Out of the past 8/8/05

25 years ago: Aug. 8, 1980

There are still questions to be answered and problems to be solved before a mass transit system is revived in Cape Girardeau; however, following a meeting with state transportation officials, local transit supervisor Steve Engelmann feels he is much closer to the answers.

Beginning Wednesday, couples will no longer be required to have a blood test in order to obtain a marriage license, says Cape Girardeau county recorder Janet Robert; the change in the law, however, doesn't affect the three-day waiting period.

50 years ago: Aug. 8, 1955

Almost 1,000 additional acres of a proposed Missouri state park in northeast Cape Girardeau County were secured on options obtained by a special committee last week; the amount secured last week raised the total land now under option to almost 2,000 acres; approximately 3,000 acres of the rolling hills in the section are needed in the campaign for the park.

Girardeans who see the film, "The Kentuckian," to be shown at the Esquire Theater later this week, will view scenes made aboard the old steamer Cape Girardeau; after plying the river for many years, the boat was sold to the Greene interests and was renamed the Gordon C. Greene.

75 years ago: Aug. 8, 1930

ST. LOUIS -- John. H. Gehrs, head of the department of agriculture of the Cape Girardeau Teachers College, holds a lead of 7,400 votes over W.S. Smith of Excelsior Springs, Mo., for the Republican nomination of state superintendent of schools on the face of unofficial tabulations of Tuesday's primary.

Cape Girardeau experiences one of the hottest days of the drought period, when the mercury at 2 p.m. leaps to 105 degrees; several commercial thermometers in the city register as high as 112 degrees.

100 years ago: Aug. 8, 1905

Henry Brinkopf finished work with his wheat threshing outfit last Tuesday; his season shows about half a crop, and the quality of the grain isn't up to average; last season he threshed 16,000 bushels, while this year he has threshed only 9,000 bushels; out of the entire number, Henry Allers, Fred Baertling, Albert and William Koerber, August Kurre and P.W. Weisinger have the only crops which were up to the standard.

Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Himmelberger leave for a month's trip to Denver, Colo., and Yellowstone Park, taking with them Harry and Charley; Katherine and John went to Logansport with their nurse, Kate Bolin.

-- Sharon K. Sanders