Hello Forest County Residents!
I am so excited for the The Hotel Crandon’s 85th Anniversary celebration tomorrow! I cannot wait to take a step back in time to 1930 with amazing food, drinks, and music. For anyone that is a fan of this blog, the event will be filled with local history memorabilia and displays. In honor of the event I will detailing the story of the robbery that took place at The Hotel Crandon in December of 1936.
According to the Rhinelander Daily News, Kenneth Fannin, the night clerk of the hotel was in the basement at 4 am when he heard noises upstairs. First he went into the office but realized the noise was coming from the tavern, so he grabbed a revolver from the desk drawer and made his way into the bar. When he got there the room was empty but the back door was wide open. Fannin looked outside to investigate and spied an Oldsmobile sedan trying to make a getaway. The wheels were slipping and the driver was having a hard time moving so Fannin fired at the side window of the car. The wheels of the sedan finally gained traction and sped away. The sheriff, Jess Ramsdell, followed the car to Langlade County where Antigo policemen took over but were unsuccessful at stopping the thieves. The outlaws outpaced the officers going 80 miles per hour fleeing south. The Hotel Crandon lost $125 dollars cash and three slot machines from the tavern. The men were most likely never apprehended because there was not any license plate to identify the car (Rhinelander Daily News).
