10 years ago
* Twenty-one high school students and nine adults were planning the experience of a lifetime, as they would travel to Europe during their spring break. High school science teacher Ben Davis and wife Amber began organizing the trip last year. The trip was open to all 10th-12th grade students that maintained satisfactory grades and had no behavioral issues, although it was not school sponsored. The group planned to visit the United Kingdom, including Ireland, Wales and England, then onto Continental Europe for a tour of France.
* A 150-foot section of the Cherohala Skyway collapsed on Jan. 17, after more than 10 inches of rain pounded the area. Part of the road had washed 1,000 feet down a ravine. N.C. Department of Transportation officials planned to open an on-site detour route in Graham County, as a contracting firm was working to use the existing eastbound shoulder and land. Adams Contracting, Inc. of Robbinsville, was awarded the emergency contract. The rain caused more than 20 landslides on private and public roads in Graham County. Update: Adams Contracting was recently awarded the contract for the third section of the long-awaited Corridor K expansion.
25 years ago
* The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation was investigating the source of rumors circulating in Robbinsville about the Ella Mae Holder murder case. “The rumors have only caused headaches and problems and may also have hindered the investigation,” said Chief Deputy Jerry Crisp. Holder, 66, was found stabbed to death in her home in Milltown on Oct. 20, 1997. ”The investigation is very active,” said Crisp. “We’re working on it daily.” Local law enforcement had been waiting for Raleigh to return evidence from the murder for them to more aggressively pursue.
* Robbinsville had not yet resolved whether to renew the contract with the Graham County Sheriff’s Department, or to re-establish its own police force. The Sheriff – nor the town’s attorney – were present at the town meeting to consider the options. Sheriff Melvin Howell instructed officers over the radio to patrol the east, north and west parts of the county, leaving Robbinsville without protection. Mayor Bobby Cagle, Jr., said that some Robbinsville residents patrolled city streets on foot that night.
50 years ago
* Sara Rogers, 17, was crowned as Miss Graham County in the inaugural Jaycee Beauty Pageant. Miss Rogers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Rogers, was a senior at Robbinsville High School and was an honor student. She also served as Chief Marshal for graduation the previous year. Rogers then represented Graham County in the Miss North Carolina Beauty Pageant. The first runner-up was Deborah Sheffey, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Sheffey of Tapoco.
* John Orr, the oldest bear hunter in Graham County, well recalled his first bear hunt in the year of 1903. During his lifetime, he had killed 10 bears, including one weighing 300 pounds, one of the largest kills in Graham County for the season. Orr grew up in Graham County and made his living by working in timber and farming. Proving that, “a man ought to work as long as he’s physically able and make his own way in life by his own efforts,” Orr was 86 years old.
-Compiled by Diane West