The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Sept. 8, 1921
THE TRI-COUNTY FAIR: Many people from this vicinity are attending the big Tri-County Fair at La Harpe and reports received indicate that a very successful exhibition is being held. The La Harpe Quill in a write up of the fair says: "A trip to the fair grounds Monday afternoon found superintendents, helpers, exhibitors and everybody on the grounds either as busy as bees or staring in open mouthed wonder at the displays and preparations that are shaping themselves for the biggest and best fair Western Illinois ever saw. Those of us who build our standards by the old pumpkin shows of the 80's and 90's which were in themselves big things in their day and generation, cannot help but gasp at the magnitude of the big fair in 1921. We found the new cattle and hog barns fast filling with blooded stock and were told that many hundred of fine stock exhibits had to be refused for lack of room.
In the cattle barn we found the Henderson County Hereford Association well represented. Stine & Sons have a big display headed by the world's highest priced bull, Marvel's Pride, that cost them $14,500.($175,150 in today's costs) Vaughn and Dodds, J. F. Hurdle, the Painters and others have some fine individuals in this class and there are other breeds represented by the best individuals obtainable anywhere. Mr. Hurdle shows a heifer that was grand champion at Macomb last week.
In the swine pens are Poland Chinas, Duroc, Chester Whites, Hampshire and Tamworth-the pick from the best herds of Hancock, Henderson and McDonough Counties. C. A. Garrett of the west country shows a Tamworth boar that weighs 820 lbs. James Crum of Disco and Watson of Smithshire also show in this class. Among the Poland China exhibitors we noticed the names of E. L. Traser & Son, Conrad Eckhard, John Hamman, Purdy & Conwell, Lawrence Isom, William South and others who have helped put this section of Illinois in the forefront of swine production. Earl Brokaw shows a boar that took first at the state fair. Dr. Ash, we find, does other things besides wait on the sick and afflicted. He has a display of Duroc-Jersey hogs raised on his farm near Good Hope which were prize winners at Macomb where he took first on litter and 2nd, 3rd and 4th on pigs from the National Duroc-Jersey Association. These remarks don't half describe the fine showing in the stock barns.
The new floral hall will be crowded to the guards with fancy work, grain vegetable and out-of-the ordinary things. The Illinois State Board of health has one corner for their health crusade work and baby examination and the county Farm Bureau have another corner.
Just outside this building on the west will be the poultry display. W.J. Justi of Mulberry Grove, Ill. has a carload of fancy fowls that would attract attention anywhere. Local exhibitors were taking up the vacant space under this tent as rapidly as they could be accommodated.
The entry list published a few days ago showed that the races have filled nicely and the stands and eating houses are all set to handle a big crowd."
BOY SCOUTS MEET: The Stronghurst Boy Scouts met Wednesday night and the group was divided into three patrols named as follows: No.1-Wolf patrol; No.2-Eagle patrol; and No.3-Bob White patrol. The leaders and assistant leaders of the different patrols are as follows: No.1-Harold Lukens and Dale Rankin; No.2-Clarence Burrell and Robert Steffey; No.3-Clifton Regan and Sharon Gregory. Frank Wilcox has been elected custodian of the troop supplies.
It was decided to have a "knot board" made illustrating the different styles of knots which the scouts are taught to make. Following the meeting an hour of drilling was engaged in at the village park under the direction of Scout Master McMillan.
THEY CAUGHT HIM: Jim Dugan, a resident of Henderson County, was arrested by the Warren County authorities last Saturday night near Monmouth for driving an automobile on the country roads while intoxicated. He was fined $100 and costs. (Today, he would have paid $1,208.)
RESPONSIBLE FOR SANTA FE LOCATING HERE: Mr. Geo. Baker and family of Davenport, Ia., who were on an automobile tour to Keokuk and return, stopped in Stronghurst long enough to eat lunch and change tires on one of their cars. Mr. Baker was formerly connected with the engineering department of the Santa Fe Railroad and was the locating engineer who decided the question upon which survey the road through this section of Illinois should be built. In conversation with the paper, Mr. Baker inquired about a number of people whose acquaintanceship he formed when the site on which the village of Stronghurst now stands was nothing but an expanse of rich prairie farm land. For a number of years following his retirement from railroad work Mr. Baker was the head of the Tri-City Construction Co. of Davenport, which built a number of public building throughout this section including the Western Illinois State Normal School building at Macomb. He is one of Davenport's best known citizens and a member of the Iowa State Board of Education.
1896 GRAPHIC: A fire of mysterious origin destroyed a large amount of property on the W.H. Penny farm southeast of Stronghurst on the evening of Sept.1st. The loss included two large barns and other outbuildings, 5 head of fine Percheron horses, a large quantity of grain and hay and a lot of machinery and harness, etc. W. J. Bryan made a brief speech in Monmouth and in the course of his remarks referred to the fact that he had in his younger days been beaten in an oratorical contest by a representative of Monmouth College. The one referred to as defeating him was James Erskine, a former Olena boy. (Bryan, a three time presidential candidate famous for his "Cross of Gold" speech in favor of free silver, was known worldwide ability to mesmerize a crowd.) J.R. Marshall and family had just moved back here from Thornberry, Texas where he had tried farming for several years. W.P. Herbertz and his brother Herman had engaged in the newspaper business in Media, having taken over the Media Record office.