From Our Files
1946: First plane lands at new Hartley airport
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• April 11, 1946
The town council voted to allow $15 a month to Mayor P.A. Leese, to rent his office for use as police headquarters. A police phone was being installed. Harry Lage was hired as night watchman to replace Bob Meyer.
A strong wind which blew in gale-like proportions caused considerable damage to a hanger being constructed at the airport at May City. The wind blew over cement blocks at the front of the new structure. The hangar was being built by Carl and Fred Keller.
Lambert Fechter piloted the first plane to land at the Hartley municipal airport. With him were his wife and daughter, Linda, who was already a veteran with 20 hours of flying time despite only being 20 months old. Fechter said the new runways were in very good condition.
• April 8, 1971
One leg of the annual Easter Seal Crippled Children’s “Pony Express” ride on Good Friday was starting in Hartley. A.M. “Stub” Johnson, well-known Spencer restaurant owner and an avid horseman, was to ride the first leg of the journey to Humboldt. The Chamber of Commerce was sponsoring a Pony Express kickoff breakfast with all proceeds and other donations going to the Easter Seal fund.
Eight members of the Hartley track squad won the Class B indoor state title at Des Moines. The Hawks picked up 23-1/2 points to 19-1/2 for Sioux Center, the second place team. Keith Koele was the only individual champion, winning the 60-yard high hurdles.
Even before the new restroom, shower and trailer dump facilities at the Ten Acre Park were officially opened, vandals broke the locks on two metal doors. No damage was done inside.
• April 11, 1996
Farmers Cooperative Elevator acquired the agronomy division of the Hartley Thermogas division. The elevator assumed Thermogas’ agronomy accounts and their equipment.
After accepting Lynne Koelling’s resignation as full-time middle school vocal music instructor, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn school board issued her a six-tenths time contract for 1996-97. The position was reduced as the new middle school schedule eliminated supervisory duties.
To ensure the Hartley Industrial Park served its original purpose, the city council agreed that formal criteria were needed to govern how land was made available. The decision came in response to ongoing discussion regarding a request for land that initially included a provision for a speculative building on the property.
“From Our Files” is compiled by Sentinel-News sports editor/staff writer Mike Petersen.
