THAT REMINDS ME WITH MARILYN HAGERTY: Grand Forks in 1911 saw influx of . . . oysters?

• Marilyn Hagerty

Marilyn Hagerty

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All you ever needed to know about oysters, you could find in the Herald 100 years ago. The newspaper ran a piece with a headline, “Oysters have made an appearance.”

That “most sought after of all shell fish — the oyster — is here,” the story reported in September 1911.

The “toothsome bivalves … are from Long Island Sound off New Haven, Conn., but that isn’t their home. They were transplanted there from down in Chesapeake Bay so they would not be in the cooler water and thus be ready for early season plucking.

“Chesapeake oysters at this time of year have beards as long as Brother Noah, sallow complexions and are generally anemic. But the Long Island Sound oysters are said to be first class.

“According to dealers, the oyster crop is excellent this year. The pure food law has stepped in with the result that the fugitive oysters will be shipped in airtight cans instead of in bulk. In this way, they will be free from all contagion, especially that of impure ice.

“There will be a slight increase in price, but this will be offset by the increased quality of the product and guarantees of absolute purity. The early oysters are said to be those known to be perfectly healthful and not dangerous in the slightest.”

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Grand Forks aviator Thomas McGoey often was in the news 100 years ago. He nearly met death at Sauk Centre, Minn., when he crashed through a fence.

McGoey requested a new engine by telegram, and it was sent to Sauk Centre. The new engine was a 60 horsepower Hall Wright, reported to be one of the best airplane engines of the day.

“A.T. McGoey was within 6 feet of being killed when he made a fourth unsuccessful attempt to fly from the Stearn County fairgrounds over the fence,” the Sauk Centre newspaper reported.

“His self-made biplane smashed through the high fence and was broken, but McGoey stuck in the plane and brought it to a stall when it was half way through the fence.”

Several thousand people were bitterly disappointed when McGoey failed to fly, the Sauk Centre newspaper reported. The crowd applauded when McGoey’s plane arose, and the applause “had not ceased when he went into the fence.”

Later in September, McGoey made a flight in Grand Forks that was “the best work ever seen,” the Herald reported. He was at an amazing altitude of 1,000 feet over Riverside Park.

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Among the businesses running ads in the Herald in September 1911 were The Ontario, J.C. Hart & Co., Benner, Begg and Garvin, E.J. Lander & Co.

John Vold ran the Lion Drug Store. You could call 770 in those days and put in an order for Pokegama charged water and ginger ale from Henry & Hewitson.

Hunting season opened Sept. 7, 1911. The prediction was that there would be more ducks than prairie chickens. Grand Forks County Auditor Hans Anderson had issued 800 licenses the day before the season opened.

UND opened its doors Sept. 19, 1911. The No. 1 train brought about 30 students from the Dickinson, N.D., area. In fact, there were students from all over the state, with enrollment reaching 500 — the highest in history.

Grand Forks public schools once again were leading in the state’s opening enrollments, with 3,889 students in school here. There were 3,626 reported from Fargo, while Bismarck had 1,081.

And Grand Forks would have skating and curling rinks during the winter that would be the best and largest in the Northwest, the Herald declared.

Norval Baptie, world champion skater from Bathgate, N.D., had been in the city to talk with local enthusiasts about skating.

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