Arthur Lyman (Excelsior handbook)vegetables from his garden, and his wife won prizes with her canning. The four boysJuly23. Auctioneer Willis Wilson, after
James, Paul, Romanzo and Warren) gained recognition for the potatoes and corn20yearsofhandlingfarmandmachinerytheygrew. Among the girls, Louise did best with dressmaking, Lucy's breadmaking
3,,, sales, announced his partnership with
won her trips to Chicago four times, and both teamed up to demonstrate cake making.s t* ` `F Hopkins auctioneer, A.J. Vavra. They
planned to unite their efforts and "cry
sales together," both for the price of one.
HCR)
1926
October 16. Robbers held up Excelsior's
bank about 12:30 p.m. and got away with
15,000. The following account is compiled g
from reports in the Minnetonka Pilot and a„
F--- ----°
the Hennepin County Review:`
itotlic I Kragness, cashier, was on 9 b
duty alone, with two customers in
the bank, when the stranger en-F
tered. Mr. Kragness had seen the
man the day before, walking up P 4 ' •
and down in front of the bank
7` t
LO. Kragness, 1925 ce j . ._, 7 4 ` '.rsF
and peering through the windows.I
i ,
K
4 f*0 * V / '
On entering the bank at this time, the stranger smiled, and Kragness (remem
j 3 i
bering him from the day before) smiled back. Suddenly the man whipped out T k "
a pistol and pointed it at Mr. Kragness, telling him to put up his hands. The x t r } :
robber then went behind the railing. Another bandit came in with drawn 1,
pistol and covered the two customers: Miss Sarchet, teacher, and James
O'Connor, watchman at Radisson Inn. He forced them to lie down on the 1_4
floor. Then J.F. Frank, an electrician, walked into the bank and was ordered
to lie down. But he was too slow and the bandit struck him on the head with s
the butt of the gun. Two other bandits entered carrying pistols, and one of r
them had a gunnysack. They joined the leader behind the counter and took The Needle Craft Club went to Janesville about 1926
Front row, I -r: Sally Fenton McBratnie, Cora Baker, Louise Dickinson, Julia Finley, MargaretCash, checks and other securities, and were ready to leave within five minutes.
Hennessy. Row 2: Mrs. G.E. Hennessy, Mrs. Harry Yeager, _ , Mabel Arey, Abbie Hennessy,On the way out, a bag of nickels burst open and coins scattered on the side-Grandma" Finley, Mrs. Carrie LaPaul. Row 3: Mrs. Perkins, Mrs. Geo. Dickinson, Jo Moody,
walk.Elsie Beebe, Sarah Finley, Marie Sampson, Ella Morse. Row 4: Mrs. Fenton, Mrs. Christian, Isabel
Bladon Berens, Mrs. Bladon, Row 5: Sue McWade
Dr. H.C. Arey and A.H. Lyman were standing and talking in front of the bank
when the robbers came out with their loot. One of them was carrying cur-Spring. Three of the "streetcar" boats built in 1906 (the Como, White Bear and Minne-
rency openly in his arms. Thinking at first that they were taking money to haha) were dismantled and sunk in deep water north of Big Island. (OB, 52) It is safe
deposit it, Dr. Arey made a remark about this. One of the men then pointed to say that no one, even in his wildest imaginings, anticipated the excitement, nostalgia
a gun at the Doctor and told him to mind his own business. The bandits ran and enthusiastic media coverage generated, more than five decades later, when the
to their getaway car, parked across the street with its motor running. The streamlined hull of the Minnehaha was raised from its watery grave.
driver had been sitting there with a Winchester rifle across his knees. The five
bandits, all around 40 to 50 years old, headed toward Minneapolis, but their July 29. This last of the four open -air pageants staged on the Commons was very
successful. Besides its 100 horsesstolentouringcarwaslaterfoundintheditchnearOxboroHeath.horses, the huge cast had between 500 and 700 people,
depending upon which newspaper you read. This was a repeat of the 1919 pageant,
November 26. Excelsior's Lucy Palmer was chosen as the most outstanding junior the "Epic of the Red Man and the White Man /' which ended with the first World
leader in Girls' Club work in the state of Minnesota. She was given a free trip to the War and a fireworks display.
National Boys' and Girls' Club Congress at Chicago to compete in the national leader-The lovely theme song, "By the Waters of Minnetonka," had been gaining in
ship contest. (HCR)popularity in the twelve years since its publication. Composer Thurlow Lieurance,
Most of those in the Palmer family were active in 4 -H Club work, winning honors while recording melodies of Indian songs from 30 different tribes, had first heard
and prizes every year at the State Fair. The father, Henry Palmer, entered fruits and
I 89
L
88
7
March 26. Miss Lorraine King, vocal music director at Excelsior High, led a double
a barge owned by Anson R. Mase. Following a picnic supper served in the Park life. During school hours, she was preparing the high - school chorus for the annual
pavilion, more than 100 members and guests went aboard for the boat ride. As the spring music festival. Outside the classroom, she and her golden harp had appeared
ship" pulled out, the Hopkins Municipal Band played "Anchors A- weigh."with the orchestras of Andre Kostelanetz and Vaughn Monroe and had provided
Mase's boat, "built to sustain large ships," had been used by the Navy during dinner music in all of the larger Minneapolis hotels. This evening Miss King was guest
the war for emergency dry -dock work. Now on Minnetonka, she served large groups soloist with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. (MR)
for events of this kind. (HCR)
March 27. The year -old Tonka Flying Club had increased its membership from 7 to 17
1 T'and now owned three planes: two Piper Cubs and one Aeronca Chief. During the
winter, members flew the planes with skis to land on Lake Minnewashta. In the spring
t
the Aeronca was "put on pontoons." Officers for the coming year were R.S. Kinghorn,
F #president; Harold Pohl, vice - president; and Les Johnson, secretary- treasurer. Semi - „,,,,
4 monthly meetings took place at the homes of members. (MR)
3 D r
n °April 3. This was the Grand Opening of the Wehnes Drug Store. The old MinnetonkaJ
1 / ,Drug Store had been rebuilt and remodeled by the new owner, Lloyd Wehnes. (MR)
7 April 9. The high - school vocal groups presented "Great Moments in Music” under
the direction of Miss Lorraine King. The high point of the evening was a "condensa-
3 tion" of the Merry Widow Operetta in which costumes, scenery and ballet combined
s:1`t
Y
Pearl and Ade (Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Sea-with the singing leads and chorus to produce a treat for the eyes, as well as the ears.mans) at two different radio stations, 1947
F The audience was wildly enthusiastic, calling it the "best musical program ever given
J,in Excelsior High School." (MR)
t April 16. Col. W.S. McWade, a veteran of two wars, died at his home on ChristmashA`
Lake, where he had lived since his marriage in 1899. He had been in command of
Company A of the 15th Minnesota National Guard when the regiment was ordered to
the Philippines. He was serving under Gen. McC. Reeve in the Spanish- American
November 1. This was Ruth Hutton Day in Excelsior, and the American Legion Post War and the Philippine insurrection that followed. During the first World War, he
served as Commander, was an instructor in infantry training at Dunwoody Institute,and Auxiliary gave a dinner in her honor. During her 25 years as a member of the local
organization, she had been ascending from one office to another on the state and Minneapolis, and military instructor in various Minneapolis high schools. After the
national levels. The World War, he enlisted in the Army Reserve Corps where he became a colonel andpinnaclewasreachedonAugust31whenMrs. Lee Hutton became remained active until 1941. (MR)National President of the American Legion Auxiliary. Since then she had toured
Europe with an Auxiliary delegation, visiting national cemeteries and studying the
May 12. The Excelsior School Patrol made its first appearance on street corners.needs of towns devastated by the war. Two years later she would be awarded the Backed by the Hennepin County Sheriff's office, this patrol was directed by SchoolFrenchLegionofHonorforherpart "in the rehabilitation of St. Die, a French town Superintendent Nilsen and sponsored by the Clarence Clofer Legion Post. (MR)destroyed by the Germans in World War II." (MR)
May 13. Roger Hennessy returned after two months spent in Philadelphia, studyingDecember1. The new National Tea store opened this afternoon with Russell Esau
at North America's School for Insurance Agents. He had been an insurance agent
as manager. It was located across Water Street from the Tonka Theater, on the site with the Minnetonka State Bank since his return from service two years earlier. (MR)where the White House had been razed and the land lowered to street level. (MR)
June 3. The new Town Pump was an eating place on Water Street owned by Mr. and
1948 Mrs. Mallory Bolton, of Deephaven. They had decorated their place in green and
mulberry and installed, in their front window, a real, old- fashioned, square wooden
pump with running water which flowed into an old oaken bucket. The Boltons offered
January 29. Arthur Lyman died. Son of Henry M. Lyman, he had grown up in Carver coffee, baked goods and fountain service at horseshoe - shaped counters with revolving
seats. One could also "take out" any of the famous brands of ice cream, candies andCounty, married Evelyn Brackett of Excelsior in 1903, and had two sons and one
daughter (Richard, A. Burton and Elizabeth). Mr. Lyman is best remembered for bakery goods they carried. Mr. Bolton had finally achieved a dream he had been
promoting Wendelin Grimm's alfalfa in the area and calling this hardy new variety harboring when World War II interfered with his plans. (MR)
to the attention of state agricultural experts. (MR)July 1. Sheila Kragness received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in
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