Month: December 2022

125 Years Ago: From the Jan. 6, 1898 Scott County Argus

About the first of next month C. L. Wilcox will tear out the front of his building, now occupied by Tailor Gillen, and replace it with a store front with plate glass show windows. Ultimately Mr. Wilcox will erect a fine store building on the corner, the stie of the Ziethen blacksmith shop, which he recently purchased, but until that is done he will make use of the remodeled frame building as a salesroom for wall paper, paints, etc.

100 Years Ago: From the Jan. 4, 1923 Shakopee Tribune

The K. of C. Library will be opened to the public next Monday, January 8^th, and after that date will be open every evening except Sunday from 7 to 7:30. A. J. Mingo will act as Librarian for the year 1923.

75 Years Ago: From the Jan. 1, 1948 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Ball Light Meeting Set

Continuing the movement to provide lights for Shakopee’s baseball park, committees representing civic, fraternal and veterans organizations are to meet with officers of the baseball association at a session to be held either in the Legion club or the city hall Monday night, Jan. 12, Vincent Marschall, secretary of the ball association disclosed.

Letters have been sent to the various organizations asking each to select committees to work with the baseball association in its effort to find ways and means of lighting the ball park.

The Shakopee Fire department had first planned to assume the responsibility for the project but abandoned the idea after probing the problems and difficulties involved.

What plan will be evolved as a result of the coming meeting was not forecast, but it is evident that men interested in the project are hopeful that an organization representative of all groups in the city will eventually be formed to carry the project to successful completion.

In disclosing the date of the Jan. 12 meeting Marschall also made it clear that anyone interested in the effort is welcome to attend the session.

125 Years Ago: From the Dec. 30, 1897 Scott County Argus

Miss Minnie F. Buchanan has resigned her position as teacher in the Union Schools, on account of her health. A successor has not yet been chosen, although it is understood the Board will try to secure the services of a male teacher. As at present arranged the department in which the vacancy occurs includes the third, fourth and seventh grades.

100 Years Ago: From the Dec. 28, 1922 Shakopee Tribune

A very fine shipment of clothing was sent from this city last Friday through the American Red Cross to the suffering natives in Asia. The ladies in charge asked for one hundred garments. However through the generosity of the people of Shakopee, two hundred and fifty-eight garments, all in good condition, were received and shipped to the sufferers in a foreign land.

75 Years Ago: From the Dec. 25, 1947 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Towed Car Breaks Loose, Flows into Theatre Building

Being hauled in from an earlier accident that had cost its driver his life a car broke free from behind a tow truck and plowed into the front of the Shakopee theatre building early Saturday.

Missing only by inches the plate glass front of the Shakopee Jewelry the already wrecked car smashed several visible panels that touch the brick front of the structure, ripped off … trim and smashed the glass to a bill board.

50 Years Ago: From the Dec. 27, 1972 Shakopee Valley News

MVRP Use of Park Seen As Way to Speed Recreation Development

Shakopee Parks and Recreation Director George Muenchow said this week that he is strongly in favor of a current proposal by the Scott County Historical Society to undertake responsibility for development of Memorial Park in Shakopee…

The proposal of the Society, to have the city deed it, the park land and a large cornfield to the north, was made at an executive session of the council a few weeks ago, and at the council’s most recent meeting, city attorney Julius Coller was instructed to draw up necessary ordinances and papers. The ordinance will require two readings before it becomes effective.

If the Society is successful in its quest for more area, they will construct the planned interpretive center for the Minnesota Valley Restoration on the present park property, near the Millpond…

Memorial Park would continue to function as a park and picnic area for the residents of the Shakopee. When an increase in visitors makes the interpretive center area too congested, a picnic area will be constructed in a special park area across the millpond stream for area residents…

Completion of the center and the rest of the site is expected by 1976…

25 Years Ago: From the Dec. 25, 1997 Shakopee Valley News

Developer: Cub, retail center to open in November

Work is scheduled to begin on a Cub Foods store in Shakopee in March, according to the new developer of a shopping complex planned west of Marschall Road and south of Vierling Drive.

Cub is expected to be open by next November, at the 33-acre Crossroads Center, a planned multi-tenant retail development.

Oppidan Investment Co., Minneapolis, is taking over the development and closed the deal last week after the first developer, Shakopee Associates L.L.P., Edina, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.

Oppidan president Joe Ryan said the 170,000-square-foot shopping center will include a SuperAmerica, Norwest Bank and Edina Realty among other tenants. Ryan said with the change in developers, the mix of retail businesses that will fill the remaining 60,000 square feet also will change…

125 Years Ago: From the Dec. 23, 1897 Scott County Argus

An occasional glimpse of a bicycle about town keeps constantly in mind the fact that there is as yet no sleighing, but the frosted appearance of the irrepressible cyclist, as he humps himself along the highway, budding his anatomy into his overcoat as best he can, speaks eloquently of subzero weather.

100 Years Ago: From the Dec. 21, 1922 Shakopee Tribune

A number of ladies under the auspices of the American Red Cross are collecting articles of cast-off clothing to be sent to Asia for the suffering natives. They plan to have about one hundred or more garments and will pack and send them tomorrow from the rest rooms, where they have been delivered the past few days.

75 Years Ago: From the Dec. 18, 1947 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Condon Resigns City Position

R. C. Condon, on leave of absence from his duties as superintendent of Shakopee’s public utilities, has resigned his position, it was learned this week…

50 Years Ago: From the Dec. 20, 1972 Shakopee Valley News

Sweeney Elementary students show their parents what they have learned in phy-ed. The gymnastic course came to a close last week with the students giving demonstrations on the beam, mats, horse, and ropes. According to Jim Trelstad, phy-ed teacher, the course has lasted three weeks and was for students in grades one through six.

25 Years Ago: From the Dec. 18, 1997 Shakopee Valley News

Scott County agrees to plan to share jail space

A two-year agreement between the Carver and Scott County sheriff’s departments, approved by the Scott County Board Dec. 9, will benefit both counties in fully utilizing and expanding the life of their jails, officials said.

The Scott County jail is experiencing overcrowding problems and is operating above its licensed capacity on an average of 10 inmates per day. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Corrections found the secure jail to not be in compliance with a variety of mandatory jail standards.

Meanwhile, the non-secure jai annex in Jordan has an abundance of minimum-security beds while the Carver County jail has an abundance of secure beds.

The agreement, approved by the Scott County Board on Dec. 9 will allow Scott County to house Carver County’s work-release and minimum-security inmates at the Jordan annex while Scott County would house a number of inmates who require secure custody at the Carver County jail.

Inmates will be exchanged on a one-for-one, day-for-day basis with no charge to either county. Transportation of the inmates will be provided by the county in which the inmates were sentences.

125 Years Ago: From the Dec. 16, 1897 Scott County Argus

The appearance of snowplows on the engines of the Omaha railway indicates that all is not quite so summerlike and milk everywhere as it is in this vicinage.

100 Years Ago: From the Dec. 14, 1922 Shakopee Tribune

The Al Tiedt farm, east of this city was visited by thieves Sunday night, who made a get-away with forty chickens, three turkeys and thirty grain sacks. They also helped themselves to the lens from Mr. Tiedt’s Ford. No clue to the prowlers has been found at the present time.

75 Years Ago: From the Dec. 11, 1947 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Renew Ball Park Lighting Project at Confab Monday

Effort to provide lights for Shakopee’s baseball park was renewed Monday night when members of the Baseball association and representatives of the city and local service and fraternal societies met at the city hall to consider the situation.

Harold Bigot, president of the ball association, presided at the session which considered adoption of a new approach to the proposed project, which has occupied public attention for several months.

Confident that a satisfactory solution will eventually be reached the group agreed to have another meeting at a date to be announced later.

50 Years Ago: From the Dec. 13, 1972 Shakopee Valley News

Board Okays Move to Get Costs for District Offices

Informal board approval was given Monday to School Superintendent Dr. Robert Mayer to obtain costs for renovation of a portion of Central Elementary School to be used as District offices.

Plans, originally developed for the renovation were cut back substantially, and rather than put the entire project out on bids, the work will probably be conducted by local craftsmen.

This approach was recommended as the most economical by the school’s architectural firm which developed the plans for the offices without charge. Cost estimate of the project before the cutbacks, was $50,000.

Moving to the district office when it is completed will be the Superintendent and his secretary, Mrs. Gertrude Roepke, schools business manager Robert Martin, the school’s TIES office, the local branch of a school district cooperative using one computer service for scheduling, marks and payrolls.

25 Years Ago: From the Dec. 11, 1997 Shakopee Valley News

Seagate plant proposed here

1,276 jobs could move to city if company gets tax-increment help

Seagate Technology is considering locating a $30 million to $40 million, 340,000-square-foot compute disc-drive design center and research and development facility in Shakopee’s Valley Green Business Park.

Seagate is seeking tax-increment financing assistance from the city and without it, will look elsewhere. Among the site contenders is the city of Savage, said Godfrey Mayer, director of corporate real estate for Seagate…

The facility would be built in two phases. Phase one would begin next spring with a two-story, 262,000-square-foot research and production facility with an estimated market value of $22.5 million. It would hold 715 workers.

Phase two would be completed by 2002 with an 80,000-square-foot expansion and an estimated market value of nearly $8 million. The second phase would bring about 511 jobs.

Additionally, Seagate anticipates adding 40 new full-time jobs during the first two years of operations.

At its Dec. 2 meeting, the Shakopee City Council voted unanimously to accept the development proposal in concept after a presentation by Roger Gaudette, a consultant representing Seagate. The council directed staff to move ahead with the proposal with the intent of having a finalized proposal by next Tuesday’s council meeting.

125 Years Ago: From the Dec. 9, 1897 Scott County Argus

A substantial plank walk has been laid by the city along the Bornarth residence property, thus making possible a trip to the Court House dry shod in all kinds of weather.

100 Years Ago: From the Dec.7, 1922 Shakopee Tribune

Mrs. E. J. Pond informs us that she served lettuce from her garden at dinner on Thanksgiving and again the following day, December 1. Some record for Minnesota.

75 Years Ago: From the Dec. 4, 1947 Shakopee Argus-Tribune

Red Owl Store Moves to New, Larger Quarters

In an advertisement in the Argus-Tribune today Leo Robeck, owner of the Red Owl Agency store here announces the opening of his new and enlarged store on Lewis street immediately adjacent to the former site the store had occupied since opening here in November, 1941.

At the close of business last Saturday night, as carpenters, plumbers, electricians and painters completed their respective jobs in the new quarters, Robeck and his staff set to work moving the stock and by Monday morning the new store was in operation…

Grocery, fruit and vegetable bins and shelves have been erected, modern refrigerator cases for fresh fruits and meats are in place and a spacious walk-in refrigerator has been installed in the large storage area provided on the west side of the store.

50 Years Ago: From the Dec. 6, 1972 Shakopee Valley News

Medical Center Poses Another Rezoning Problem for Council

Another tough rezoning question was tossed into the lap of the Shakopee City Council Thursday, approximately 48 hours after it had rejected a similar proposal in the same general location along County Road 17.

The most recent rezoning, from residential to business use for a medical center, was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission Thursday night…

Dr. Donald Abrams presented plans for the construction of the medical center to the Planning Commission. He said the center, which will initially be manned by either four or five doctors, would be a one-story structure with a total floor space of some 7,000 square feet…

The center would be located approximately midway between Shakopee Avenue and 10^th Avenue, with an exit onto County Road 17…

25 Years Ago: From the Dec. 4, 1997 Shakopee Valley News

Church catering to Spanish-speaking people forms here

The drop ceiling installed by the business that used to occupy the building has been removed, exposing the dark oak, intricately curved beams and a vaulted ceiling. Near the roof, bricked up from the outside, are two small stained-glass windows. With the beams, they remind people that the building once served the congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Shakopee, from 1900 to 1967.

The pews are gone. The floor is stripped. The plaster has been removed, leaving a skeleton of two-by-fours that suggest what the rooms will be like when the remodeling is done. Now 30 years later, after serving as a bus terminal and office building, the building at 502 First Ave. E., its exterior freshly painted a sea-foam green, is once again serving as a church.

Officially, the denomination’s name is Iglesia del Dios Vivo, Columna y Adoyo de la Verdad, La Luz Del Mundo, or The Church of the Living God, Column of the Truth, the Light of the World. The sign outside the church refers to it simply as La Luz Del Mundo.

It is Shakopee’s only Spanish-speaking congregation and it formed two years go with 55 members. Today, the congregation numbers 80…