The Power of the Classifieds
A local resident proves that a well-placed advertisement in the newspaper is more effective than an exhaustive search when a cow goes missing.
Does it pay to advertise? Well, you just ask D. J. Kalkwarf. Kalkwarf's cow lost herself and was gone about a week. He couldn't find her high nor low, so last Wednesday he put an ad in the News offering a reward of $3.00 for her return. Thursday morning, before breakfast that cow walked right square up to Mr. Kalkwarf's front gate and claimed the reward.
“He couldn't find her high nor low, so last Wednesday he put an ad in the News... Thursday morning, before breakfast that cow walked right square up to Mr. Kalkwarf's front gate and claimed the reward.”
Before the digital age, the local newspaper was the primary information network for lost property and community news. This humorous anecdote highlights the essential role the paper played in the daily mechanics of 19th-century rural life.
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