July Fourth Events Set Independence Day will be celebrated in Cottage Grove with a slow-pitch softball game between village officials and Jaycees and fireworks (to follow after the game).

The slow-pitch game begins at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, on the Crestview Elementary School grounds, 80th Street and Hinton Avenue South, Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove Volunteers firemen will set off the fireworks display at the school at dusk.

The events are sponsored by the Cottage Grove Jaycees, Park Senior High Distributive Education Cub, and the Cottage Grove merchants.

Glamour Comes to Cowtown By David Shama South St. Paul, long chided about some of its strong-scented industries,* has become beautiful, in the eyes of all of Minnesota.

JULIANA GABOR, 19, a South St. Paulite from birth, is the new Miss Minnesota. She exchanged her Miss South St. Paul crown for that of Miss Minnesota the weekend of June…and with it brought a new glamour to South St. Paul.

How she did it is a story which belongs as much to South St. Paul as to her. For a queen, like the rest of us, can be little different from those with whom she has been associated (story continues).

*Spring fertilizing practices could explain this, for anyone who has countryside and/or dairy farm experience.

Driver Training Takes A Turn for the Better By Jean Haskell Driver training—pardon the pun—is taking a new turn.

It used to be that a nervous student accompanied by a nervous instructor (who was trying to look relaxed) wheeled out of the high school parking lot to face a summer day’s traffic. Often it was the young driver’s first time behind the wheel, and for the first few days, the lessons could be harrowing.

PARK SENIOR High students who registered for driver training this summer found something different.

Before they must face actual on-street driving, they have behind them 11 hours of practice on the new driving range. The range, which simulates many street conditions, is located on the east parking lot of the high school grounds.

White lines on the blacktop designate one-way and two-way streets, and intersections with the variety of traffic signs. Other shapes, including a figure-eight, a T, an X and a Y, are used for backing and turning maneuvers.

Parallel parking is practiced between pylons at curbside (story continues).

(pictures) Photo 1: Car 8 attempts Parallel parking. Instructor offers advice with bull horn Photo 2: Instructor explains what went wrong. Car was parked too far from curbside.

Story resumes:…Harry Sell, District 833 driver education coordinator, had urged the district to try the driving range idea, and he is pleased with its operation.

Park is one of only several high schools in the state to provide such a facility.

The range offers better safety and better training for novice drivers, gives them more for their money and saves the district money, he said. 59 Years Ago REPORTER South Washington County Edition Serving St. Paul Park, Newport, Thompson Grove, Woodbury Hts.

Friday, April 14, 1961 Consolidation?

One of the biggest unanswered questions in the area: Do the residents of South Washington county, particularly in the Park-Port-Grove area, including Grey Cloud, want to consolidate?

In an effort to tap the public’s pulse on this matter, the REPORTER is running the clip-out coupon below asking that residents answer the questions and mail to Suburban newspapers…West St. Paul.

Questions: Do you favor consolidation?

If so, when?

To include which communities?

(mailing address follows) Will Port Council Use Bold Strokes?

NEWPORT – Village councilmen may have to grab paint brushes and personally

job on the village hall.

Several weeks ago a county commissioner told the councilmen that welfare officials were seeking work for south county residents who were on relief. The councilmen, who had long wanted fresh paint for the dusky walls of the village hall, saw an opportunity.

They told the county they had a job opportunity, then bought two rollers, two brushes and much paint.

They expected four to six men to respond. One man showed up. The one man began patching the walls and putting an initial coat of paint on the ceiling. He worked 12 hours at $1.15 an hour and never came back.

The councilmen asked for another man and were told that no more welfare workers were available.

Now they have paint, brushes, ladders and spotty walls, but no painters. And they discount the idea of hiring a man.

Thus they are “looking for any public-spirited volunteers who are good with paint brushes.” Otherwise, say the councilmen, they’ll have to do the job themselves.

TIDBITS Thompson Grove area readers will find Geri Gongoll’s regular column, “Thompson Grove Tidbits,” on page 15 of today’s REPORTER.

Residents Warned of Fire Laws THIS AREA – Twenty- two Newport residents were touched by lady luck when they broke the law Saturday.

They weren’t tagged for starting fires illegally. But more important, the day passed without a major fire while one of the village’s trucks was immobile in its garage – undergoing repairs.

It’s grass fire season and Newport and St. Paul Park officials have been issuing warnings to area residents to stay within the law when they start their blazes.

Circulars were mailed to Newport residents reminding them that permits are required for bonfires and other fires started outside of trash barrels.

But fire chief Harry Joyce last week told the village council that he had issued only four permits. On Saturday, police and fire commissioner Bob Bor4chard toured the village with policemen and found 22 persons who had started fires in violation of the city ordinance.

Must Thompson Grove Have Sewers?

Cottage Grove township is perpetrating what is probably one of the most unusual projects ever undertaken by a township form of government— the construction of a sewage disposal system. There are other townships in the area with central sewer systems, but these have been built by the developer, not the township.

Proposed for the new Thompson Estates development just east of Highway 61 is a half-million dollar facility, with a plant on the Mississippi river west of the 3M Chemolite plant and a main carrying line running due north, across the Milwaukee railroad and Highway 61, a distance of about 2 ,miles.

There is some indication that the older Thompson Grove “wants in on the project” and smart money is betting that the community will be included in the initial construction, necessitating a trunk line about a mile and a half to the northwest. The trouble is, a central sewer system in Thompson Grove (the beginnings of modern Cottage Grove) would necessitate tearing up nearly new streets and sodded lawns—a costly venture indeed.

Survey engineers estimate that initial costs in the Thompson Estates area, where upward of 2400 homes are planned, would total about $350 per home. The same service for Thompson Grove would cost twice that, by conservative estimate.

Which brings up the question: Do Thompson Grove residents feel that their sewer needs are immediate enough to necessitate spending some $700 plus per home or would it be best to wait until existing street surfacing needs replacing?

And there is another, less tangible aspect involved. If Thompson Grove elects to wait for central sewer facilities, what will the decision do to the value of homes in the community? With the Anderson addition in the Park and the Estates nearly surrounding the Grove, both with central facilities, the value of the Groves septic- tank homes is unlikely to rise spectacularly.

On the surface, the situation would seem to boil down to balancing these two factors…Thus it appears as if Thompson Grove residents will be forced to ask to be included in the initial sewer system plans of the township (of Cottage Grove), if only to protect their investments. 120 Years Ago THE MIRROR Published by the inmates of the Stillwater Prison Motto: It is never too late to mend.”

Stillwater, Minnesota April 4, 1901 THE PRISONER’S “HOME” LIFE.

Written for The Prison Mirror.

WITHIN the vast labyrinth of this institution there live men of many nationalities, whose personality and everyday life are so little known to the outside world that a short sketch of the prisoner’s “home” life and how he employs his evening hours will be interesting to many whose knowledge of the prisoner is generally confined within the narrow and insouciant manner in which he is portrayed by the public press.

In many respects his “home” life is strangely in contrast to that of his freer brother! His abode consists of a single room, whose dimensions is five by seven feet in size, scantily furnished and upholstered with a thick coat of whitewash (profile continues).

From Statehood Almost 162 Years Ago THE STILLWATER MESSENGER August 3, 1858 Justifying a Wrong.

The Pioneer, which we have been disposed to look upon as a very fair paper, kicks the dish over in its justification of the act of the Lieut. Governor of this State, in his determination to over-ride the rules of the Senate and aid his party in gaining a temporary ascendancy…– Times, 29th.

Context: A scene occurred in our Senate yesterday, which was a disgrace to the State. The question came up as to disposing of the two-thirds rule, when a Republican made a call of the Senate, which call was entirely ignored and the two-thirds rule thrown overboard. For the time the Senate was a scene of confusion, and the Republican members felt half inclined to leave the Hall and return to their homes. “Might makes right,” in the estimation of the Democrats, and when they can’t win by fair means they will by foul. The act was but a re-hash of Kansas Border-Ruffianism, and we hope will never be repeated in Minnesota.—Times, 26th. Territorial Dispatch

Just under 169 Years Ago THE DAKOTA FRIEND/DAKOTA TAWAXITU

Published Monthly by the Dakota Mission, Ed. G. H. Pond May 1850 MATTHEW, CHAPTER 5 1. Herod Wicaxtayatapi un qehan, JESUS Judeya makoce kin ekta Betlehem otonwe kin he en tonpi; unkan hehan wicaxta ksapa, wihinape cin eciya tanhan Jerusalem ekta hipi, qa heyapi: (See Matthew 5:1 for translation) The Dakota Christian.

Hapistina, a Dakota woman, on profession of her faith in Christ, about 12 years ago, was received into the communion of the mission church at Lac qui Parle. At her baptism she was named Balbine. Soon circumstances which she could not control, rendered it necessary for her to leave that place…and entirely destitute of the public means of grace, except when occasionally a merciful Providence brought her into the vicinity of one of the mission stations. About three years since she came to reside in the vicinity of Oak Grove, where from that time she has been a constant attendant on the religious services which are held in the Dakota language, except when she has been at the sugar camp or with the moving party. When she can attend, her voice may also be heard mingled with others, in the female weekly prayer meeting, which is held at the station. She manifests a deep relish for the doctrines of the cross, and seems to enjoy communion with Christ and those who love him; yet does not always sail on a smooth sea. On one occasion, she was turned out of doors by her sister, in whose family she resided, because she would not work on the Sabbath. Last fall, on the morning of the day in which the Indians left their summer residence for their winter hunting grounds, she came to request us to pray especially that God would assist her to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” during her absence. While out at the hunting ground, the party frequently decamped on the Sabbath and left her alone. On these occasions she remained till Monday morning, and then again joined the party to be ridiculed and abused for her religion.

When she is sometimes asked if she is not discouraged and ready to turn back, her reply, “What is there to which I can turn back?” reminds one of Peter’s reply to a similar question which was addressed to the twelve by Christ, on a similar occasion (probably John 6 and context).

When we consider the circumstances in which she is placed, we often feel deep solicitude for her welfare. She is weak and ignorant, and stumbles and falls; but we admire that mighty invisible influence which has hitherto held her up, and praise Him who carries the tender lambs in his arms.— Will not the more favored disciples of our blessed Lord, remember their weak exposed sister Balbine, when they draw near to the name of our merciful and faithful High Priest, who ever appears in the presence of God for us.