1930
E.R. Salisbury, Publisher
Jan. 3 Twenty-five years of service in the priesthood, 23 years of which has been spent in charge of the Holy Trinity parish of Royalton were celebrated by Right Reverent Monsignor August Plachta December 28.
Jan. 3 An attempt to rob Dick’s Café was frustrated Monday night when the thieves were surprised in the act and very nearly captured. The owner came thru the front door and heard someone leave thru the back door. Chase was given but no one could be found. The cash register had not been open. The only merchandise missing was a punchboard wrist watch.
Jan. 17 For the past two years Royalton has generated its own street lighting current with a dynamo driven by a gas motor with lights on only until midnight. Now, the village will have all night service thru the Minnesota Power and Light Co who will furnish current to the village for street lighting.
Jan. 17 Joseph Eich and Son of Little Falls will open a tractor and implement shop in the brick garage building on Center Street opposite the Banner office.
Jan. 17 A new electric sidewalk sign was erected by Carl Eix over the front of his fruit store. The sign can be read from a distance of one block. The sign adds a metropolitan appearance to our street.
Jan. 24 For the first time in its history Royalton has an international service club, The Lion’s Club with 21 local businessmen as members.
Jan. 31 Royalton will again have harness retail and repair shop, which we have been without for several months, when B.J. Thelen will open a shop in the Fred Galley building on Front Street.
Feb. 28 Royalton sportsmen are not going to be lax in the state wide champing for conservation of wild game and fish life. An organization was formed and to be known as the Royalton Sportsmen Club with about 25 members.
Mar. 7 A record size crowd turned out Tuesday evening for the final pre Lenten dance at the Palace Theatre where about 330 tickets were sold as reported by manager Wm. Gilmer.
Mar. 7 The old ice house on Front Street across from the hotel is being torn down this week by Otto Armstrong, who will use the lumber to build a shed for his truck. No ice harvest has been made here this year.
Mar. 14 A new millinery shop has opened by Mrs. Eleanor Eix, in the Wilson building next door west of the Banner office, last occupied by the Halverson tailor shop. Mrs. Eix bought the millinery stock from Mrs. J.R. Berry.
Mar 14 The Garber Store is undergoing remodeling and rearrangement of the shelves and in a few weeks will open a grocery department under the management of Leo Coenen.
Mar. 14 The old Royalton Hotel on Front Street was bought by Paul Hruska, who has plans to wreck the building and salvage the lumber. The building has not been used as a hotel since last November and during the winter it was used by the Royalton Rabbit Ranch to house their rabbits.
Apr. 11 Announcement was made of a completed deal where by the Fossen Café in Royalton became the property of W.B. Hill, a farmer from Gregory.
Apr. 11 Ground was broken Wednesday on the lot between the Palace Theatre and Royalton State Bank for construction of a gravel tennis court, the project being undertaken by a club of local enthusiasts for the game.
Apr. 11 For the second time in 100 days the Fossen Café on Front Street, now owned by W.B Hill, was the target of robbers. A large wood drill was used to bore several holes in the door, leaving a hole large enough for a man’s hand to be inserted and release the lock. Two slot machines and a punchboard wrist watch were taken. The cash till was damaged but unopened.
Apr. 18 A garage for the hearse is being erected adjoining the funeral home of F.J. Karlinski and Co.
Apr. 25 Six hundred twenty-five pigeons were sacrificed in a hail of lead last Sunday at the dedication of the Royalton Sportsmen’s Club’s new trap shooting range. However, the pigeons were clay ones and not all of them suffered destruction. The shooting range and trap are located on the Chris Theon farm, one half miles from town.
The 1930 census shows Royalton population has decreased by 25% since 1920. Population of Royalton is 518 where in 1920 it was 690. It is believed by the older residents of the village that the fact there are twenty married couples in the village who don’t have children and the loss of the flour milling and lumber industries in the past twenty years also had its effects in the taking away working classes of people.
May 30 Largest class in history of Royalton School graduated. Seventeen young people received diplomas in Commencement Exercises at Palace Theatre Wednesday evening.
May 30 Work has been started by a crew of men this week in tearing down the old Royalton Hotel. The building, a three story frame structure was erected in 1884 by Marcus Kobe.
June 20 Work of printing and binding the booklet of ‘Historical Sketches of Royalton’ was completed this week. Orders for 150 booklets have been received at 25 cent a copy.
July 4 The 1930 census shows that Royalton has two bulk stations and 10 gasoline pumps.
July 11 Last Friday (July 4th) drew good attendance. Events were: Baby buggy parade, main parade, contests, hoarse races and baseball game, with a half hour fire works display along the banks of the Platte River and a bowery dance in the evening. The Royalton Band played through out the day. Note: The baseball game was played on field across from the old creamery located on the corner of Driftwood and Second Streets South. The horse races were run along Second Street South. The fire works were all shot off along the river on Second Street South.
July 11 A smoldering fire in the Graham block, which had burned several hours before being discovered about 5:30 Tuesday morning in the rear of the Orth drug store, caused smoke damage to Fred Galley’s grocery store, Broker’s barber shop, Meyer’s Café and the offices of Drs. Watson and McGonagle on the second floor. The fire was in the basement and had smoldered for hours and caused the floor to cave in and caused much smoke damage to the drug store.
July 11 Royalton is to have another gasoline service station, on the lot formerly used as an ice house. The location is on the paved highway in upper town, just north of the old hotel building recently razed. The build will be of wood structure with stucco finish and will measure 30x30 feet.
Aug. 1 About 500 books constituting the Royalton Public Library, formerly located in the doctors’ offices in the Graham block, were removed Monday to the Lion’s Club rooms on Front Street.
Aug. 15 Estimates of the number of cars parked about the picnic grounds at the Mississippi river last Sunday, on the occasion of the Royalton band’s annual outing, ranged from 300 to 400 cars. Three concerts were played by the band through out the afternoon and evening.
Aug.22 Two business changes are in progress in Royalton this week. A.J. Orth’s drug store will occupy the Kiewel building on Front Street and N.O. Armstrong pool hall will be located in the old Broker Bank Bar on First Street.
Sept. 12 Mile Milbery and Alphonse Schwartz will open a hot lunch stand in the I.W. Bouck store building on Front Street. This was the location occupied by Armstrong pool hall.
Oct. 3 Hill’s Eat Shop in Royalton seems to be a most tempting plum for robbers, who have used every conceivable means of breaking into the place during the past year. The restaurant was entered early Thursday morning for the fourth time with in ten months. A slot machine was all that was taken.
Oct. 10 Federal officers began raids Friday night and continued through Wednesday taking 79 violators filling the Stearns County jail to capacity. Two Royalton people were among those arrested. Mike Biros it was said to have had several gallons of moonshine concealed in the floor of his cream station on Front Street. Fred York, of lower town, was arrested for selling beer.
Nov. 7 Grace Church Guild feted the 45th anniversary of its organization on November 5, with a highly entertaining program of greetings, music, and reminiscences following the dinner served at the Bennett Hall.
Dec. 5 Sale of Hill Café on Front Street was announced last Saturday. Henry Lewis of Rochester is the new owner. Mr. Lewis is the fourth proprietor of the Front Street café within a period of 16 months. August 14, 1929 Wallace McDougall sold the café to R.L. Fossen. Mr. Fossen sold the business last April 3rd to Mr. Hill.
Dec. 12 Not since July 4th has Royalton seen such a large turn out of rural folks and school children to see Santa Claus and his reindeer that came from St. Cloud to visit with the children. 125 cars were parked about the streets.
Dec. 26 Four hundred and fifty bags containing candy, cracker-jacks and an orange fell short to the number of children who attended the free movie sponsored by local businessmen Monday afternoon.