Brave Marcellus lost to Chieftains 108-0 in 1919

Published 11:42 pm Wednesday, August 3, 2011

1915: March 11, M.V.C. Hart of Dowagiac died on Monday.

gillMr. Hart formerly owned a large farm out at Volinia and re­sided there for many years.

1916: Oct. 19, Dowagiac High School has for some time had the reputation of having one of the best football teams in the state. In fact, it is so far above the average that many high school teams will not accept a game with them. However, Mar­cellus, knowing they had no chance of beating them, was courageous and they thought they might learn how good players play good football. Of course, the Marcellus team was beaten, and very badly beaten, but was not sorry they came to Dowagiac. The final score was 108-0 (Boy, me thinks this sure has to be some kind of a record, don’t you agree?)

Here are a few things I’ve picked out of old newspapers.

In 1835, Dowagiac had a kill­ing frost on June 20.

In 1885, the first meal was served in the Elkerton Hotel (Later Champs and Gaslight).

The meal included Saddle Rock raw oysters, broiled Mack­inac trout, green turtle soup, leg of Southdown mutton, buffalo tongue, corned beef and cab­bage, sugar cured ham, sirloin of beef and ribs of beef, turkey, saddle of venison, teal, vegeta­bles, relishes, jellies, a dozen pies and cake. Only $1.

In 1851, there was the Ohio Cafe, where the post office is now. Just west of it was the Al­liger laundry.

1865: The depot was on the east side of the railroad tracks. It was later moved and became part of Mark Judd’s mill.

1888: Mark Oppenheim sacked and shipped 30,000 pounds of wool and had that amount still on hand.

1884: February Mrs. Peter B. Lowe has died. She was one of Dowagiac’s oldest residents, coming here in 1862.

1884: Out in Wayne Hamp­ton’s Mill at Glenwood will have a good summer run, as he has about 10 acres covered with logs.

1897: Feb. 6, 40 men were hired to harvest the ice crop.

The tonsorial parlors of Shroff and Chapman’s and the tonsorial parlor of Charles Avery were doing a good busi­ness (barbershops, that is).

Ads in 1897 paper – try one of Hamel’s Apple Blossoms, be­cause it is the flower of cigars.

Allegrette is a delicious choc­olate cream candy at the Lewis Drug Store.

“Cardinal Charlie” Gill writes a nostalgic weekly col­umn about growing up in the Grand Old City. E-mail him at cardinalcharlie@hotmail.com.