Answers to questions in 2014 Utschtallung’s ‘Trivial Pursuit’ quiz – local history edition
Following are the answers to the questions posed in the 2014 Utschtallung’s “Trivial Pursuit” quiz – local history edition – or, its alternate name, “Everything Mountain Lake.”
This year’s quiz winners, according to Quizmaster Gary Hildebrandt, were Rachel Friesen of Mountain Lake and Marlene (Harder) Bogard of Newton, Kansas.
1. William Mason, the first white settler in the Mountain Lake area, arrived in – 1865.
2. Mountain Lake was officially incorporated in – 1886.
3. This is the – 40th – annual Heritage Fair.
4. The first high school graduating class for the Mountain Lake Public School was in – 1905.
5. The original Mountain Lake had three islands, and each had a name (only needed to name one; two names or all three was extra credit) – Mountain Island, Big Bug and Little Bug.
6. The Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad insisted that the village being platted here be named – Midway.
7. What are knack seeds known as today? Sunflower seeds.
8. The current lake in Mountain Lake was built by the WPA in 1937. What does WPA stand for – Works Progress Administration, and later as Work Projects Administration.
9. In the early days of Mountain Lake, the town had a flour mill that marketed two kinds of flour (only needed to name one; if you could do both it was extra credit) – White Rose and Snowflake.
10. In the early 1900s, a “mansion” was built where the current Laker Apartments Hi-Rise sits. Many remember it was the Basinger mansion, but it was actually built by another man. What was his last name? Ewert.
11. Who ran the two gas stations that were across the road from each other on Highway #60 (now 3rd Avenue) along Cottonwood County Road #1 – Parr Brothers (the previous operator, Brown, is also accepted) and Pete Falk.