Due to limitations caused by the coronavirus, most events like funerals, weddings and birthday parties are limited to only family members for attendees. That wasn’t going to keep residents of Artesian and the surrounding area from paying their respects to a prominent member of their community.

On Saturday, May 9, Jim Hoffman, whose funeral was that morning, was honored with vehicles and farm machinery full of friends and family and community members lined along both sides of Artesian’s Main Street from the First Lutheran Church to Highway 34. Everyone was there to support Hoffman’s family and to give him the wonderful sendoff he deserved since they couldn’t attend his funeral service.

Once the family escorted Hoffman from the church and down the street in their vehicles, 47 cars, three fire trucks and 20 pieces of machinery followed them in a procession to the Hoffman farm, about a mile north of Artesian, and continued to the cemetery. The entire event was a very respectful and incredibly honorable and moving moment. It was a farewell perfectly suited for a man who loved farming and his rural community and made them an integral part of his entire life. 

…See a photo in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!

On April 7, 1970, a fire, aided by 40- to 50-mile-an-hour winds, destroyed the Artesian business district. It was reported that the fire began just before 2:30 p.m. in the upper floor of Noell’s Department Store. The fire quickly spread, burning buildings and property on both sides of more than two blocks of main street. The fire made it to Highway 34, burned the service station, the two grain elevators and a large storage bin.

Fire departments from Artesian, Woonsocket, Letcher, Carthage, Howard and Mitchell worked together to fight the flames through the afternoon and the evening. A fire-watch was organized that included Artesian residents to monitor and prevent the fire from flaming up again.

The buildings destroyed or badly damaged included the former hardware building, theatre, recreation hall, bar, barbershop, café, American Legion building, launderette and an adjoining building. The homes of William Boocks and Ray Cunningham were also ruined by the fire. Buildings that were spared included the Livestock State Bank and the Artesian Improvement Co. building that housed the post office, the Northern States Power Co. offices and Milliken Funeral Chapel.

…Read on in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!