The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar, and are prepared by the volunteers at the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Admission is always free at the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
100 years ago – December 16, 1920
Legion dances are discontinued; when they are again given admission it will be by invitation only
The Saturday night dances that have been given for several months by Sotoyome Post of the American Legion have been discontinued until further notice. This is said to be due to the arraignment given the public dance by Evangelist LeGrand at the Christian Church Sunday night. “You can say that there will be no more dances for the present,” said Roy Sawtell, chairman of the entertainment committee of the Legion. “There has been some rough stuff at times, and we know it, and we have tried to stop it. But now we have decided to call the dances off for the present. When we start them again they will be conducted as invitational affairs purely, and we will know exactly who is attending. By this method we will eliminate any one who is inclined to introduce any objectionable features. The Legion will not stand for anything that has a tendency to bring discredit to the womanhood of this community.”
75 years ago – December 21, 1945
City council learns bad news on cost of dam
The city council, Monday night, got somewhat of a jolt when a communication was read from H. M. Engle, of San Francisco, engineer who designed a proposed dam across the Russian River, some time ago. In the letter, Engle estimated that the cost of the proposed structure, which would have a concrete base and summer superstructure, would, in face of present-day material and labor costs, amount to $58,000, exclusive of engineering fees and the price of land used for anchorages. Preliminary investigations and plans for the dam were made prior to July 1, 1944, and it was announced that the cost of this work, which the council hoped to recover through the state’s appropriation for post-war project preliminary costs, could not be reimbursed, because the work was done prior to the date that the appropriation covered.
25 years ago – December 20, 1995
Holiday events
Wind up the holiday season by attending the New Year’s Eve Black and White Ball, which takes place from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Villa Chanticleer. The annual event is sponsored by American Legion Post #111. This year’s ball features a roasted Cornish hen dinner, catered by Oui Cater, followed by dancing to the Cajun music of Gator Beat on one side of the Villa Chanticleer and to DJ Derek Walters on the other side. Tickets are $60 per couple, but free tickets are available to Post members who volunteer their time to help set up. Tickets are available at Cubby House, Favorites, and Toyon Books in Healdsburg.
