MARILIYN HAGERTY: Flags, new Masonic Temple marked 1913

Longtime Herald columnist Marilyn Hagerty and her review of Olive Garden going viral is the Herald's 2012 story of the year. Grand Forks Herald photo by John Stennes.

Opinion by news@grandforksherald.com

May 28, 2013 at 5:45 AM

When Memorial Day was celebrated in Grand Forks on May 30, 1913, the Daily Herald said every home should display the American flag on all patriotic holidays.

The newspaper arranged for 48-star flags at cost so every reader of the Evening Times and the Daily Herald would have the flags. Readers could clip coupons in the newspaper and with 35 cents they could get a flag. And if they wanted it delivered by mail, they could add another 10 cents.

May 1913 was an exciting time in Grand Forks. There were plans for the new $200,000 Grand Forks County Courthouse. And on the heels of that announcement, there was news of a new Masonic Temple. Total cost for the building was estimated to be $130,000. And the news story declared "it will be one of the finest buildings in the state."

The structure was to be of white pressed brick and trimmed with buff Bedford stone. It was to be built on the lot at the corner of North Fifth Street and Bruce Avenue with the front of the building facing the new courthouse. The new building was planned with a banquet hall to accommodate 800 people.

In other news 100 years ago:

• The new Northern Pacific Limited fast overnight train between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Winnipeg was routed through Grand Forks. The train was reported to have electrical lighting equipment of the same character of the noted North Star Limited. The train had barber, bath and valet service. There was an observation car and a lounging car. There were electric reading lamps in both the upper and lower bunks. The dining car had services including the "Great Big Baked Potato" and other specialties. It arrived and departed from Union Terminal in Winnipeg. The train stopped at Grand Forks, Forest River, Grafton and Pembina.

• A full-page advertisement in the Daily Herald said all roads would lead to Grand Forks for the opening of baseball on May 5, 1913. Mayor M.F. Murphy proclaimed, "Grand Forks is the only North Dakota city with organized baseball."

While most businesses were closing on the opening day, four downtown stores took out an ad explaining their intention to stay open. They said they wanted to be available to out-of-town customers. The four were Benner & Begg, F.C. Zuelsdorf, R.B. Griffith and Sig Wolff.

The Flickertails of Grand Forks lost to what was described as the "listless" opening game by a score of 5 to 4 to the Winnipeg Maroons. However, the second game was described as exciting, with "the Forkers" making three runs for a win after being 2 down in the 9th inning.

• The Commercial Club here was sponsoring "Know Grand Forks" tours 100 years ago. Automobiles were provided and the first trip was to see the Golden Grain Biscuit Co. This is where the sponsors said crackers, cookies and other dainties were made for a big part of North Dakota.

• Then, as now, people would shake their heads as time was marching on. Western Union posted an ad saying, "The typewriter has supplanted the handwritten letter. Western Union day and night letters have supplanted the slower mail."

Another story told of Dr. A.H. Taylor here receiving the first information on a game at "the AC" by wireless. It described this as a new use found for the Marconi invention and said it should be a great boon for fans who want to know the score before "the bats are packed."

• Ada Durand, the city librarian in 1913, files a report of 28,372 books loaned during the past year to 955 borrowers. Of that number 17,814 were fiction. The report also show-ed 10,305 used the reading room.

• William Chisholm, the expert secured to teach beginners how to play golf, arrived in Grand Forks. Many novices were reported to have joined to learn the game the previous years. The Grand Forks club in 1913 had about 60 members. The golf season opened May 10, 1913.

• On May 25, 1913, at the farm of James Cooper near Fordville, N.D., a fire killed 19 horses and destroyed about 50 harnesses. A lighted cigarette carelessly thrown away was the only explanation found.

• They believed in telling things as they were 100 years ago. A report in the Herald said, "Playing one of the most ragged games ever seen on Varsity Field at the University, the team went down to defeat by the Agricultural College aggregation with a score of 8 to 7. It is not that the AC team was so good. Rather, it is that the University team was so bad.