Quick highlights from the journalist history of Franklin County over the past 100 years. Taken from the newspaper archives of the Franklin County Citizen and Preston Citizen.
25 Years Ago, June 25, 1997
Franklin County and Preston City officials pledged to work together in drafting future building codes and planning and zoning ordinances. Mayor Jay Heusser said, “We need to be as uniform as we can be in the ordinances and requirements we have. This will help fill in the interior of the city without us having to expand city limits. It will also help the county to uniformly regulate growth.”
Construction recently began on a new Phillips 66 gas station behind the Will-O-Way convenience store on 800 N. State, Preston, said Jeff and LuAnn Green, owners and partners of Green Properties L.L.C. The decision to build the new convenience store was made partly after Green Properties signed a consent form with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to clean up the on-site contamination — which source has not been determined, said Jeff Green.
When Karl Malone and several friends cruised through Preston on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles last week and took time to sign a few autographs at the Will-O-Way, Sheri Perry thought she was just one of the lucky ones who happened to be in the store...She hurried home to tell her Jazz fan son, Justin, that if he hurried out to their mailbox he might be able to see Malone as they cruised along Hwy 34...seeing the fan sign Justin held, Malone stopped and chatted. “We haven’t peeled Justin off the ceiling yet,” said Sheri.
50 Years Ago, June 29, 1972
Four Franklin County families will each have a Japanese guest for two weeks during July. The visitors will be in the area under a special exchange which Idaho 4-H has arranged, and will include the Dee Petterborg, Byron Ashcroft, Don Workman and Gale Moser families.
There is one stool in the bowling alley in Preston, the first one at the end of the counter, which has a name on it and cannot be used by the everyday person without permission. This stool is reserved for Snowy (A. L.) Stocks, who operates the café and bowling lanes. He is in his 24th year in the restaurant business and 12th in bowling, and enjoys the work very much. He was a farmer in his early life.
Charles Tate, son of Dwain and Buna Tate of Riverdale, has been named student-body president of Stevens-Henager College of Ogden, UT, for summer and fall quarters. He is beginning his fourth quarter, majoring in Business Management.
Wallace Jensen, Preston Postmaster, states that recently letter boxes in rural areas are being damaged by vandals. Some are being shot at and others blown up. Postal law provides “whoever willfully or maliciously injures, tears down or destroys any letter box or other receptacle intended or used for the receipt or delivery of mail on any mail route, or destroys any mail deposited therein, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than three years.”
75 Years Ago, July 3, 1947
The county board of education was named in a special meeting of the school trustees from all the districts within the county, called together for that purpose by Mark Hart, county superintendent of public instruction. After dividing the county into five election districts, candidates were named and ballots cast. A tabulation of results showed that Cecil Foster, Whitney, and Ben Meek, Riverdale, had been elected for a term of three years each. Guy Woodward and J. Clifford Forsgren, both of Preston, were elected to terms of two years each, and Orson Kofoed, Clifton, was elected for a term of one year.
Membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has more than doubled since Pearl Harbor, some 510,000 new applications having been accepted during the past five years or so, according to Clifford Warr, exalted ruler of Preston lodge 1670. Elks throughout the nation now number more than 1,000,000.
Damage of varying degrees was suffered to crops of this area when frost hit unexpectedly Sunday night. In places where crops were dry and the air drainage poor the damage was considerably heavier than in places where fields had been irrigated.
100 Years Ago, June 28 ,1922
A barn (belonging to “Cap” Smith)containing $3,000 worth of harness, a Federal Truck valued at $2,000 together with tent and camping outfits valued at $1,000 making a total of $6,000 were destroyed by a fire Saturday afternoon about 5:45 o’clock. The Preston Fire department quickly responded to the fire call, but the fire had made such a headway by the time they arrived that it was impossible to save anything. The fire is said to have been started by a match that was used to look into the engine of the Federal Truck and later dropped on the floor.
Radio DANGER! As a Safety First measure, this Company will not permit the use of its poles or equipment for the attachment of radio apparatus, in any manner. The attaching of such apparatus, or even its close proximity to electric poles or wires, is extremely dangerous — first, because of the likelihood of loss of life or serious injury from personal contact; and second, because of the possibility of fire and other property damage due to contact of wires. Such apparatus when found, will be removed. — Utah Power & Light Co.
A new delicious breakfast bread. Full-fruited raisin toast! A new delight for the entire family. Made with big, plump, tender, seeded raisins — Sun-Maid brand. The raisin flavor permeates each slice. You can get such bread from any grocer or bake shop if you insist. No need to bake at home. Once you try it and you’ll always have this kind. You’ll serve it at least twice a week. Makes a dainty bread pudding with left-over slices. No need to waste a crumb. — Sun-Maid Seeded Raisin Growers, Fresno, Calif.