Enjoying old hometown papers

Be Our

Many activities I once enjoyed are no longer possible when one reaches my age. I no longer play golf, tennis, or volleyball. My bicycling and jogging days are also a thing of the past. However, there is one activity that I am still able to enjoy. And that is reading.

I began logging the books I read in 1996. Since then, I have read 3,116. I carry a book to enjoy reading in various places when I know there will be some wait time. But my favorite spot to read is in my recliner G uest in my den.

I also enjoy newspapers. I look forward to my daily Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, the weekly Abbotsford Tribune-Phonograph, The Ashland Bottom Line News and Views, and Eau Claire County Senior Review.

But I especially enjoy reading old issues of The Dorchester Clarion.

I have many from 1954 - 1972.

The Dorchester Clarion was far different from today’s publications. It was only four pages, and many were ads from the four small grocery stores and other local businesses. That small weekly publication dealt with village life in the churches and schools. There would be occasional stories about a car accident, but crime stories were mostly nonexistent. I do recall reading one story about the village police chief’s house being broken into while he was out on duty, but stories such as this were scarce.

The small-town Dorchester newspaper also informed readers about when residents suffered injuries or when residents were hospitalized. The stories often told the ailments suffered and the patients’ conditions. And, of course, birth announcements and obituaries were also important news events. Detailed accounts of weddings were also popular subjects, and the paper always promoted free Saturday night wedding dances.

The Dorchester Clarion weekly paper would not have been complete without the popular “Personals” section. Here readers would learn about all the various social happenings within our village. Guests at Sunday dinners, birthday parties, college students returning home for the weekend, and overnight visitors would often find their names somewhere within the “Personals” section.

Reading my old Dorchester Clarion papers is like going back in time for a visit. I see the names of all the people I knew during my childhood and teen years. I remember many of the events I read about, and I occasionally come across my name in a story. Maybe fifty years from now, I hope someone will pick up a copy of this paper and enjoy a journey down memory lane.