Bound Volumes, Back Room
The Archive
A hundred and twenty-nine years of the Pilot-Independent. The recent editions are below — click any to read that week’s paper. The rest is on microfilm, or in boxes Earl has promised to organize.
Recent Editions
No. 30 — July 28, 2026 · read this edition →
The Sky Is Borrowed This Week: Smoke Settles Over the Chain, and the Town Is Advised to Take It EasyPlanning Board Sets the Hagen Date: Tuesday, August 25, Recommendation ExpectedTest Rounds Two and Three Brew on Second Avenue; the Canvas Stays On; the Steam Is Reported as SmokeThis Is the Actual Final Call: Fair Entries Close Saturday at NoonThe Sweet Corn Is In: First Dozens Sold Saturday, Nine Days Behind the Record and Right on TimeFire Hall Asserts Out-of-Season Claim to the Disputed Chair, Citing “Elevated Operational Tempo”The Fish Have Not Read the Advisory: Walleye Steady, Dusk Bite Strong, Visibility OptionalOne of Them FlewCalled After Seven, Counts All the Same: Post 162 Beats Pine City 5–2 Under the HazeMen’s League Plays Nine Instead of Eighteen; Scores Improve; No One InvestigatesOur View: On Borrowed WeatherLetter: On Carts, Gates, and the Reading of Other People’s GardensLetter: The Sunsets Are Not a RewardThe Zucchini Enters Its Bread Phase, the Klatch Goes Indoors, and the Coffee Sets a Record Nobody Is CountingFinal Week of Band Camp Moves Into the Gym, Where the Melody Not Only Survives but EchoesForty-One Readers, One Room, Three Days: The Library Absorbs the Smoke Week and HoldsArvid Paulson, 89: Sixty Summers of Sweet Corn, Picked at Six, Sold by Nine, Gone by NoonNo. 29 — July 21, 2026 · read this edition →
Full House, Forty Speakers, No Vote: Pasture Question Goes Under AdvisementFirst Test Batch Brews on Second Avenue; Building Smells Like Bread AgainMrs. Aune Drops By the Library, Inspects the Ladder, Is Gently Sent HomeFinal Call: Fair Entries Close a Week SaturdayThe Turtle Is Back on County 9; Crew Paints Around It Again, Now by PolicyThe Juveniles Have Discovered Their Wings; Results So Far MixedAfter the Tournament: the Walleye Don’t Notice, and the Bass Are EducatedSmallmouth Bag Wins the Tournament at 19-4; the Annual Argument Reverses CoursePost 162 Climbs Above .500 for the First Time This Deep in a Summer Since 2018Our View: What the Room Got RightLetter to the Editor: On Graciousness, BrieflyVern Was Surprised, the Zucchini Has Landed, and the Dishes Are Migrating HomeForty Years of “Open Most Days”: The Sorensens Approach a Rare Early CloseWeek Two at Band Camp: A Melody Is Positively IdentifiedThe Spelldown Has Its Pronouncer: Brekke Steps Up Where Teachers Feared to TreadNo. 28 — July 14, 2026 · read this edition →
Council Approves Brewery, Sends Sign to Fall; the Hagen Hearing Is TonightThe Stain Stays, for Now: Council Splits the Difference by Doing NothingLicense in Hand, the Creamery Brewery Aims for AugustAune Home From Abbott, and Under Orders to RestSummer Reading Hits a Record 41 as the Ladder Keeps ClimbingThe Loon Chicks, Nearly Grown, Have Stopped Needing AnyoneMidsummer Holds: Walleye Deep, Panfish Everywhere, Nobody ComplainingPost 162 Reaches .500 and Keeps Climbing; the Light Tower WaitsFifty Boats Expected Saturday for the Loon Lake Bass TournamentOur View: The Pasture, the Town, and the Question Under the QuestionLetter to the Editor: In Defense of Not JudgingThe Zucchini Cometh, and the Trombones Are Already HereEntries Close August 1; the 4-H Barns Fill and the Pumpkins SulkBand Camp Opens Under New Direction; Trombones Reported From the Water TowerEsther Nordby, 1934–2026: She Kept the WeatherNo. 27 — July 7, 2026 · read this edition →
First “Official” Boat Parade Replaces the Conga Line; Big Pelican Survives the FormalityBull Moose Turns Up on Little Pelican, Halting Traffic and Settling a QuestionAune Flown to Abbott During the Fourth; the Library Carries On Under TollefsonNew Bank President Arrives From Edina, Wanting to Know Your NameCouncil Faces a Crowded Tuesday: Brewery License, Eighteen Houses, and the StainThe Peterson Barn, 125 Years Standing, Gets a New RoofBrewery Nears Opening in the Old Creamery — Where the Pilot’s Press Almost StoodCounty Fair Entries Close August 1; the Pumpkin Rivalry Stirs AgainLoon Chicks Ride Out Their First Fourth; the No-Wake Rule HeldMidsummer Bite Settles In; Walleye Deep, Panfish Shallow, Everyone ContentPost 162 at Midseason: Better Than They Were, and Still a Light ShortKids’ Races Run on Schedule; Every Child Placed, OfficiallyOur View: On Making the Spontaneous OfficialThe Fourth of July Picnic, and the Potato Salad That Sat Too LongDistrict Names the Fall Spelling Bee for Doris Knutson; Green Ink to FeatureLetter to the Editor: In Defense of JudgingNo. 26 — June 30, 2026 · read this edition →
Fourth of July Boat Parade Set for Saturday; Big Pelican to Host the FlotillaA Bet, a Memory, and Some Loose Gravel Leave Their Mark on Main StreetBear Lets Itself Into the Northern Tap’s Walk-In; Declines to Leave Until FinishedStanding-Room Crowd Hears Plan for Eighteen-Lot Development on the Hagen PastureOld Creamery to Reopen in August as the Chain’s First BreweryMartinez Family’s Taco Truck Becomes, in Three Days, the Hardest Line in TownMethodists to Repave the Church Lot; Lutherans Note Theirs Is FinePopulation Sign Climbs to 3,916; Two Births, No DeathsFour-Year-Old Lands Near-Record Muskie; Rod Held, Dad Stresses, “Mostly” by the BoyHoliday Report: Fish Early, Wave Often, and Give the Flotilla the LakeLoon Chicks Growing Fast but Still Riding Low; No-Wake Plea Peaks for the HolidayVekved Triplets Hit Three Grand Slams in One Game; Pike Roll to 7–0Post 162 Wins, Then Takes the Holiday Off; Third Tower Still “Under Study”Library Adds “Moose,” “Pike,” and “Elk” Tiers; the Arms Race Is Now OfficialLakeside Welcomes Three New Teachers; Two Are Returning PikeCounty Fair Entry Books Are Out; the Giant Pumpkins Begin Their Long SummerOur View: Leave the StainLetter: Go Slow on the HousesA Boat Parade, Two Babies, and a Salsa That Changed My MindMovie in the Park Opens Friday With “The Great Outdoors”Lions Club’s Outdoor Bingo Washed Out; Back Indoors, “Probably for a Reason”No Obituaries This WeekNo. 25 — June 23, 2026 · read this edition →
Rainbow Walleye Parade Draws the Whole Town, and the Thirty-Seven It Was ForBear Swims to Loon Island, Walks Through Teen Bonfire; All Parties Withdraw PolitelyFourth of July Committee Confirms the Route, Which Is the Same RouteCouncil Forms Subcommittee to Staff the Stop-Sign SubcommitteeBear Defeats the Bungee; Daybreak Concedes the DumpsterNew Minnow Tank Springs a Leak; Civic Pride UndampenedHydrant Flushing’s Long Tail: Donna Fields the Eleventh Brown-Water CallPopulation Sign Holds at 3,914; Earl Repaints the 4 TwiceSolstice Bite “Honest at Dusk,” Dishonest at Noon; Crappies Move to the CribsBoth Loon Chicks Have Hatched, Riding Low; No-Wake Pleas Resume, LouderVern’s Walleye Reaches Wall-Hanger Status by Tuesday; Eunice Has ReceiptsMud Lake Association Reports Conditions “Underrated as Ever”Loon Ridge Holds Solstice Scramble; Geese Take the NinthPost 162 Splits Holiday-Week Doubleheader Under Two Working Light TowersPike Summer Softball Stays Unbeaten; Orange-Slice Budget Formally IncreasedPike Improve to 5–0; First Orange-Slice Surplus on RecordLegion’s Third Light Tower Flickers, Briefly, Then ReconsidersSummer Reading Hits Full Stride; Solberg Clears “Eagles,” Aune Invents a New TierSummer Rec Sign-Ups Open at the Fire HallLibrary’s New “Loons” Tier Lasts Four Days; Solberg Eyes the Ceiling AgainRec Swim Lessons Shift to Mornings After Bear Day; Attendance UpOur View: Thirty-Seven Neighbors, and a Parade Worth HavingLetter: On the Proper Wave, and on Showing UpLetter: Slow Down for the ChicksThe Longest Day, a Parade Finally Had, and Still More RhubarbGordon “Gordy” Lindstrom, 86Lorraine Vekved, 90No. 24 — June 16, 2026 · read this edition →
Council Names Stop-Sign Subcommittee, One Member ShortWalleye Turn Sullen at Midday; Evening Bite Still HonestOur View: Three Is a Sufficient NumberFourth of July Plans Take Shape; Parade Route Unchanged, There Being One StreetBear Returns to Daybreak Dumpster; Café Answers With a BungeeFirst Loon Chicks Sighted on Big Pelican; Resort Asked to Slow DownDoris Eleanor Knutson, 93Pike Move to 2–0; This Time the Fence Stays Out of ItSolberg Clears the Wolves; Library Contemplates a Tier It Does Not HaveHydrant Flushing Ends; Three Calls to Donna, Exactly as PredictedWhat to Do About All This RhubarbPost 162 Earns First Win; Lone Light Tower HoldsNo. 23 — June 9, 2026 · read this edition →
Council Tables Fourth Stop Sign for Third Straight MeetingWalleye Stories Continue to Outgrow the WalleyeOur View: Leave the Post BeFifty Years Ago This Week in the Pilot-IndependentLutefisk Supper Sets Modest Record; Methodists Decline to CommentPike Open Summer League With a Win and an ArgumentSummer Reading Begins; Bear Shelf Cleared Before Official StartLegion Nine Drops Opener; Pitcher Blames the Wind, Wind Unavailable for CommentNew Minnow Tank at Tim’s Greeted With Quiet Civic PridePike Send Off 38 Graduates; Valedictorian Thanks Mom, Also Bus DriverOn the Proper Way to Wave From a BoatOrville “Ole” Tollefson, 91Mud Lake Association Holds Annual Meeting; Two AttendThird Grade Releases Trout Into Big Pelican, Says Goodbye With DifficultyThe Tater-Top Hotdish, As It Was Meant to BeLoon Ridge Opens Season; Greens Fees Up, Geese LikewiseScience Fair Won by Volcano, As Has Been the Case Since 1981Earlier Back Issues
Back issues below now run week-by-week to the fishing-opener preview edition, No. 18, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Every headline opens to a full archive article.
No. 22 — June 2, 2026 · read this edition →
Council Hears From Man About Geese, At LengthOpener Yields Few Fish, Many StoriesOakview Names Trout, Against AdviceRoad Crew Paints Center Line Around TurtleEunice Reviews Rhubarb Bars From Three KitchensPike Softball Splits Doubleheader, Eats All Orange SlicesEarl Magnuson, 88Dock Permit Hearings Moved to Fire HallSuspicious Splash Reported Near Bass LakeFor Sale: Two Canoe Paddles, One OpinionLoon Ridge Junior Clinic Opens SaturdayNo. 21 — May 26, 2026 · read this edition →
Fishing Opener Draws Hundreds to the ChainPavilion Roof Fund Reaches Year FourteenPike Track Team Places at RegionalsOur View: Let the Dock Committee Be a Dock CommitteeMemorial Day Program Moved Indoors, Then Back OutLoon Pair Claims Buoy, Ignores Resort BrochureLegion Practice Begins Under One Working LightMarian Olson, 96Cooler Found, Contents DisputedWanted: Someone With a Trailer and a MorningMemorial Garden Cleanup Set for ThursdayNo. 20 — May 19, 2026 · read this edition →
Ice Officially Out; Last Bet Settled at Tim’sSpring Cleanup Removes Three Docks, One MistakenlyLutefisk Supper Date SetMosquito Index Moves From Theoretical to PersonalFifth Grade Wax Museum Features Three Paul BunyansPike Baseball Rained Out, Then Discussed AnywayOur View: Paint the Lines Before the ParadeGladys Rantala, 89Goat at Large Near County 6Free: Assorted Boards, Mostly StraightFire Department Pancake Breakfast SundayNo. 19 — May 12, 2026 · read this edition →
Opener Arrives Cold, Clear, and SelectiveTown Debates Stop Sign, Continued From 1957Loons Return to Big Pelican on ScheduleHardware Store ‘Open Most Days’ AgainMother’s Day Brunch Exhausts Both Waffle IronsBand Concert Ends With Sousa, As IntendedPike Softball Practices Around PuddleOur View: Opener Is a Civic HolidayRussell ‘Rusty’ Berg, 82Dock Light Mistaken for Distress SignalHistorical Society Pie Social SaturdayNo. 18 — May 5, 2026 · read this edition →
Chain Braces for Saturday’s Fishing OpenerLanding Lot Lines Repainted; Debate Begins ImmediatelyBait Shop Minnow Count Reaches ‘Plenty’Third Grade Trout Release Scheduled for Later This MonthEunice Packs Emergency Opener SandwichesPike Baseball Waits for Field to Firm UpOur View: Let the Opener Be What It IsLeona Mattson, 94Trailer Lights Checked, MostlyWanted: Working Trolling Motor or Reasonable LieOpener Breakfast at Fire Hall, 4:30 a.m.Older issues are available on the reading-room microfilm machine, which works if you jiggle it.