__100 years ago__
Aug. 29, 1923
• Southeast Missouri has seen one of the shortest selling campaigns of watermelon in the history of this section. With 90% of the crop moved, according to a report from the Bureau of Agriculture Economics at Kennett, a total of 1,006 carloads of watermelon were shipped this season compared to 2,031 the previous year.
The price of the St. Louis market at the opening of last week for 26-pound melons was $350 per car. At the end of the week, the same type of melon was selling for $150 per car.
According to representatives at Kennett, the quality of the melon has been poor.
• Three cans of fish from the Federal Fish Hatcheries at Iowa were received this afternoon to be taken to Keener Springs and placed in the Black River. Each can contains 1,000-1,500 fish.
Local sportsmen are endeavoring to “seed” the river so that it will supply “good fishing” for several years to come.
Data compiled by the Missouri University reported that Keener Springs has an output of 9 million gallons of water daily.
__50 years ago__
Aug. 29, 1973
• Administrators of Lucy Lee Hospital announce that they will be forced to close the hospital cafeteria to the public, noting the high costs and scarcity of food items forced the decision. “The hospital’s first concern was to furnish satisfactory meals to the patient, and this was becoming a daily problem,” an advertisement read. Officials promised it would reopen to the public as soon as “food prices and availability are stabilized.”
• The Poplar Bluff Walmart offers a discount on baby shoe bronzing during the month of August.
• A meeting is held at Dexter with representatives of 13 Southeast Missouri fire departments to address the need for better record keeping practices and submission of reports to the State Fire Marshall’s office.
The newly-appointed state fire marshal shared that he desired reports of all fires in which there is any suspicion of an incendiary origin so they can be investigated.
• After a six-day siege, hostages are freed from a Stockholm bank. Hostages cried, “Don’t hurt them,” as law enforcement entered and later telling authorities, “We never felt the boys were a threat to our lives.” Four individuals were held hostage for 132 hours in a 40-by-19-foot vault by two men, described as a safe cracker and a life-term murderer.
Aug. 29, 1948 - No edition available
Editor’s note: This is part of a regular series looking at today in Poplar Bluff’s history through the pages of the Daily American Republic and its early predecessors.