From Our early Files December 16
25 YEARS AGO
Dec. 21, 1995
If Thursday’s action by the Whitehall School District board is any indication of the sentiment along Dairyland Conference schools, Onalaska Luther will be dropped from the conference. The Whitehall board voted unanimously to support the removal of the private school from the area athletic conference.
Whitehall’s addition of Subway, the nationwide submarine sandwich chain, opened last week in the Hegge Building at Main and Dodge Streets. Manager Mike Hallum and his partner Allen Ronnenberg also operate a Subway in Osseo.
Construction on Tri-County Memorial Hospital’s “Building for the Future” project are underway in earnest.
Tad Rebhahn, a 1994 Arcadia High School graduate, participated in a collegiate bowl game for Vermillion Community College. A wide receiver for the Ironmen, Rebhan’s team was ranked 10th in the nation before falling to Dupage Community College on Nov. 25.
Arcadia Utility Commission President Gerald Myers and Arcadia Electric Utility Superintendent Tim Putz discussed the advantages of keeping regulation the electric industry. Retail wheeling is something which may have adverse effect upon price rates for the average person. The main threat of deregulation and retail wheeling is that private electric companies could hand pick the largest consumers of electric power. If that would happen, the average consumer would see a rise in electric rates. The commission has tried to take steps to prevent that from happening in Arcadia.
Tony Johnson and David “Doc” Schiesl recently opened TJ Doc’s Used Appliances and More, located just a few houses beyond the Highway 93-95 intersection.
The Galesville city council has approved its share of funding for a new well, committing $588,590 for the project as part of an application for state funds that will hopefully pay the rest of the $1.3 million project.
A fire of still undetermined origin did more than damage Robert Koba’s riverside home near Trempealeau, it got to the Christmas cards he told neighbors that he had written out. “I had them all made out,” he lamented.
Fourteen homeless families discovered in Trempealeau County earlier this year, appear to have been provided for, said Roberta Ward, the county’s social services director. She said her agency arranged temporary shelter for families with children who had no friends or relatives to turn to in cold weather and that others were steered to apartments or other accommodations.
All employees of the city of Blair will receive a wage increase of 22 cents per hour. The average cost of living increase is 2.6 percent, while the pay hike for city personnel equals two percent. The council, by a 4-2 vote, granted the increase with Kenneth Nereng and Gary Olson voting against.
Paul Olson, a rural Taylor farmer and 26-year member of the National Farmers Organization will serve as national vice president of the NFO. He was elected to a four-year term at the annual NFO convention held in Middleton on Dec. 7.
Jayme Steien, a senior at Blair-Taylor High School, has been selected to receive the 1996 Award of Excellence from the Women’s Sports Advocates of Wisconsin.
50 YEARS AGO
Dec. 24, 1970
Abner Thompson, who operated school buses for the Whitehall school district for 37 years before selling out recently to Fred Hoff, was presented with a plaque in recognition of his safe-driving record before the start of Friday’s basketball game. Principal John Monson and Jim Ritland, president of the student council, made the presentation.
A barn used for housing young stock on the Clifford Bautch farm near Pleasantville was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
Whitehall has a new dentist in the person of Dr. Dennis Strangstalien, a native of Westby who has moved here with his wife and two children.
Osseo-Fairchild handed the Norsemen their first defeat of the season Friday night, 81-60, behind 25 points from Ron Johnson. Whitehall’s Jeff Dahl, the leading scorer in the Dairyland Conference coming into the game, was held to 14 points.
The 1970 tax rate for the portion of the township of Arcadia has been set at $42.41 per thousand of assessed valuation, according to Emil Pierzina, town clerk. The rate is a rise of $5.35 per thousand from last year.
The Arcadia FFA parliamentary procedure team won the district contest held at Whitehall, a repeat of last year’s performance. Team members are Pat Waters, Kent Nilsestuen, Ron Pronschinske, Randy Weltzien, Dean Sobotta,, Ron Olson and Russell Weltzien.
The Industrial Arts III class at Arcadia High has been busy the past two weeks building wood duck houses for the Arcadia Sportsmen Club. Bob Wozney, Larry Ruff and Ron Bautch are among the students working on the duck houses.
75 YEARS AGO
Dec. 20, 1945
The annual report of the county agent’s department presented to the board of supervisors at it annual meeting in November showed tremendous increases in farm production over five years ago. The number of cows and heifers on farms increased from 39,077 in 1940 to 44,632 in 1945. Hogs increased from 17,483 five years ago to 25,758 the past year. Milk sold from farms totaled 2.9 million gallons in 1940, and 16.1 gallons this year.
The Farmers Cooperative Creamery Association at Black River Falls has sold its creamery to M.H. Ford of Whitehall, state inspector for dairy products, the purchase price being $30,000. Mr. Ford’s plans for moving to Black River Falls are indefinite.
Twenty below zero Tuesday morning.
World War II members of the Hutchins-Stendahl American Legion Post are sponsoring a homecoming dance for servicemen which will be held Friday, Dec. 28. Old- and new-time music will be provided by Thurston and Johnstad’s Idlewild Orchestra.
In spite of the cold wave that has prevailed in this area for a week, preparations are well in hand for the annual Christmas party for youngsters of the surrounding area this Saturday afternoon. P.M. Paulson, chairman of the event, says that while candies and other holiday treats are not as abundant as in years past, he has been fortunate in securing sufficient knick-knacks so that there will be treats for every youngster who visits Whitehall that day.
Earl Nelson experienced an accident Friday, which could easily have resulted more seriously than it did. Earl was assisting with carpenter work on the warehouse being erected by the Whitehall Hardware and Furniture Co. at the read of their store, and was working on the roof when he slipped and fell to the ground, breaking his glasses and cutting and bruising his face.
Durand defeated the Norseman basketball team 37 to 28 Friday evening. Alyn Larson led in local scoring with nine points, and Robert Bensend and Larry Johnson had five each.
Major Benedict Walske has returned to Arcadia after serving in the armed forces since February 1941. Walske was cited for outstanding work in surgery during his tour in the armed forces. He is a graduate of Arcadia High School, the University of Wisconsin and the Marquette University Medical School. Walske practiced medicine in Independence before he entered the war.
Work is scheduled to begin the first of the year on the new power plant of the Dairyland Cooperative at Alma. It is believed that the plant will be the largest cooperative steam generating plant in the world.
100 YEARS AGO
Dec. 23, 1920
The Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Co. street lighting was turned on Friday night, and “cutting-in” at residences and business houses is now in progress. Additional current will be supplied by the Whitehall Mill and Power Co. as soon as the new generator arrives.
The first real snow storm of the season came Monday night, and snow has continued to fall at intervals since. The sleighing is fine, and a real white Christmas will be enjoyed this year.
Mrs. E.A. Sletteland of Pigeon Falls has been engaged as a soprano singer at the Central M.E. Church at Winona. Mrs. Sletteland’s sweet soprano voice is recognized abroad as well as at home.
The Whitehall Undertaking Co. gave their new hearse a good tryout last Tuesday, going over some bad roads and snow drifts. They are perfectly satisfied with it. This is the first trip they have made with it since Peterson Bros. assembled it. It’s a Dodge Bros.
P.M. Paulson and Sam Stuve are making all arrangements to go to Texas. They were recently there with the Stewart Land Co., and the result of this visit is a longing for the sunny south. The properties of both Mr. Paulson and Mr. Stuve in this locality are for sale, and a detailed list of same is given in the advertising columns.
Whitehall High School students mourn the loss of one of their number in the death of Fredrick Fredrickson of Pigeon. A sophomore, he died Dec. 10 of an illness that developed from pneumonia.
York — There’s nothing slow about the York Power Co.’s mill. The miller, Theo. Larson, reports grinding 150 sacks of grist between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday. That is sure going some.
125 YEARS AGO
Dec. 20, 1895
The Whitehall village school closes tomorrow for a two weeks’ vacation.
There will be a union Christmas tree at the Baptist church next Tuesday evening.
A. Watt, of this place, will open a jewelry establishment at Hixton next month.
A.F. Reitzel has a fine line of new masquerade suits for rent, also masks of all kinds very cheap.
We had quite a rainfall last Sunday night, which was something unusual at this season of the year.
Christianson Bros. finished threshing yesterday, completing a 97-day run and separating from the straw 120,000 bushels of grain.
Peter Overby accompanied Paul Lomo, recently from Norway, to Sechlerville the first of the week, where the latter secured a position in a creamery.
Webb Smith, being the lowest bidder, was awarded the contract last Saturday to keep open a skating rink on the mill pond this winter. This is a good scheme and will afford plenty of skating for everyone.
Christian Pederson was severely bitten on the hand a few days ago by a hog while butchering. The wound has given him considerable pain and annoyance, but he anticipates no serious result from the misfortune.
Fire broke out in one of the bedrooms in the upper story of Oluf Mattson’s hotel just before dinner time Monday. The apartment was occupied by the chambermaid, who lost most of her clothing hanging on the wall.
A benevolent old lady of Fly Creek, 65 years of age, who works much of the time in the field at hard, manual labor, stepped into the village bank last week and handed $200 to President Melby, stating that she wanted it sent to the missionaries in the East.
