50 Years Ago October 1958 The L and M Truck Stop Cafe, located just north of Iola on U.S. 169, burned late Saturday night and was a total loss, firemen said. The restaurant was closed at the time. Frank Close is the operator of the establishment.
The inevitable happened at the southeast edge of Iola yesterday morning. Seven families living just across Elm Creek south of the condemned Kentucky Street bridge were legally stranded. More than two inches of rain which fell in the area Tuesday night caused Elm Creek from the south to swell, inundating a low-water bridge which is the residents? only safe access route to Iola. The high water closed the school bus route to those 20 children living in the now isolated area. In order to get to school, the children, loaded in their parents? cars, were taken across the condemned bridge.
Allen County commissioners said today that in answer to petitions brought to them they will place on the November general election ballot a resolution asking permission to build a new bridge on Kentucky Street over Elm Creek. Commissioners said the proposal would have to be voted on by residents of the county because the projected cost of building a new bridge far exceeded the statutory limit of $80,000 which the county may spend without a vote to construct bridges on non-secondary roads.
