Looking Back – January 12, 2022

25 years ago
Jan. 8, 1997
Eagle season along the Mississippi is in full swing and a special weekend is being planned in Alton to celebrate the eagles’ arrival.
The River Project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the World Bird Sanctuary invited everyone to take part in the upcoming programs and special events in celebration of eagles.
Visitors are given the opportunity to view wild bald eagles which winter along the Mississippi. A close up look at a bald eagle and other raptor species from the World Bird Sanctuary are highlighted during the natural history programs offered throughout the two weekends.
The event will be held Feb. 1 and 2, 1997, at the Alton Belle Casino Conference Room, third floor of the Alton Belle Landing.

50 years ago
Jan. 13, 1972
St. Norbert’s Catholic Church in Hardin will celebrate its centennial anniversary on Sunday, Jan. 16. Bishop William O’Connor of Springfield will offer mass in the church at 4 p.m. to be followed by a potluck supper for the entire parish in the gym after the mass.
Fr. Roy Bauer, pastor of St. Norbert’s has invited priests who were formerly associated with St. Norbert’s to concelebrate with the Bishop, and the Dominican Sisters who have taught here in the past are to be honored guests.
For many years, the Catholic people of Hardin attended the same church as did the people of Michael. The first mass to be celebrated in the neighborhood was at a house located three miles north of Hardin, at the site of the old Paul Godar home. This was in the year 1850, and the priest came from St. Charles, MO.
In 1852, the priest from Brussels came to the neighborhood once a month and said mass at the home of Mr. Degerlia, Mr. Ewens and Mr. Bokamp. In 1861, the log church at Michael was constructed and a priest from Fieldon was obtained. In 1877, Fr. Freimuth was appointed resident pastor at Michael and he was instrumental in having the frame church built at Hardin. This building was dedicated by Bishop P.J. Baltes of Alton on April 25, 1878.
The priests who were stationed at Michael attended the Hardin Church and were Frs. Summers, Johannes and Connelly.
In 1908, the rectory was built and the first resident priest, Fr. Kelley, was installed. Other priests who served before 1910 were Frs. Francis Smith and O’Flarethy.
In 1910, Fr. Edward Hickey was appointed. It was due to the efforts of Fr. Hickey that the new church was built in 1914 and 1915, according to George W. Carpenter in “Calhoun is My Kingdom.”

75 years ago
Jan. 9, 1947
The proposed Golden Eagle Bridge at south Calhoun County came a step closer to reality Tuesday during a meeting at the courthouse.
The county commissioners, the superintendent of highways, William Fieldler, the state’s attorney, J. Clark Anderson, and attorney William J. Becker of Clayton, Mo., met with E.W. Warmstatler, representative of the Stifel-Nicolaus and Company Bond Brokers of St. Louis, and Wood Smith, representative of Svedrup and Varcel, consultant engineers of St. Louis.
The meeting was to discuss further plans for the constructing of the bridge.
The Stifel-Nicolaus Bond Co. is willing to sign agreement with the county commissioners to purchase all the bonds floated for the cost of the bridge in the event the project is consummated.
That company, together with its engineering company, will exert all their influence and energy, it was said, in completing plans for the bridge.
The Golden Eagle Bridge is to be built, proposedly, between a point south of Brussels to a point at St. Charles, Mo.
The bridge will be financed solely by tolls until which time the expense of construction is all paid.
At that time, it would be a free bridge.
A bridge at south Calhoun would lend further importance to the construction of the Mississippi River Scenic Highway through Calhoun County.

100 years ago
Jan. 12, 1922
The new silver dollar of the 1921 design, the peace dollar, is soon to make its appearance.
The first dollar to come from the Philadelphia Mint has been presented to President Harding.
The new dollar has the head of Liberty on one side and on the other a dove upon a mountain top, clutching an olive branch, struck by the rays of the sun, with the word “peace” beneath it.
This is the first change in the design of the dollar since 1878 and will remain the design of the dollar for 25 years unless changed by legislation, as the coinage laws prohibit any change in the design of the standard silver dollar more often than once in that period except by special legislation.