Sesquicentennial:
Time capsule contents a mystery
Posted: 6/8/04
By Shannon McKinney
Special to The Argus
If you were someone who wrote a letter that was placed in a time capsule 50 years ago, you might want to attend this event.
As part of the Sesquicentennialís opening day events, Caledonia will be unearthing a time capsule that was buried in front of Caledonia City Hall. The location is marked with a stone marker. The opening is scheduled for Thursday, June 10 at 8 p.m. in front of the city hall.
No one seems to know exactly what is in the time capsule, how big it is, or if the contents are still intact.
A newspaper account from The Argus at the time the time capsule was buried said, ìSealed in cement, steel and granite for the next 50 years, hundreds of manuscripts, documents, testimonials, souvenirs and other items which Caledonians today will preserve for the edification and enjoyment of all present in the year 2004, when Caledonia will celebrate its 150th anniversary.î
Caledonia City Clerk Bob Nelson said the city plans to dig around the stone monument that morning. Some believe the time capsule is attached to the monument.
Mayor Bob Burns will be opening the time capsule and retrieving its contents. ìYou never know, it could be a pile of mush. If it can be reviewed and sorted out, it will be in a display case in the library where it can be viewed for the next three days [of the Sesquicentennial celebration.]î
Nelson said the city will move the monument to another location so that they can place a new monument for the next time capsule, which will be buried during the sesquicentennial. A meeting was held Monday, June 7, to choose items for the time capsule to opened in 2054.
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