Looking Back Lincoln: 75 years ago – The telephone, a most valuable servant

Population 2,410 (U.S. Census 1940 and 1950) If you are going to enjoy the privileges of living in a small town, the feeling of this writer is that you should be more than willing to assume some of the responsibilities of living in our town. Otherwise, the best thing for you to do is go to a larger town where you find both the responsibilities and the accompanying privileges are lessened. Two of the top responsibilities are the supporting of community activities with your time, and hometown merchants with your money. (That last sentence did it – now you can turn to some other part of the paper since I'm sure you don't like to read about trading at home.) Just why our residents, so many of them, trade out of town is a mystery. We can go further than that – they not only trade out of town, they shop out of town. By shopping, I mean they don't even go to the trouble of checking with our local merchants to see what they have. A person who constantly shops out of town is so short sighted that, no, I won't say it. Here's one thing you do when you trade out of town – you help the people of Roseville, Auburn, Marysville and Sacramento pay the taxes that keep their schools going. But the residents of same cities don't come up here and spend money to help you pay the taxes that keep your schools going, or any other public institution. There are so many persons that can't shop with the hometown merchant because they feel he might be making a little extra money if they do. If you belong to some of the local lodges or organizations (and we feel Lincoln should be proud of most of these groups), you might follow this trend of thought: Your committees ask the merchant for donations and other help during the year. You expect them to pay without griping. And as a rule, they say very little – they are usually glad to help. They support your group – how about you supporting them? In reality, here's the way it often goes: Q: Do you believe your merchants should support your organization? A: Why sure, in fact several of the local merchants belong to it. Q: Don't you feel you should support them, then. A: Nothing doing, not as long as I can save a couple of bucks by going out of town. There you are. That makes sense, doesn't it? We will admit that living in a town this size, the purchaser does not have the wide variety of stock from which to shop. In fact, many of the items are not handled by the local merchants. A certain amount of business is bound to go out of town. But that should not keep our residents from checking with the local business establishments first to make sure they don't have the needed articles. Well, it's off my chest. It gives me a hopeless feeling though, because I'm sure the only ones who read it all the way through are the ones who shop wisely by shopping at home. Note: Written by Eldridge Trott, The News Messenger Editor & Publisher. Ad from Pacific Bell Telephone: "Allowing a little time between calls," says Janie, "gives others a chance to call me … and it's a nice party-line courtesy, too." So, when she's getting the gang together for a picnic, or for any reason needs to make calls in a row, she waits several minutes between each one. "It's simple to make friends with others on our line. I just use the telephone the way I like them to." Getting the most from the telephone – and helping others get better service – depends in part on every telephone user. Facilities have doubled in the West in 10 years. Your telephone is today one of our most valuable servants … saving time, saving steps. And it still does its job for just a few pennies a call. 50 years ago Population 3,179 (U.S. Census 1960 and 1970) Bowling: Doors to Western Placer's newest bowling alley will open this Saturday at 9 a.m. Lincoln Bowl, which is owned by Charles D. Wilson, is located on G Street in the former Lincoln Theatre building. Managing the 80-lane alley will be Cliff Carr. In addition to the bowling facility, a snack bar, which will serve everything from soft drinks and coffee to beer, will also be in operation. Hours of operation for the bowling alley will be seven days a week from 9 a.m. until midnight. Prices Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. til 6 p.m. will be .40 cents a lane. From 6 p.m. til midnight on weeknights, lane charges will be .65 cents each lane. The Saturday and Sunday rates for lane rentals will be a straight .65 cents charge per game. On Sunday, from the time of opening until 1 a.m., lanes may be rented for $3.50 an hour. Carr indicated that a bulletin board will be posted so those interested in the formation of summer or winter bowling leagues may sign up. The bowling alley is furnished with AMF equipment. Note: The bowling alley was at 561 Lincoln Boulevard, now home to Emmaus Community Church. Lupita's Mexican Restaurant presided in the upper level. High School P.E. classes walked to the bowling alley for games. Women: "Women's status" was added to the priority programs of the Placer County Human Relations Commission on Tuesday by supervisors who agreed to establish a Council on the Status of Women as a division of the commission. In response to a directive from the board last November, County Executive Richard Andrews reported both his office and a committee to Establish a Placer County Commission on the Status of Women came to an agreement that said council would be incorporated into the Human Relation Commission's structure as a "seventh priority program." This means the Human Relations Commission (HRC), the county's social action agency which presently has six priority programs and a subcommittee for each, will add one more priority – women's status – and establish a subcommittee. 100 years ago Population 1,324 (U.S. Census 1900, 1910, 1920) Safe: The new safe cabinet recently purchased by the City Trustees from Ed Wahl and Co., Sacramento, arrived here this week and is now ornamenting the City Clerk's office. The cabinet, costing in round figures $500, is of majestic appearance and weighed, according to the way bill accompanying it, 1,780 lbs. The job of getting it into the City Clerk's office was no little task and required the combined efforts of several good husky men. PG&E: New lights in a considerable number have been arranged for, and Lincoln's streets will soon be much more brilliantly lighted up at night than at present is the case. Orders were given the PG&E on Wednesday to install at once several new lights along G Street (now Lincoln Boulevard), and very shortly now there will be a light at each street intersection from one end of the street to the other. Many additional street lights are to be placed in position in various parts of the town at an early date. In addition, workmen are now on the job and material is arriving at the local S.P. freight depot for the installation of the new transformer station just north of the Gladding, McBean Corporation. The new plant will be pushed to an early completion.