From Our Early Files Aug. 11, 2021
25 YEARS AGO
Aug. 15, 1996
The city of Whitehall will try to get state funds to help it build a new fire station. The city council authorized filing a pre-application for a Community Development Block Grant from the state Department of Development. Such a grant could pay for up to 70 percent of the cost of a new station, which could run as much as $300,000.
An Arcadia man has been found guilty of killing one person and seriously injuring two others by driving while intoxicated. A Trempealeau County Circuit Court jury returned that verdict against Joseph Suchla Friday evening, concluding a three-day trial. Suchla, 39, was found guilty on all six counts with which he was charged: one count of causing death, and two counts of causing injury by the intoxicated operation of a motor vehicle and the companion charges of operating with a prohibited blood-alcohol content. Those charges stem from a June 3, 1995 head-on collision in which Norman Nelson died as the result of massive head injuries.
A mining company may find valuable minerals under Trempealeau County soil, but is years — and many legal hurdles – away from digging for them. That was the message the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce heard from a state of Wisconsin geologist Monday. Tom Evans, an employee of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History survey, was invited to speak to the business group about testing that the Flambeau Mining Co. is doing in the town of Hale.
A group of men in Arcadia have recently formed a committee intending to try and create a way to keep agriculture important in the Midwest through the creation of an agriculture museum located in Memorial Park. The Arcadia Dairy Foundation Development Committee plans to establish an organization, which will try to raise enough money to build a 20,000 square foot museum, which will house agriculture antiques.
The Arcadia city council passed a motion to purchase trees for Memorial Park. Some of the trees in the park died as a result of vandals running them down with a motor vehicle.
Class periods will double in length — from 45 to 90 minutes — starting in fall 1997 at the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School. But the number of classes will drop from eight to four. That will be the result of block scheduling, approved unanimously by the G-E-T school board.
Sheriff Ralph Weisenberger says the Pentagon is refusing to pay Trempealeau County $3,783.94, which it owes for emergency services in 1995. The county’s top law officer said the money is owed for nearly 1,412 hours of manpower his department supplied last year when a military jet crashed. At the time, he said, the county was promised reimbursement if it would help out. On Aug. 5, the county learned that the Pentagon had nixed the payment.
A $72,827 federal justice department grant will allow Galesville to add a fourth full-time police officer.
The Galesville city council rejected a city planning commission recommendation to let Elmer Petersen’s fence remain. The issue was in question because Petersen didn’t have a permit and, at six feet, his fence was too tall. Petersen previously told the council that he had lived in Texas where permits were not required, so he did not know one was necessary. The council did say that he could let the fence remain on a conditional basis, turning the fence into the wall of a carport. “Let’s move,” said Petersen’s wife.
Straight-line winds during an early morning thunderstorm on Aug. 7 has left three rural Taylor families homeless and claimed the life of five-week-old Chelsey Klobucar. The storm hit at about 1:45 a.m. as three trailer homes were destroyed, the remains of two are but a heap of rubble and a third is left standing on its foundation with no roof, broken windows and caved-in walls. The baby died of suffocation.
State senator Rod Moen said he has been asked by the United States Ambassador to Norway, Tom Loftus, to host Norwegian Minister of Agriculture Gunhild Oyangen’s visit to western Wisconsin on Aug. 17.
50 YEARS AGO
Aug. 19, 1971
Bids for the swimming pool were opened at last week Tuesday’s Whitehall city council meeting. All of the bids exceed by a considerable amount the $120,000 authorized earlier by the council as the cost for a new pool.
Area participation in action to keep the Whitehall Packing Co. in Whitehall was the object of a meeting held at City Hall Monday. The city faces an Aug. 31 deadline for taking action to increase its sewage treatment facilities, or require a cutback in the number of animals processed at the plant, which action company officials say is unacceptable.
City employee Everett Berg was uninjured when a mechanical failure caused the city’s old dump truck to go into a ditch and overturn. The truck was a total loss.
The Arcadia city council passed a resolution Thursday night to participate in the training and standards program of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board for the purpose of training a third police officer for the city.
With school opening within a few days, Arcadia Chief of Police Edward Kaiser urges parents to go over bicycle riding rules and regulations with their children.
Several members of coach William Cashen’s undefeated football and basketball teams of 1951 joined with the rest of their class in paying tribute to him at their 20-year class reunion on Aug. 7. In football, the Arcadia team was the only undefeated, untied and unscored upon football team in the state that year, going 7-0 and outscoring opponents 240-0. Cashen still teaches math part-time at Arcadia High School.
The Galesville Business Association has set aside Saturday, Sept. 11, as Farm to Market Day in Galesville. Members of the business association invite all farmers and rural residents to display and sell their ware on the sidewalk of downtown Galesville. Anything goes — produce, handcrafts, livestock, eggs, pets, steers, ducks, pigs, goats, etc. – but no moonshine.
75 YEARS AGO
Aug. 15, 1946
T.C. Main, better known as Tim, was elected Trempealeau County agent by the county agricultural committee held last week Wednesday to choose a successor to Arnold Wochos, resigned. Mr. Main has been assistant county agent since February.
In the primary election held Tuesday, Guilford Wiley of Galesville defeated incumbent Assemblyman Chauncey Heath for the Republican nomination, 1,019 to 1,017. Mr. Heath had led by six votes, but an error was discovered in the town of Preston. County Clerk Roy Matson defeated Everett Guse in the other contest for county office.
John Rood, one of America’s foremost sculptors in wood, has complete a figure in the garden at the Hopkins House in Whitehall. The sculpture, called “The Return of the Pioneer Mother,” is done in native oak and is the first Mr. Rood has done that will be placed outdoors.
We haven’t checked on insurance statistics, but it is said that Ben Skogstad is the first Whitehall citizen to secure airplane insurance on his residence. With frequent, low-flying planes stunting over the city, Ben might be setting a worthwhile example.
Reynolds Tomter of Pigeon Falls, who bought part of the former Carl Fremstad house in Fuller Coulee, had it moved to Pigeon Falls Wednesday. Alfred Nelson and his men helped with the work. They took it apart at the corners so the walls could be hauled on a flat trailer.
Emil Glenzinski, farmer in the Dodge community, has been at St. Joseph’s Hospital since Friday after he met with an accident while cutting hay. The horses bolted and got out of control when he drover over a nest of bees. Glenzinski was dragged under the mower and received three broken ribs when a horse fell over him. He also received 11 stitches to a wound on his head.
Several Arcadia agriculture students will participate in the state fair in Milwaukee. Three boys will exhibit swine in the junior and senior divisions: Gerald George, Francis Schank and La Verne Sonsalla. John Schmidt, Roger Tamke and Glen Tamke will play at the state FFA band, which will lead the parade before the grandstand at 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
100 YEARS AGO
Aug. 18, 1921
The beautiful pipe organ for the Lutheran church is here, and is being erected by Mr. Butler, a factory representative from New Haven, Conn. Nothing outside of the large cities can compare with the instrument, which cost $4,500. The Young Peoples Society, the Ladies’ Aid and the Lutheran choir have undertaken the responsibility for paying for it, and a large part of the cost has already been liquidated.
John Sagen of Pigeon was badly bruised one day last week while hauling tobacco. The team became frightened in the shed while he was standing in front of them, and ran over him.
The fans were out in large numbers at the ball games Sunday and yesterday. The attendance at Sunday’s game is estimated at 1,400, while 800 witnessed the game with the Colored Giants yesterday.
Company A National Guard, composed entirely of Arcadia men under the leadership of Capt. S.B. Slaughter left Monday for two weeks training at Camp Douglas.
Under a new prohibition enforcement law effective in the state, saloon bars must go, while all window curtains, screens, etc., which obstruct a view of soft drink saloons were also taboo.
Another big dance was scheduled in Mike Hannon’s new dance pavilion on the Glencoe Ridge.
John Dopp Jr. is Gale’s champion cabbage grower. He is displaying large size heads and hopes to win some blue ribbons at the fair.
The new Galesville Public Library Rest Room will be opened to the public Tuesday. The public is invited to inspect the building.
125 YEARS AGO
Aug. 13, 1896
Several of our citizens are possessors of additional horseflesh, purchased at an auction sale of horses last Saturday.
The Catholic church at Independence was damaged by wind last Sunday night, to the extent of $1,500. It is reported that one-quarter of the roof was blown off, and many windows broken.
The Lutheran Synod church was largely attended Sunday, the Rev. Em. Christopherson occupying the pulpit. Following the services, an enjoyable picnic was held in A.W. Anderson’s grove.
The Green Bay and Western Railroad has posters out announcing that they will run a special train to Winona on the occasion of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The round-trip fair will be $1.60 from Blair, $1.50 from Whitehall.
Jake Pullman’s house in the town of Hale was struck by lighting Wednesday of last week and entirely consumed, together with considerable of its contents.
C.A. Ecker’s team broke away from the station platform last Sunday morning, taking a portion of the platform with them, and in making a sudden turn in the street one of them fell and the pole of the buggy was forced into the ground and broken. Here they were caught and no further damage done.
Blair — Certain young men, four in number, laid themselves liable to at least six months imprisonment in the county jail, setting fire to a straw stack at Mattis Mathison’s farm south of the village at midnight several nights since. They were caught in the act by Mr. Mathison and Henry Haukhum. When it is remembered that one of the quartet is but just out of felonious trouble, we think he is taking chances.
