Out of the past: Aug. 6

1994

Trail of Tears State Park north of Cape Girardeau is one of five sites to be certified this year as a historic site along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail; the 1,200-mile-long land and water trail extending over nine states follows the paths taken by 5,000 Cherokee Indians who were forcibly removed from 1837 to 1839 from their tribal homelands in the East to a reservation near Tahlequah, in northeast Oklahoma; a portion of the land trail crosses the Mississippi River at what is now Trail of Tears State Park.

ST. LOUIS -- As part of its annual retreat, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education evaluates the performance of superintendent Neyland Clark, concluding Clark has been following the board's directions; no decision is made about the superintendent's contract, which is up for a one-year extension.

1969

Lawrence L. Fee, an Army and National Guard veteran for 27 years, has been promoted to chief warrant officer in the 135th Engineer Group, Missouri Army National Guard, at its Cape Girardeau headquarters; Fee is shop chief of Organizational Maintenance Shop No. 3 here, a position he has held 20 years.

Sites for facilities contained in the city's proposed capital improvements program -- to be submitted to voters Aug. 19 -- are announced by the City Council; included are selected locations for the two new residential fire stations, a south city park and a landfill needed for a municipally-operated refuse collection.

1944

The Rev. J.B. Ragsdale assumes his duties as pastor of Red Star Baptist Church; he came here from Breeze Baptist Church in St. Louis, where he served five years; the Rev. and Mrs. Ragsdale and son, Carroll, 14, are residing at 513A Themis St.

With Roy Smith hurling two-hit ball, and his team obtaining 10 hits, the Capahas have little trouble defeating Dexter, Missouri, 8-1, at Fairground Park; the victory is the Caps' 13th in 15 games.

1919

Martin Lorberg has awarded he contract for his new store building on South Sprigg Street to contractor Adam Halter, and work is set to begin tomorrow morning; the building will be strictly fireproof and, when completed, will be one of the model furniture stores in the district.

The bottom dropped out of the watermelon market Tuesday, the price declining from $600 to $200 per train car in a single day; the threatened railroad strike has caused buyers from the larger cities to suspend bidding on melons.

-- Sharon K. Sanders