1975: Snow day puts sledders on the front page

In 1975, Mother Nature blanketed Southeast Missouri in another layer of snow to remind everyone that spring hadn’t arrived yet. This was a boon for students, who enjoyed a day out of school and on the slopes.

Other headlines on this date include confusion over a Poplar Bluff park, a destructive lightning strike, and telephone upgrades.

100 years ago

March 14, 1925

• One of the finest homes in Doniphan burned down yesterday, reportedly after being struck by lightning. No one was in the house at the time. Homeowner W.A. Malugen had escorted his wife to Poplar Bluff so she could catch a train to St. Louis yesterday afternoon, then returned in early evening to find the home and its contents were destroyed. An unofficial estimate puts the loss between $5,000-$7,000.

75 years ago

March 14, 1950

• The future is calling Cape Girardeau — the Southeast Missouri Telephone Company announced the city will switch to dial telephones by the end of next year. SMTC is spending $1 million to expand its district headquarters and new dial system equipment will be ordered.

• A former Army captain took the long road to the Missouri penitentiary. Malcolm Dupont, 45, was arrested in New York City and extradited to Butler County to face charges of forgery. He pleaded guilty to passing an $88.38 check at the Poplar Bluff J.C. Penney last August and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Dupont reportedly confessed to passing forged checks in several other states.

50 years ago

March 14, 1975

• A second March snow blanketed Poplar Bluff last night, closing schools and turning hillsides into racetracks. Six young sledders made the front page: 10-year-old Jerry Dunivan, 12-year-old Bobby Spiker, 13-year-old Dale Hite, 9-year-old Greg Ford, 7-year-old Corby Fister and 6-year-old Mike Talkington.

• The Poplar Bluff Park Board clarified the status of Hendrickson Park at a meeting last night. A previous statement using the words “natural state” confused some citizens and naturalists, who believed the 17-acre park would be a wildlife preserve and were shocked to see it developed for human use.

The board explained Hendrickson Park was too small for conservation purposes, and using it thus was unnecessary given Poplar Bluff’s proximity to state parks. The land is being cleared — to a point — for picnic tables, paths, and more.

A finished playground has already been “used to its fullest capacity by thousands of boys, girls, women and men,” the board said.