Behind the Lines: by David Heiller

David Heiller The first anniversary of the construction of the new Kettle River Bridge west of Sturgeon Lake went largely unnoticed on June 15. I guess we can understand why no one lit fireworks. But the Sturgeon Lake business district, if there still is one, should have marked the event. Larry Dagel at Sturgeon Lake Feed Mill could have given away salt blocks to his farmers on the west side of the river. The bank could have had a drawing for savings bonds. Dan Zimmer could have awarded free gas. That might have pulled a few people into town. But I doubt it. The only thing that will get people west of the Kettle River into Sturgeon Lake again is the new bridge. Believe it or not, that bridge is supposed to open at the end of this week. That’s right, this week, 1986. Askov people may shudder at the mere mention of a closed bridge. The Kettle River Bridge on Highway 23 west of Askov was closed for a year in 1981-82. Not surprisingly, it was built by the same contractor. Peopl...