In the early 1900s, Frank Slatky served as one of Minot’s street commissioners. Some of the details of his job were noted in local reports. He initiated a night patrol to check the town’s electric lights and ensure they were working properly. During flooding, he helped construct a passageway across the Mouse River. An article in the Ward County Independent praised his “very good work” on the road leading to the Minot Flouring Mill.
Slatky was also involved in efforts to clean up the streets. The civic improvement committee had expressed a desire to tackle this issue. In an earlier meeting, they had identified cesspools and garbage boxes as problems, and they hoped to cut down weeds, remove obstructions around buildings, and enforce a spitting ordinance.
This ordinance covered all forms of spitting, from those associated with tobacco use to spitting due to respiratory conditions and diseases. While such ordinances had gained traction across the country, full enforcement faced challenges. The Cooperstown Courier reported, “The anti-spitting crusade is extending all over the country and should make a stop at Cooperstown. There is no more disgusting sight in the world than to pass by a block uptown where men have been sitting these fine days, chewing and smoking and spitting…. An ordinance regulating this nuisance would be a good thing ….”
In Bowbells, reports indicated that “the citizens do not respect the ordinance relating to spitting on the sidewalks.” Oakes noted that their anti-spitting ordinance was not enforced in winter, and that it was “far from being pleasant for ladies to trail their dresses in tobacco juice.”
Cleaning up the streets could also involve other issues. In 1918, after Slatky’s tenure, a newspaper report called for cleaning up Minot of liquor brought in by bootleggers.
On this date in 1905, Slatky published a final notice that underscored his point. The notice read: “For the last time I give you notice to clean the streets and alleys surrounding your place of business or your home. Many places throughout the city are in a deplorable condition, and if I have to do the work or ensure that it is done, I will see that it is done properly and will guarantee that it will cost you more than if you did it yourself.”
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- The Ward County Independent, August 23, 1905, p5
- Doug Wick, Place Names of North Dakota
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, February 24, 1905, p4
- The Ward County Independent, May 17, 1905, p3
- The Ward County Independent, March 1, 1905, p2
- https://www.tenement.org/blog/a-long-battle-against-public-spitting/
- Cooperstown Courier, March 2, 1905, p1
- Jamestown Weekly Alert, September 10, 1903, p1
- Oakes Republican, February 24, 1905, p4
- Ward County Independent, October 18, 1905, p4
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, May 27, 1904, p4
- The Ward County Independent, March 1, 1905, p3
- The Ward County Independent, June 13, 1918, p12
