Bit of History -- May 27, 2026

A few items from the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated May 28, 1930:

Commencement exercises for the Ridgeway class of 1931 were held on Friday, May 15^th. The attending crowd was so large that the building “would not hold all of them” and some were not able to come in to watch the ceremony. There were thirty-four graduates that year, “this being a very large class for a school of this size.” The commencement address was given by Dr. Dildine “from the college at Maryville” and the valedictorian speech was given by Roberta Nible. Her speech was printed in the paper as well.

The Memorial Day program was published in the paper that week. The service was to be held in the City Park. The Ridgeway band and the scout troops were to meet at the Methodist church for the park to the park. The program included the song "America", an invocation by Rev Stanley, the scouts' Pledge to the flag, a speech titled "The Mission of America" by Rev. Reed and music by the Ridgeway Band.

The Burlington Railway Company announced changes to the train schedule that would allow Ridgeway to get both morning and evening mail delivery as well as the afternoon newspapers. The Ridgeway band announced that they were ready to start their summer concerts if the local businessmen wanted their services. The Yankee Ridgeway Cemetery board published their annual financial statement showing that they had moved from being $7.23 in the red to $7.27 in the black for the year. They would also hold Decoration Day services and officer elections that Sunday.

Bit of History -- May 20, 2026

BIT OF HISTORY: Among the many social groups that once were active during Ridgeway’s history was a group that called themselves the Merry Matrons (MM). This was a social and service club where the rules (at least at the beginning) was that they would not accept “more than 20 members and no one over 40 years of age and all must be married”, according the description in the “Ridgeway: Then and Now” centennial book (page 36.) The marriage rule was broken only once, but a “mock wedding was held to make it legal” and the age limit was eventually dropped: “The age of a member is no longer limited by years, but by capabilities.”

There is a little discrepancy about the year the club started. The club history and the centennial book both give the first meeting as occurring in November 1932, but the Ridgeway Journal wrote about the first meeting happening in November 1933.

The members met twice monthly and took turns hosting the group. During their meetings, they quilted, crocheted or did other hand crafts, talked and shared a meal. They also gave of themselves: “donations to the Red Cross, Heart and Cancer funds, gave a bench and a table to the city park, took Christmas baskets to the needy and sent cards, flowers and gifts to the members in the hospitals.”

The group continued to meet until 2009 when they had dwindled to just 5 members. At the December meeting that year, three members and two guests met at Becks Convenience store for lunch. They voted to disband and applied their remaining funds, $21.39 to the cost of their lunch. They noted that Eleanor Rinehart had been a member for 73 years.

Bit of History -- May 13, 2026

0ne hundred years ago, there were 16 graduates in the Ridgeway School class of 1926. You can find their class picture on the Ridgeway school website in the alumni section. (www.ridgewayr5.net). Some are smiling; some are serious. The girls all have their hair bobbed in the 1920’s fashion; the boys are all in suits. Many of their surnames can still be found in current Ridgeway families. Among the graduates was gifted athlete Cecil “Twister” Smith, who would go on to become a beloved Ridgeway coach and teacher.

Their senior play, titled “A Poor Married Man”, had been given at the Rex Theatre to a “well-filled house”. “The play was a three act farce comedy, and was muchly enjoyed, considering the generous applause given at every possible cause.” The class collected a proceeds of nearly $80. (Ridgeway Journal, May 6, 1926)

The seniors had also enjoyed their Senior Walk-out. They took a day trip “to Arkel Ford where they spent the morning fishing and taking pictures.” After a hearty picnic lunch, they went to Brooklyn Falls. About 3:30 pm, they headed back to town where “they were treated to brick ice cream and cookies at Ham's Cafe.” They were accompanied by “post graduates and their sponsor, Miss Gross.” (Ridgeway Journal, May 6, 1926)

The honors of valedictorian were shared by two graduates, Thelma Bartlett and Helen Linthacum. They each presented an address during graduation. Gertrude Dale was the salutatorian.

Bit of History -- May 6, 2026

BIT OF HISTORY: Long before even Harrison County was incorporated, the Yankee Ridgeway Cemetery was already providing a place where loved ones could be laid to rest. It was located along the old Point of Lorraine trail which, according to Yankee Ridge cemetery board president Carol Emry, “ran diagonally across the cemetery from northeast to southwest.” According to a 1993 article in the Bethany Republican-Clipper, there were “several people buried on this ridge”. They were probably homesteaders on their way to Kansas. Emry said “There was a spring one fourth of a mile east of the cemetery where they stopped to repair their wagons and rest their horses and get ready to go on.” There was also a post office where they could get their mail.

One man buried four sons in the cemetery after they passed away from diphtheria. According to Emry, the father was a stone mason. He went to the quarry and “hewed out head and foot stones and cut their initials in them”. Those gravesites can still be found in Yankee Ridge.

Yankee Ridge presumably got its name “from a group of English settlers who moved into the area just before the Civil War. Since the settlers were Union sympathizers, the trail became known as Yankee Ridge Road and the cemetery took the same name.” (Bethany Republican-Clipper, January 6, 1993)

Bit of History -- April 29, 2026

Beginning January 1956, the Ridgeway Lions Club sponsored the “Missouri-Iowa Talent Show”, a monthly event in the Ridgeway field house. It was held on the second Monday of every month for a year and the “four top acts to broadcast over KIOA, Des Moines.” The grand final winner would be featured on Channel 7, KWWL-TV in Waterloo, IA. (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Jan 4, 1956)

The winner of the January contest was four year-old Pamela Maxwell, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roe Maxwell. In addition to getting to be on the radio, she won a table top radio set. Riggs Smith took second place by playing a baritone solo and Sharon LaFollette took third with her vocal number. They each received a wrist watch. The article also noted that the first grand winner, Brenda LaFollette would be on television on March 10, 1956 on station KWWL. (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Jan 11, 1956)