Out of the past 5/1/11

25 years ago: May 1, 1986

Cape Girardeau police chief Ray Johnson believes separate dispatching services of the city's police and fire departments could be combined sometime this summer; although nothing has been done that might lead to the merger, Johnson says the city manager has asked him to prepare a proposal on combining the operations.

The low bid submitted to the county commission for construction of an administration building on Barton Street in Jackson exceeds an architect's estimate and the amount the commission wants to spend.

50 years ago: May 1, 1961

With good weather prevailing, Jackson residents on Saturday afternoon formally dedicated their new civic building; it is a combined city hall and public library which provides sufficient space for serving the public and includes a community hall for civic meetings.

Three State College youths returned to classes here by boat yesterday, making the cruise in an aluminum vessel from St. Louis in less than five hours; the students were Marty Watz, owner of the boat, Robert Thebeau and Jack McNally.

75 years ago: May 1, 1936

The two government-sponsored nursery schools in the Smelterville suburb were inspected yesterday by the state supervisor and given approval; the school for white children has an enrollment of 37, and the one for black children has 34 enrolled.

Employees of the E.L. Markham Construction Co., digging a 6-foot sewer trench on Sunset Terrace, a short distance south of Broadway, open a spring that had probably been dormant many years; the heavy flow of water made it necessary to bring in a pump to keep the trench dry; brick walls uncovered appear to be part of a buried springhouse.

100 years ago: May 1, 1911

The rain that fell the last two days of April could hardly be listed as "April showers," as they were sure-enough rainstorms, causing streams to overflow and roads to wash out badly.

The heavy show wagons going out to the fairgrounds have a hard time getting up Broadway hill in the morning; it requires six horses to haul each up over the granite street.

-- Sharon K. Sanders