From Our Early Files March 2, 2022
25 YEARS AGO
March 6, 1997
The cities of Independence and Whitehall were waiting for word this week on state grants that would fund new fire stations in both communities. The state Department of Commerce had indicated that it would announce the recipients of this year’s community development block grants a couple weeks ago. Some of the awards have been announced, but apparently the state agency is contacting municipalities that applied for the grants one at a time, in person. Independence clerk Rebecca Marsolek and Whitehall clerk Lynn Johnson both said they hadn’t heard anything yet.
You’re a diehard Green Bay Packers fan and you suddenly find yourself with a chance to have an intimate dinner with one of your heroes. Okay, so it’s you and 19 other people. And you have to go with your little sister. What do you do? If you’re Tom Kloss of Whitehall, you don’t hesitate. Kloss said his sister didn’t have to ask twice. He went to Milwaukee to have dinner with Brett Favre, the Super Bowl champion Packers quarterback and two-time National Football League most valuable player. The sister is Jennie Kloss, a student at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. She won the tickets to the Feast with Favre in a drawing. Both of the Kloss siblings returned with footballs autographed by the Packers quarterback.
Arcadia High School senior Matt Chambers on the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division Three wrestling title at 125 pounds in Madison on Saturday. This was the fourth time Chambers wrestled in the state tournament as he defeated Ted Kramer of Plainfield 11-3 in the championship match.
Arcadia High School principal Robert Ganka began a new program that will allow the various departments at the education institution to award students who excel under their guidance. The first recipients of the “Student of the Month” awards were Julie Glodowski, Brian Pehler, Matt Wozney, Roy Forsythe, Derek Symitczek, Lynn Patzner, Lisa Wozney, Lindsay Oelkers and Maren Flynn.
It was quite a week for Nate Ausen. It seemed like even U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman was listening to him. On Monday, the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau sophomore competed in a subdivision forensics competition, giving a speech about the financial woes facing dairymen. On Wednesday, he gave the same talk about over-reliance on the price-setting role of the Green Bay cheese exchange – and won first place in an FFA competition. No one can say what happened Thursday was due to Ausen, but it certainly was a moral victory for the young dairyman. Secretary Glickman declared in Washington, “We really need to get off this reliance on the cheese exchange.” And he pledged to work with Congress for reform of a milk-pricing system that has had Ausen, and other dairymen, talking about the possible extinction of the dairy farmer.
A cottonwood tree that stood as a 65-foot-plus tall landmark along Hwys. 54-93 for 100 years or more — some say 200 years — is now a stump. Gone is the survey marker that helped make the tree a landmark. The tree, which landowner Douglas Nicholas says “was big when I was small” had two strikes against it. It was dead and Northern States Power needed the right-of-way for new transmission lines.
In places like Mike’s Bar and Jean’s Stylist Salon, the talk turned to the alleged murder plot involving James Shuman of the Galesville seed corn family. As folks exchanged information about the charges and their knowledge of members of the Shuman family, a judge in La Crosse county was refusing to lower the $2 million cash bond that had been set as a condition for Shuman’s release. Authorities say Schuman made a $1,500 down payment toward the killing of his wife. The man he reportedly had paid the money to was identified as an undercover agent posing as a hit man. Schuman, 46, was also charged with two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree intentional homicide of his wife and her father.
50 YEARS AGO
March 9, 1972
Sue Mallum and Beth Speerstra have been named co-valedictorians of the 1972 graduating class at Whitehall High. Co-salutatorians are Paul Trygstad and Marilyn Sveen.
March came into Whitehall like the proverbial lion, with blizzards on March 1 and 3 and temperatures dropping below zero.
Area native Dave Tomten, 19, won the national junior-class ski-jumping competition held Sunday at Berlin, N.H.
The newest member of the Richard Lettner family of Trempealeau arrived last week. He is Toshiyaso Ishiguro, a Japanese farm trainee who will live and work on the Lettner farm for the next year. The young Japanese farmer is one of seven trainees in Wisconsin this year, sponsored by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, in cooperation with the Association for International Collaboration of Farmers – a Japanese organization.
Trempealeau County recorded its third 1972 traffic fatality within 12 days with the death of 58-year-old Independence man Ralph Halama last Wednesday near the three-mile bridge, north of Arcadia on Highway 93. Halama, a retired farmer, was fatally injured in a two-car crash.
The Redmen “Super Spiel,” an adult-high school mixed curling bonspiel started Thursday. A record number of 64 teams took part. First event winners were Steve Wright, Tom Hunger, LeAnn Corcoran and Mary Jane Hilton. Second event winners were Wendy Hilton, Peggy Hilton, Windy Hilton and Jeff Wagner. Third event winners were Betsy Johnson, Betty Quinn, Jim Quinn and Kurt Wood. Fourth event winners were Richie Truax, Margaret Welch, Barbara Barenthin and John Welch.
There are 172 adults attending 11 different night classes in the G-E-T School District.
75 YEARS AGO
March 6, 1947
Damage of several hundred dollars was done to the barn on the Edward Hermanson farm on Hwy. 53 about 3 a.m. Saturday, when the 1940 four-door Chevrolet driven by Archie Thompson of Northfield ran into it. Mr. Thompson was proceeding toward Whitehall but instead of making the turn, his car veered off the left side of the road and ripped off about 15 feet of the barn’s east wall, narrowly missing four horses and coming to rest against a calf pen. Mr. Thompson was uninjured except for a slight cut on the head.
Theodore Nelson, one of the older citizens of Irvin Coulee, spent an afternoon in town last week visiting friends. Years back, Mr. Nelson’s presence in town was not unusual, but he is in his 81st year, and stays closer to home.
Several meetings have been held in recent months between the boards of directors of the Trempealeau and Vernon county breeders’ cooperatives, to consider the possibility of forming one new, larger organization. The proposed organization is to be called the Tri-State Breeders Cooperative, and would be headquartered near La Crosse.
Sherman Erickson, after having been employed at Green Bay and Western Railroad stations up and down the line between here and Green Bay the past few months, is back at the local station. Reuben Magnuson, station agent here, has been laid up the past couple weeks.
The Whitehall Merchants won a thrilling game from the CYO team of Independence Thursday, 53-50. The Merchants give credit for their improved play to Coach “Jug” Marsh of Whitehall High School, who has transferred his efforts to them now that the high school season is over.
The Benusa-Theisen Implement will sponsor its annual John Deer Day in Arcadia on Tuesday at the Vogue Theatre. The big post-war show is expected to be the biggest one ever.
100 YEARS AGO
March 9, 1922
A Madison telegram published elsewhere announces that Trempealeau County native Herman Ekern has decided to become a candidate for state attorney general. Mr. Ekern will get a large number of votes in the primaries from his old home county, not only from a desire to compliment a former resident, but from knowing his fitness for the position. Mr. Ekern has served as a member and speaker of the assembly, and as state insurance commissioner.
J.E. Garahan, formerly of Fall Creek, is now in possession of the hardware and furniture business previously owned by Mason and Olson, and will conduct in connection a funeral service. Mr. Garahan is remodeling the store, converting the second floor into a residence flat, and has rented the room known as the Solsrud hall for additional floor space. He has as his bookkeeper Miss Lydia Krenz, who was with him at Fall Creek, and has retained Oscar Libakken in the sales department.
At the meeting of the Whitehall Improvement Association held at the Village Hall Monday evening, a resolution was adopted in favor of the bond issue for the purpose of raising funds for the erection of a new school building.
The residence of Louis Pullman in the town of Hale burned Monday morning. The family members were at the barn doing chores at the time. The loss is partially covered by insurance.
Pigeon Falls — The ski tournament Sunday on Eid’s hill was in favor of the following: standing jump, first, Sigvald Finstad; second, Oliver Engen; third, Wesley Senneff. Sigvald Finstad had the longest standing or falling jump, 90 feet.
Ed B. McWeeny was elected president and Morris English vice president of the board of directors of the Farmers Cooperative Creamery.
The farm home of John Klimek in Wickham Valley burned to the ground shortly after the noon hour while the family was away.
Arcadia High cagers defeated a fast Kellogg quintet 25-23 and Lewiston 26-18 in the final game of the Y basketball tournament in Winona, to take the championship trophy.
125 YEARS AGO
March 4, 1897
E.N. Trowbridge has resigned his position as Whitehall town clerk, and H.A. Towner has been appointed to succeed him.
A fish-pond social will be given at the Presbyterian church at Old Whitehall tomorrow evening. A cordial invitation is extended to everybody.
H.H. Lewis of Hale was chosen to succeed the late J.C. Taylor as chairman of the county board. Mr. Lewis is an old member of the board, and has had much legislative experience and will make a good presiding officer.
Rumor is again rife that the Northwestern railroad company has decided to extend its line from Galesville north nine miles to Ettrick, thence east through Melrose, Necedah and Friendship to Montello, where it will connect with a line running from that place to Sheboygan.
The county board, at their special session Monday, passed resolution requesting their members in the legislature to oppose the creation of a municipal court for this county. The resolution had the unanimous support of the board, and was originated by Thomas Thompson, the new member from Independence. Mr. Thompson will make a valuable member of the board, watching with a keen eye the interests of the taxpayer.
Another terrible fatality occurred in what is known as the Breed curve, about two and a half miles east of Whitehall, last Saturday, when the mangled form of John Peterson, better known as John Cobben, was found by the train men of the west bound passenger. Cobben had been at the station here in the morning, considerably intoxicated, and had attempted to board the east-bound passenger after it had gotten underway, but was prevented from carrying out this reckless undertaking by bystanders. It is supposed that, after the train left, he followed it and was met by the noon freight.
A petition containing the required number of signers has been presented to the village board, praying that the question of granting license for the ensuing year be submitted to the voters at the coming spring election, April 6. The people will be given an opportunity to express themselves on this question.
