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Pages of History
The 80th anniversary of one of the most significant events of the 20th century passed quietly last week. At exactly 6 p.m. Central War Time on Aug. 14, 1945, President Harry Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally.
Naval guns fell silent and bombers in the air were recalled.
The war was over. Truman declared the next two days legal holidays. Spontaneous celebrations broke out all over the nation. Most were peaceful; some were not.
In Sioux City a huge crowd gathered in the downtown area, particularly at the corner of Fourth and Pierce. The celebration was comparatively mild. All members of the police force were ordered to report for duty and all restaurants and taverns were ordered closed. The commander of the Sioux City airbase ordered all enlisted personnel restricted to the base and military policeman were sent out to escort any stray airman back to the base.
A few enthusiastic celebrants scaled downtown fire escapes to toss confetti and unwinding rolls of toilet paper onto the crowd below. Police made an attempt to enforce the juvenile curfew ordinance and paperboys tore up unsold copies of the Sioux City Journal and scattered the pieces in the streets.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, where the bars and nightclubs were not closed, three days of rioting occurred. During the so-called “peace riots“ – not unlike the “mostly peaceful protests“ that occurred in many U.S. cities following the death of George Floyd in 2020, six women were raped, 13 people died, and more than 1000 were injured.
What made the San Francisco riots especially egregious was the fact that a large number of offduty sailors were involved. Following the riots, shore leaves were cancelled and all naval personnel, including Coast Guard and Marines within 100 miles of the city, were ordered restricted to base. Navy brass pointed out that few if any of the Market Street commandos had ever seen combat.
Nothing like that happened in Cedar County. City leaders had been planning for the end of the war for some time and steps were taken to discourage a repeat of the riotous celebrations that broke out after World War I in 1918.
“The end of the long and ghastly war came to an abrupt end Tuesday evening,“ said the Advocate. “Immediately after Truman’s broadcast, victory celebrations started. Whistle shrieked, bells rang, and car horns were blown but the local celebration ended with these demonstrations.”
Following the announcement of Japan’s surrender, the Laurel Commercial Club asked all businesses to remain closed the next day, August 15.
That evening special worship services were held in the different churches during which thanks were given to God for His guidance throughout the war.
At the close of Truman‘s radio broadcast, the Randolph fire siren blew for one full minute and again after a few minutes of silence. All Randolph businesses remain closed on Wednesday. Flags were flown throughout the day, and all of the churches held special services in the evening.
In Coleridge the fire siren sounded for a solid 20 minutes after Truman‘s broadcast.
Church and school bells were rung and the Coleridge fire truck was driven through the streets with its siren wailing. All businesses remain closed on Wednesday and special services were held in the Lutheran and Methodist churches that evening. The Congregational church announced that a special victory service would be held on Sunday.
As the two-day holiday proclaimed by President Truman applied only to federal workers, most Cedar County businesses opened as usual on Thursday morning. With nearly everything in Cedar County shut down on the 15th, many people spent the day at the 54th annual Dixon Picnic which went on as scheduled. The Dixon picnic, incidentally, had been held nearly every year since 1891 – the first anniversary of the founding of the town on August 15, 1890.
The 1945 celebration featured free acts at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., an evening baseball game, a free movie at the Dixon theater, and a dance with music by the Ervin Schmidt Orchestra.
There also was a ferris wheel and other concessions on Main Street. The only thing missing was the “foot race of the century“ between 98-year-old Dave French and 77-year-old Phil Pearson.
Laurel’s first post-war entertainment came on Saturday, Aug. 18, when the Lee Brothers Circus came to town. The big top was set up a block north of Main Street east of the lumber yard.
And that same morning — three days after the end of the war— a future Laurel performer made his first public appearance. “Mr and Mrs. Edward Tryon of Long Beach, Calif., are the proud parents of an eight-pound son born to them at Seaside Memorial Hospital on Aug. 18. He has been named Edward Roger. Mrs. Tryon will be remembered as Miss Theo Lorang.”
