100 years ago, 1915
Because of the strong local interest in motorcycles, Lewiston has been selected by the Hendee Manufacturing Company, Springfield, Mass., makers of the well- known Indian Motorcycle, as one of the desirable points for the initial Indian Day display Feb. 22nd, Washington’s birthday. Gay & Hollis, the local dealers, at 34 Main street, Lewiston, will have on exhibition duplicates of the new models which were the sensation of the big New York and Chicago shows.

50 years ago, 1965
Vernon Tame, who has charge of the Auburn Water District pumping station at Lake Auburn, said Friday the Lake Auburn ice cover is about normal for this time of the year. He said a hole cut in the ice last week showed a depth of 19 and one-quarter inches. He reported there is very little snow cover on the ice, making the measurement a true one of the actual hard ice. So far, Tame said, there have been no ice cutting activates at Lake Auburn this winter. What ice has been cut was taken from Taylor Pond.

25 years ago, 1990
After spending a “grueling” two weeks meeting with young government officials in the Soviet Union, Lewiston Mayor James P. Howaniec said he was impressed with their energy and enthusiasm for reform, while older officials seemed more cynical and conservative. Howaniec was one of 14 young American politicians who traveled to the Soviet Union on a trip sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that attempts to promote better understanding between the two nations. Howaniec said he found conditions in the country, and especially in Moscow, to be worse than he expected them to be. “There were vast shortages of consumer items,” he said. “There were no fresh fruits or vegetables in the stores. It became very clear to me that the system is simply not designed to meet the demands of a 21st century society.”

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.