From Our Early Files Jan. 3, 2024
25 YEARS AGO
January 7, 1999
Three Whitehall School District board seats currently held by George Everson (town of Pigeon/village of Pigeon Falls), Scott Humphrey (towns of Curran, Garden Valley and Northfield) and David Skoyen (town of Hale) will be on the ballot for the spring election. While Skoyen is running unopposed, Everson will be opposed by John Bortle, while Nancy Kaminski and Tamara Steig both filed to run against Humphrey.
Ryan Mickelson, Leah Hanson, Mandy Gauger and Nathan Semb will represent Whitehall High School at the Dorian Vocal Music Camp to be held at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
Diane Pischke might have preferred a traditional gift, instead of the pile of discarded Christmas trees – and signs advertising them for sale – that some pranksters put in the yard of her Whitehall residence over the weekend.
Officers and members of the board of directors of the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce for 1999 are Delaine Stendahl, Sandra Albertson, Fran Sherry, Bob Walske, Jason Molis, Gary Holen and Scott House. House and Stendahl are in their second year as president and secretary, respectively; Walske is a board member as past president; Molis is the new vice president/treasurer and Albertson, Holen and Sherry are new board members.
The yearlong process of deciding on a cost-effective replacement for Arcadia’s 45-year-old Paetow Pool, planning a systematic fundraising campaign and mobilizing community volunteers to make it happen are coming together. The goal of community and city leaders is to raise $1.25 million for the new Arcadia Area Family Aquatic Center next to Kid’s Kingdom in Memorial Park. General chairman Bud English recently announced that Dave Oelkers and Glen Bawek would comprise the next division leaders of the fundraising campaign.
December Students of the Month at Arcadia High School are Derik Grotjahn, Brenda Wolfe, Tony Shepherd, Tony Bawek, Emily Buss, Ross Reichwein and Dustin Waletzko.
Freshman Josh Miller became only the third Arcadia wrestler to win a Bi-State Classic crown when he captured the 103-pound division last week in La Crosse. John Giemza won the 125-pound weight class in 1995 and Greg Gibbons won at 103 in 1987 and 112 in 1989.
Neighbors on 4th street in Galesville dubbed him the “Christmas Goose,” adopting the large Canada goose left behind by his flock on their journey south. The injured bird appeared around November with about 50 fellow geese who made Lake Marinuka their way station as they headed toward warmer climes. The goose, apparently, was unable to make the trip when the flock left about three weeks ago. Russ Heilman and his wife Connie, along with Marilyn Anderson have been watching over the goose.
The Trempealeau County board of supervisors will decide whether to implement a Trempealeau County Subdivision Ordinance at their Jan. 26 meeting. The ordinance was written to create uniform land records throughout the county. According to land and zoning specialist Peter Fletcher, the county’s zooming committee drafted the ordinance which will require that any parcel of land under 20 acres in the county must have a Certified Survey Map drawn up before it can be deeded.
50 YEARS AGO
January 10, 1974
The Whitehall district school board has reversed its earlier position and approved the disputed agreement on a 1971-72 contract with the Whitehall Teachers Association, voting four to three to comply with a Dec. 19 Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission ruling.
The Whitehall Lions Club and the Trempealeau County Highway Safety Committee are trying to get improvements made in the warning signals at the Main St. crossing of the Green Bay and Western Railroad, where accidents have claimed five lives in the past eight years.
Nicole Lee Klimek, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Klimek of Independence, became the first baby of the new year born at Tri-County Memorial Hospital when she arrived Jan. 2.
Mike Mulhern’s free throws with 32 seconds remaining gave Osseo-Fairchild its first lead of the game, as the Chieftains stunned Whitehall 47-46. John Peterson had 20 points for the Norse.
June Marie Sonsalla, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sonsalla, Arcadia, put an appearance Sunday morning, Jan. 6 at 11:30 to become Arcadia’s First Baby of the New Year and the recipient of many gifts and good wishes from local business and professional people.
A minor car-train accident occurred about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday when a 1965 Pontiac belonging to Judith Scow, Arcadia, parked about a foot from the railroad tracks on Green Bay Avenue, was brushed by a passing northbound Green Bay & Western freight. No one was in the car at the time and damage was confined to the right front fender. The car was moved about a foot and a half.
A locally family-owned business for almost 70 years, Abts Shoe Store, has been sold to an Iowa man effective Jan. 1. Announcement of the sale to Glen Bawek of Stacyville, Iowa, was made this week by Bernard and Hilarian Abts.
A farewell open house will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Hall honoring Father John Murphy who has retired because of poor health. Father Murphy came to Galesville in January of 1936 and was moved to Durand in 1949. He came back to St. Mary’s in 1969.
75 YEARS AGO
January 6, 1949
Viking Valley, the new winter playground near Whitehall, began operation last Saturday, and several hundred people from near and far saw and used the facilities over the weekend. The tow, made up of more than 1,800 feet of one-inch manila rope pulled by a seven and a half-horsepower electric motor, took the skiers to the top of the hill in one minute. Next week, a 10-horsepower motor will be installed, which will allow twice as many skiers to use the tow at one time. The warming house, where the genial Berger Lunds serve coffee, sandwiches and donuts, will prove to be a popular place. Season ticket prices have been set at $5 for adults and $2.50 for those 18 and under; daily rates are $1 for adults and 50 cents for young people over 12 and under 18. There is no charge for children under 12.
Sharon Renae, the daughter born at 12:40 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the Community Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Helgeson of the Pleasantville area, is the first baby born in the area in the new year, as far as is known from present reports.
The Flying Pigeon Junior Ski Club has selected Feb. 13 as its tournament date, the club having been accepted as a member of the newly-formed Indianhead Junior Ski Association. The club boasts a membership of 24, and is supported by the townspeople of Pigeon Falls and members of the Town Commercial Club.
Basil Erickson, Trempealeau County sheriff the past four years, relinquished his office on Jan. 3, having served the two consecutive terms allowed by law in Wisconsin. He moved his household goods and family from the county jail residence into his own home on Abrams Street in Whitehall.
Arcadia High School basketball boys, beaten only once so far this season invaded Independence Tuesday night and came away with the long end of a 58-36 final score.
100 YEARS AGO
January 10, 1924
Station Agent C.R. Van Horn reports an excellent passenger traffic during the holiday season. Nearly all trains have been loaded to capacity with Christmas visitors and students returning home. The remaining students departed Saturday to be present at the beginning of school Monday. Those returning the La Crosse Normal were the Miss Agnes Hauge, Margaret Larson, Beatrice Oerke, Norma Staff, Julia Anderson, Marie Davidson, Lottie Davidson, Lillian Bidney, Marie Elstad, Anna Mattson, and Esther Wellen, and Hjalmer Oerke and Edward Roskos. Charlotte Wilken went to Stout Institute at Menomonie, and Guy Peterson to Wausau, where he is taking a commercial course.
N.S. Knutson and Chas. Hagestad were in Whitehall Friday to see Highway Commissioner Rotering in regards to securing their road patrol jobs for the coming summer. The boys rode to Blair on the Ettrick and Northern. The passenger coach of the E.&N., propelled by a Ford motor, has succeeded in making the regular schedule to Blair during the winter, connecting with the Green Bay and Western passenger trains.
A flag pole was put up in front of the new Whitehall school house during vacation. Next spring, when the flowers that have been planted around its base begin to blossom, we ought to have a pretty piece of scenery.
John Kowahl Jr. of Plum Creek doesn’t stop for cold weather when he has business to attend to in town. Friday, John braved the extreme cold and attended to business in Whitehall.
The Arcadia Legion Auxiliary installed officers as follows: Isadore Gaveney, president; Luelle Slaughter, secretary; Laura Hohmann, first vice president; Margaret Barry, second vice president; Irma English, treasurer; Blanche Dyste, historian and Jessie Muir, chaplain.
Robert Ashton was elected president; Goe. H. Barry vice president; W.T. Lueke, cashier and C.F. Weisenberger, bookkeeper of the Farmers State Bank at the annual meeting.
Arcadia Lodge, F. & A.M. installed officers as follows: W.E. Bishop, worshipful master; Geo. A. Schneller, senior warden; Chas. A. Sweet, junior warden; Emil Maurer, treasurer; O.B. Strouse, secretary; Rev. S. Scorse, chaplain; Peter Mathys, senior deacon; Carl Hertzfeldt, junior deacon; Herbert Reith, senior sentinel; H.J. Schroeder, junior sentinel; and Geo. Bohrnstedt, tyler.
125 YEARS AGO
January 5, 1899
The county board have abolished the distinction between town and county poor, and adopted the county poor system, as a legal step toward the purchase of a poor farm and the erection of a poor house, in accordance with the recommendation of the committee empowered to investigate the advisability of the poor farm system, whose recommendation was unanimously adopted by the board. Pending the completion of the poor house, the various town and village supervisors become, by order of the board, agents of the county for the care of the poor.
J.M. Ingalls and his big team of horses ought to have a prize. The gentleman drove into town last Friday with two and a half cords of wood. The load had no such dimensions as may be seen on the skids in the woods; still, it was a big one for the sleighing, which was not the best.
Henry French came up from Galesville to look after the interests of his office. He was elected county treasurer, but on account of poor health he will be unable to discharge the duties of the office, and has appointed O.E. Larson as his deputy. Mr. Larson has just served two terms as treasurer, and will have no trouble in continuing to handle the people’s lucre.
The Misses Iva and Minnie Cliff returned Monday from Glenwood, where they spent their holiday vacation at home. The former is assistant principal of the Whitehall school, while her sister teaches at Old Whitehall.
Messrs. Gibbs, Holcomb and Matchett, of the county board, empowered as a committee to investigate the advisability of erecting an insane asylum, gave a thorough and exhaustive report on the subject to the county board at its present session, and recommended the erection of an asylum, which recommendation was adopted.
