December 2013 - 100 Years Ago in "That Thriving Town"

A fire related to the state road construction and a possible strike at the dry milk plant were just some of the things going on 100 years ago in Bovina.

December 5, 1913
•    Herman Coulter is building a new milk house.
•    Robert Hunt has bought a Ford Motor Car and it was delivered this week.
•    Miss Kate and Frederika Muller spent Thanksgiving with their sister, Mrs. McCumber at Andes.
•    Eugene Storie has purchased a five passenger Maxwell automobile from Chas T. Telford and Russell Archibald.

Fire in Bovina Wednesday

Buildings at E. Coulter’s Belonging to State Road Contractors Burned

The large bunk house and adjoining small buildings belonging to the Ruddy and Saunders Construction Company, contractors who built the Andes-Delhi State road, and located at Ed L. Coulter’s were destroyed by fire soon after noon Wednesday. 

In addition to the buildings the big auto truck, two loads of lumber and a barrel of gasoline which were stored in the bunk house were destroyed.  The lumber had only been put into the building the day before.

The fire was discovered by Mr. Coulter about one o’clock and in less than twenty minutes had burned up everything that would burn.  No cause for the fire is known. [Ed Coulter lived on Route 28 towards the Andes/Bovina town line.]

December 12, 1913
•    Peter G. Gerry has again presented the Bovina library with magazines and two daily papers.
•    E.C. Doonan, who is a painter, has moved from Kortright into rooms in Mrs. Kate McCune’s house in Bovina Center.
•    Mr. and Mrs. David J. Miller, who about a year ago moved from this town to Walton village, left that place Monday night for Pasadena, California, where they will spend the winter in hopes that the climate will benefit their health. 

December 19, 1913
•    A dance is to be held in the town hall on New Year’s Eve.
•    Miss Louise Dennis left Saturday for Virginia, where she will spend the winter with her brother, John P. Dennis.
•    Miss Margaret Chisholm underwent an operation for cancer of the breast on Monday at the Post Graduate hospital in New York City and is doing well.  Mrs. William Crosier, who accompanied her to New York, arrived home Tuesday evening. [Ironically, Margaret passed away the day this item was published in the newspaper.  See this blog for October 19, 2013 for more on the Chisholms.]

December 26, 1913
•    Professor Archie Coulter is spending the holidays here.
•    Edith Liddle is home from teachers’ training class at Walton.
•    Robert E. Thomson has purchased a Ford Motor Car from Robert Lewis of Andes.
•    Miss Helen Burgin was at Delhi the first of the week, enjoying a ride in George Miller’s auto.
•    At the Oliver sale Wednesday cows sold for from $22 to $66.  A cow owned by John Doig brought $72. 
•    Alex Hilson has had a new lighting plant installed in his store and now lights it with gasoline gas.  It was installed by Ed Hanlon, of Andes. 
•    The Dry Milk Company has cut the wages of the men employed in their plant here.  It is stated that unless the old wages are restored there may be a strike. 
•    For the month of November patrons of the Bovina Center Co-Operative Creamery received 44 cents per pound for butter fat.  The Up-town Co-Op creamery paid 44 cents for butter fat, and skim milk extra.
•    One of the cylinders in the Dry Milk plant bursted under the pressure of the steam, but fortunately no one was near it.  Some damage was done to the woodwork.  The other cylinders have since been tested under higher pressure.