Out of the past: July 12

1997

Spurred by the Oklahoma City bombing, the government has beefed up security at Cape Girardeau's Federal Building and hundreds of others across the country in the past two years; at Cape Girardeau, the improvements are expected to be completed by Sept. 30 at a cost of about $170,000 and include everything from security cameras on the building's corners to improved lighting, as well as a fence and electronic gate for the employee parking lot.

The Cape Girardeau City Council yesterday awarded the contract for the Henderson Avenue-New Madrid Street intersection project to Penzel Construction Co. Inc. on a low bid of $223,312.50; that intersection, next to the Southeast Missouri State University campus, is hampered by traffic flow from five directions, including Greek Drive, and a hill that limits visibility.

1972

Arnold Roth, Cape Girardeau Realtor, insurance agent, community leader and former Cape Girardeau County judge, dies unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack at his home; while Roth, 79, had been under a physician's care, he remained active in civic, church and business endeavors; a combat pilot, Roth served in both World War I and II, emerging from the latter conflict as a lieutenant colonel.

Close-up of the last pour of concrete on Interstate 55, July 12, 1972. (Southeast Missourian archive)

A few minutes after 4 p.m., wet concrete spills over from the front of a paving machine onto already-dried concrete, and the twin ribbons of Interstate 55 concrete become whole from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis; the linkup comes without fanfare or celebration, and, except for a few extra people watching, is a routine operation.

1947

Cape Girardeau street department crews are busy again today following the falling Mississippi River back to its banks by hosing away the muck left by its retreat to 38.7 feet this morning, a fall in the 24-hour period of practically a foot; meanwhile, merchants, borrowing fire hose from the fire department, or using garden hose, are busy cleaning their establishments preparatory to reopening; at Montgomery Ward store on Main Street, considerable damage was done to the floor, where a top maple surface buckled in huge waves, one almost as tall as a man.

With a former Girardean, Chief Orville C. Sayles in charge, re-establishment of a Navy recruiting station in Cape Girardeau is announced by Chief Paul W. Hill, district recruiter; offices will be maintained in the headquarters of the Navy Reserve Division on the ground floor of the H.-H. Building.

1922

JEFFERSON CITY -- The State Highway Commission releases the report of its engineers designating the primary, hard-surface highways for Missouri; the original Kingshighway from St. Louis to the Arkansas line isn't included, but a primary highway is designated to run from St. Louis to De Soto, to Farmington, to Fredericktown, to Patton, to Oak Ridge, to Jackson, to Cape Girardeau, to Illmo and Fornfelt, to Benton, Sikeston, New Madrid, Caruthersville and the Arkansas line; Kingshighway will be struck at Jackson and then will continue through the counties of Cape Girardeau, Scott and New Madrid.

With little coal stored away in private homes for winter use, and the major industries of the city with not more than a 60-day supply and the difficulties of getting more increasing daily, the grip of the nationwide coal strike is tightening on Cape Girardeau; less than 5% of residents have bought their winter supply of coal, dealers estimate; less than 225 tons of coal are in yards here, while none of the industries has a supply to last over two months.

-- Sharon K. Sanders