Out of the past 11/22/05

25 years ago: Nov. 22, 1980

An appliance company foreman and an independent contractor became the fourth and fifth candidates to file for the Cape Girardeau City Council yesterday; David Davidson, a foreman at Superior Electric Co., and Daniel S. Strother are seeking the seat being vacated by Mayor Paul Stehr.

Dr. John Gearing of Cape Girardeau was recently awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Missouri Baptist College in St. Louis.

50 years ago: Nov. 22, 1955

Formal notice has been sent to Cape Girardeau by the Missouri State Park Board that if a 3,000-acre tract of ground in the river hills of Cape Girardeau County is donated "free of lien or obligation," the board will take over and develop the area into a state park; members of the chambers of commerce of Jackson and Cape Girardeau have been active since early summer obtaining options on land in the area.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Charleston Democrat, a weekly newspaper, has been purchased by and will be consolidated with the Enterprise-Courier, effective Dec. 1.

75 years ago: Nov. 22, 1930

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce has been negotiating for the establishment of a rayon factory in Cape Girardeau; the factory, as proposed, would employ 200 workers and would dye and spin rayon thread, which would then be sold to large users of the material.

The new, diesel-powered towboat, the William Dickinson, built on special order for the Marquette Cement Mfg. Co., arrived at the company's docks yesterday; it will leave tonight for St. Louis with a barge of cement on its maiden cruise for the company.

100 years ago: Nov. 22, 1905

Fire destroys the old Commercial Hotel in Jackson in about two hours, as well as Dr. George W. Vinyard's office, which adjoined the hotel; children walking to school around 8 a.m. notice smoke emerging from the upper story and quickly raise the alarm; thinking the old courthouse is ablaze, many people rush there to help save the old records; the old hotel, owned by William Byrd, stood just across the street and northeast from the county building.

All the differences between the Jackson Gravel Road Co. and the street railway company were settled last night, and work on the streetcar line can now proceed westward; the railway firm has agreed to the road company's demands of $500 damages and a 20-foot clear space in the road.

-- Sharon K. Sanders