When John Burke was elected governor of North Dakota 100 years ago, it wiped out the political machine of Alexander McKenzie. Such political upheaval never had been known in the Northwest, the Herald said, and that it was a great victory for reform forces in North Dakota.
County and city voters of Grand Forks showed their desire to be free of bossism, the Herald said. After the election, 200 tickets were sold in Grand Forks for the excursion by special train to Devils Lake to meet the next governor. Hundreds of Republicans and Democrats held a jubilee and gave a magnificent ovation to the governor-elect.
George B. Winship, editor of the Herald, was one of three leaders for the reform in North Dakota. Though he was a Republican, he became known as a progressive.
In November 1906, the building season was drawing to a close for another year. Among the projects:
-- The foundation for the new St. Michael's Hospital was in place and work on the four-story, $75,000 structure was to be completed in 1907.
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-- The power house for Grand Forks Gas & Electric Co. was completed.
-- The new International Harvester block would be ready for occupancy at the beginning of the new year.
And there were several other businesses and homes in final stages of construction.
During November, the Herald presented a sketch of the new library building to be erected on the UND campus. It said Andrew Carnegie, realizing the importance of educational work being done on the campus, promised to give $30,000 toward the building. A like amount was provided by authorities for the library that would serve the needs for years to come.
The mill of the Grand Forks Lumber Co. closed for the season on Nov. 9, 1906. The logs were about cleaned up, and the freeze-up was not far away. The mill had a wonderful season, according to the Herald, and converted several million feet of logs into lumber. An announcement that the mill would run for more years caused rejoicing and was a great thing for East Grand Forks.
Although Nov. 16 had been the date set for taking the steamer Grand Forks out of commission, Commodore Lystad determined to bring in one more lot of wheat before closing the season. The steamer left with several barges in tow to be loaded at Bentru, N.D. (on the Red River east of Thompson, N.D.), and other points with wheat. The work was accelerated to get the boat back to the city before freeze-up.
Happenings 100 years ago:
-- North Dakota Liquor Institute was guaranteeing a cure in 21 days or a money refund. The Institute was established here in 1898 at 422 N. Third St. It was a large, homelike three-story building.
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-- Father L.F. Vaughan, one of the most brilliant speakers on the American lecture platform, delighted a large and attentive audience at the assembly room of Central High School. His lecture was on "Sermons by Shakespeare." A more able address had never been heard in this city, the Herald said.
-- Roundtrip tickets for $9.25 were offered by Northern Pacific Railway to see the Carlisle Indians and the University of Minnesota 11 play at Northrup Field in Minneapolis.
In those days, good corsets were on sale at F.C. Zulsdorf & Co. There were "swell" men's overcoats advertised by Opsahl, the Clothier. Winter underwear was featured in ads by Benner, Begg and Garvin. The Ontario Store soda fountain was promoted as a good place to refresh yourself while shopping.
Life was interesting around here, with the Varsity Bachelor Club the oldest fraternal society at the university. It had 22 members. And residents of Grand Forks were fond of Lew Williams, who was said to be 117 years old - but nobody knew his age for sure. They knew that he was the oldest man in North Dakota.
Williams, a black man, had appeared in Grand Forks 35 years earlier when navigation on the raging Red River was at its height. He was a roustabout on the steamboats. He came up the Mississippi River after the Civil War, and in 1906, he was a resident of the County Poor Farm at Arvilla, N.D., where he spent his time tending the poultry.
