Throwback Thursday - Jan. 2, 2025

Today is Thursday, Jan. 2, the 2nd day of the year. There are 363 days remaining in 2025. Below is a collection of news items found in the Creston News Advertiser for this week in history.

110 years ago (1915)

The year 1915 was given such a welcome by Creston people as perhaps has never been accorded any New Year for a good many past. It seemed that every whistle, bell, horn and voice in the city was cut loose, each vieing with the other in making the loudest noise, and this conglomeration of noises was greatly augmented by the booming of several guns and the beating of tin pans by some of the younger set.

Greenfield - The annual dinner of District No. 8, Grove township, was held at the school house New Year’s day. It has been the custom for nearly thirty-five years for the people who reside in the district to assemble on New Year’s day with well filled baskets and spend the day socially.

The traveling men of Iowa are asking for the passage of one law by the next legislature that ought to be enacted without opposition - a law to provide some means by which traveling men, students and other whose duties take them away from home on election day may be able to cast their ballots. Such a law would be simple justice to a large body of voters whose interest in public affairs is always keen and intelligent. It would be to the advantage of the state to have the votes of these men cast and it would be less than justice to refuse to provide a way.

125 years ago (1900)

New Years as a holiday was only partially observed in Creston. Beyond the closing of the saloons and banks and the annulling of a few local outgoing freights the day was not different from any other. The newspapers as usual issued their editions last evening.

The olden custom of watching the old year out and welcoming in the new, was as a matter of course, observed in a number of homes, but the merry making feature was to an extent eliminated owing to the fact that New Year’s eve fell this year on Sunday night. In many churches over the country watch meetings of prayer and song were held.

“About six inches of snow would mean several hundred dollars to the Creston merchants next Saturday,” remarked a well known business man this morning on his way down town. People will travel further to do their trading when the roads are good and just now the farmers would like to take a sleigh ride. This good road question is an important factor for a city even if the work is done in the country.

140 years ago (1885)

The demise of the old year was not celebrated with much pomp and ceremony in Creston and the streets did not present any unusual amount of liveliness. The weather was intensely cold, the thermometer registering twenty degrees below zero before dark, and dropping fast. At the Pine Street opera house a large number of people gathered to witness the dramatic and terpsichorean entertainment given by the city fire department.

A lively fight occurred between Ed Nugent and Tom Deverd last night in which the former was unmercifully pounded. The affray began in Douglas & Hopkins’ place on Pine street, and grew out of a desire on Nugent’s part to run things. Those who witnessed the row said it was one of the nicest fights ever had in Creston, Nugent being worsted in a very short time.

The officers of the Union draft horse association have conspicuously displayed in their building the following rules for the government of employees, visitors, etc: “No profanity, no blackguarding, no spitting on the floor of office and no smoking in the barn.” The ruler further say that “if you cannot obey the above we prefer your room to your company.”