Jim Skinner Sr., Kit Simpkins Cates, along with Mabel, Nell, Alice and William Simkins Sr., are pictured processing maple syrup south of Prior Lake in 1914. (Photograph from the archives of Kathy Dawson)
Editor’s note: In addition to our typical dive into the Prior Lake American’s archives for this week’s news from 60, 40 and 20 years ago, we introduce a new occasional column from longtime resident Kathy Dawson, an avid collector of Prior Lake’s historical documents and photos. Her work will be featured as part of “Prior Lake in the Past” features.
Revisiting history
The production of maple syrup took a great deal of effort and dedication by members of the Simpkins family.
In early spring, sap was collected from the abundant maple trees growing in the area and brought in for boiling. On average, it took approximately 25 to 30 gallons of sap to produce a single gallon of syrup. The sap was typically boiled down in large buckets over an outdoor wood fire, a process that often spanned approximately three days.
This photograph was taken on the farm of William Simpkins Sr.
Notably, the area now known as Spring Lake was originally called Maple Glen, a name that reflected the rick presence of maple trees growing throughout the region.
Prior Lake American
Published 60 years ago
Prior Lake American April 19, 1965
Area residents Robert Peterson and Thomas Battis filed for the upcoming school board election. School board members whose terms were expiring on June 30 were Francis O’Keefe, Wallace Langhorst and Dwane Arndt. The annual school board election was scheduled for May 18.
Seaman Recruit Roger D. Pederson, 20, United States Navy, son of Mrs. Ralph Pederson of Prior Lake, began nine weeks of basic training at the US Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Ill.
Prior Lake Drive-In Theater was scheduled to open for the season with “P.T. 109” and “It Happened at the World’s Fair” with Elvis Presley. The theater was scheduled to run popular movies every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until school was out for the summer.
Published 40 years ago
April 22, 1985
More than 70 applicants had been received for the Prior Lake Junior High School’s principal post being vacated by John Kalton at the end of the school year.
The Prior Lake City Council, Planning Commission and Economic Development Commission hosted a joint meeting to discuss downtown improvements, followed by a presentation on a possible two-story expansion of city hall that is estimated to cost $275,000.
Prior Lake’s Rick and Shelly Adams became the first father-daughter pair to have ever reached the finals of the National NASTAR Alpine Racing Championships. Shelly captured the 18-29 age group while her father was eighth in the 40-49 age group. The two-day, six-run ski event was held in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Published 20 years ago
April 23, 2005
The Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools’ computer system was hit by a virus which kept teachers from accessing its network and a delay in e-mail delivery. Schools impacted included Prior Lake High School, Hidden Oaks Middle School and Oakridge Elementary School.
Denise Norton, a volunteer in the Parents Assisting Children and Teachers (PACT) program at Hidden Oaks Middle School, was the winner of the Phoebe Award, given annually in honor of Phoebe Clemen, a longtime supporter of schools and children within Prior Lake.
The Laker boys’ golf team got off to the best start in years with five team members shooting 81 or better at the Early Bird Invitational held at Stonebrooke Golf Course. Leading the team with low scores were Ryan Beuc, Alec Schumacher, Ryan Petermeier, Randy Beuc and Bill Chopp.