Out of the past 10/13/10

25 years ago: Oct. 13, 1985

The Southeast Missouri State University campus and the city of Cape Girardeau will take on the look of Mardi Gras, when the university holds its annual homecoming the weekend of Oct. 25 through 27; the homecoming parade, always a main attraction of the weekend, will use this year's Mardi Gras theme.

Cape Girardeau officials are considering hiring Black and Veatch, a Kansas City engineering firm, to study the flooding problem along a portion of Cape Girardeau Creek and recommend ways to help alleviate it.

50 years ago: Oct. 13, 1960

Victor L. Klarsfeld, owner of the Rialto Theater, announces he is negotiating the purchase of the Broadway Theater building and its movie equipment; the Broadway was built in 1921 by a group of Cape Girardeau citizens and was later sold to Fox Theaters; the current owner is National Theaters & Television Inc., operators of Fox Midwest Theaters.

In what was undoubtedly the heaviest pre-election registration in Cape Girardeau history, 1,470 residents placed their names on the voter list in the sign-up period which ended Tuesday; the number of registered voters for the November general election is 13,502.

75 years ago: Oct. 13, 1935

The steamer Golden Eagle stops briefly in Cape Girardeau in the morning on its second autumn cruise to Muscle Shoals, Ala.; the boat, commanded by Capt. William H. "Buck" Leyhe, has about 60 passengers, all residents of St. Louis and Chicago.

A two-week revival at Red Star Baptist Church ends in the evening, with 19 new members being added to the congregation, bringing the total membership to 667.

100 years ago: Oct. 13, 1910

A St. Louis newspaper is reporting that Louis Houck of Cape Girardeau will extend his railroad line to St. Louis soon; Houck controls and operates 100 miles of railroad in Southeast Missouri.

A trolley car refuses to respond to the brakes going down Broadway hill and runs away down the steep grade; the car dashes across the tracks on Main Street and comes to rest against a telegraph pole near the corner of the Buckner-Ragsdale store; fortunately no damage is done, and no one is injured.

-- Sharon K. Sanders