From Our Files

• Oct. 18, 1945

W.R. Wagner, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, received confirmation from Mr. Wallace that the Pioneer Hybrid Seed Corn Company had definitely decided to construct a seed corn plant in Hartley as soon as building materials were available. The company had purchased the ground upon which the plant was to be located, which was just west of Hartley on the railroad line.

The open house at the Fairmont Creamery was very gratifying to W.H. Mohr and the employees. Around 700 people made a tour of the modern poultry plant.

The Hartley, Primghar and Sutherland fire departments were called to the P.A. Leese farm south of Hartley when fire broke out in the barn. The cause had not been determined. Approximately 90 tons of hay and several stacks of straw were destroyed.

• Oct. 15, 1970

The new 1,000-bushel-an-hour dryer installed by the Huntting Elevator Co. was ready for operation. It was located just east of the elevator. Grain dumped in the elevator pit could be run through the dryer and back into overhead bins without being handled.

Work was started on an addition to the rear of the General Telephone Co. office. The addition was necessary to expand private lines both in the town of Hartley and in the rural area.

Another business-related project was the remodeling of the former mayor’s office and connecting it with the Hartley Dry Cleaners, both of which were in the same building. The new addition would be primarily used for storage.

Razing of the Thorne and Schroeder buildings was to be done by Sorensen Farm Drainage. The sites owned by the Town of Hartley were to be developed into a parking lot.

• Oct. 19, 1995

Harvesting of soybeans and corn in the Hartley area had been progressing rapidly for most farmers. Preliminary indications were that overall yields were good with some fields producing above average yields, depending upon their location.

Carole Baumgarten, daughter of Elmer and Julie Baumgarten, was inducted into the North Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Department’s Hall of Fame. After receiving her undergraduate and Master’s degrees, the Hartley High School graduate coached at the high school level for three years before becoming named the first women’s basketball coach at Drake University. Her record in nine years at Drake was 258-98.

Renee’s Beauty Shop was moving from its Central Avenue location to Renee Crist’s home in east Hartley.

“From Our Files” is compiled by Sentinel-News sports editor/staff writer Mike Petersen.