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.
100 years ago – October 28, 1920
NWP engineers visit Healdsburg, go over bridge, which will be greatly strengthened
Engineers from the office of the Northwestern Pacific railroad visited Healdsburg Friday relative to contemplated improvements of their big bridge across the Russian River, leading into this city. New piers will be built on the eastern end of the bridge and the spans will be rebuilt between the two. It is their intention to begin work next week. They requested the city officials to lower the water in the river by opening the spillway of the dam. The engineers also advised the Chamber of Commerce that they had accepted the request of the chamber to place a water gauge on a pier of the bridge, with numerals to show the rise and fall of the water during the winter months.
75 years ago – October 26, 1945
Large attendance expected here for church district rally
A large attendance of young people from churches of Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino Counties is expected here Sunday afternoon and evening for the first district rally of church youth since outbreak of war. Smith Robinson, whose efforts are largely responsible for this gathering announces that the rally will open in the Federated Church building at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon. There the general theme will be announced: “What Kind of a Church Do Young People Want.” At 3:30 simultaneous discussion groups will meet in the Federated and Christian Churches, to discuss music and worship, recreation, better meetings, and the social order. Following the discussion groups, Mr. Tap, a returned air corps pilot, will speak to the general public on “What the Returned Service Man Expects of the Church.” The chancel choir, under direction of Robinson will give a half hour concert celebrating the fourth anniversary of the choir.
50 years ago – October 29, 1970
Drivers license office may be moved to Santa Rosa unless new ‘home’ found
Unless a new location can be found soon, Healdsburgers will have to travel to Santa Rosa to obtain a drivers license. For many years Elmer Graper has come to Healdsburg on Wednesdays to issue new and renewal licenses, but that is liable to end. The old Red Cross office on Healdsburg Avenue may be closed up very soon, and that means the weekly licensing stand will have to find a new home. According to the manager of the Santa Rosa Department of Motor Vehicles office, a new state policy urges the closing down of “travel crew stations’’ if the station is within 20-25 miles of a permanent office whenever a convenient location cannot be found. So far the efforts of the city and other interested citizens have been unable to come up with a suitable spot. The Plaza Hotel had volunteered, but the district manager for the DMV, says they do not like stations in the heart of the business district.
