Melissa Rae, the first for Mr. and Mrs. Terry Kon of Brock, at 12:42 p.m. on Jan. 14. She weighed eight pounds eight ounces.
30 years ago - Jan. 22, 1996
First to be born here that year were twins Brooke, seven pounds six ounces, and Brody, six pounds 10 ounces, between 7:25 and 7:27 p.m. on Jan. 11 to Tamie and Brent McDonald of Lacadena.
Temperatures were minus 30 during the day and minus 40 at night.
Coming from Tokyo where the coldest it got was minus three, Japanese exchange student Kanako Yamada said she was “amazed because I’m still alive in this cold.” She was staying with Berny and Cheralyn Wiens near Herschel and found the lots of open spaces to her liking.
20 years ago - Jan. 23, 2006
A photo showed Grant Martens of Rosetown and Mike Warkentin of Kerrobert and other Wheatbelt Parables cast members rehearsing songs at the community hall. The production was to raise money for the newly formed Rosetown Community Theatre.