Early Files - January 8, 2020

(25 YEARS AGO) Jan. 12, 1995 - 
If other Trempealeau County supervisors get the same response Dave Anderson received Monday night, the county won’t be getting a one-half-percent sales tax any time soon. But then, Anderson was talking to some of the people who would have to collect the tax and the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce members didn’t want anything to do with being tax collectors for the county and voted unanimously to oppose the sales tax. 

A public hearing was scheduled for Wednesday night to hear from people against collecting the sales tax in Trempealeau County. John Sobotta of Arcadia is the chairman of the Trempealeau County Board Finance Committee and he said the Wisconsin Department of Revenue estimated Trempealeau County could raise $900,000 annually by collecting the sales tax. 

Rob Garbisch began his duties as Trempealeau County University of Wisconsin-Extension 4-H and youth agent, succeeding Craig Saxe.

The Whitehall School District apparently will consider an abstinence-based human sexuality curriculum. The district’s health advisory/human growth and development committee discussed such a curriculum on Monday. No action was taken, but abstinence-based sexual education programs used in other areas will be reviewed at the committee’s next meeting.

At least one large-volume mailer in Galesville is hoping the city’s new emergency house-numbering plan gets returned to sender. Residents and businesses in the city have been notified that they will have five-digit addresses once the county’s emergency plan goes through. Before that happens, at least one business, the Bank of Galesville, would like the Galesville city council to take another look at the five-digit numbering plan because of the clerical costs involved. Changing its computerized customer lists will cost the bank untold amounts, said Ken Kopp, chairman of the board. 

Requests for new staff in the school district next year exceed $500,000 in added salaries, the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau school board learned Monday night. “The school district isn’t going to be able to handle all of that,” superintendent Bill Zaborowski said. He said the administration might sift through the requests and ask board approval for possibly 20 percent of that amount. 

Someone driving along Highway D, about two miles east of Ettrick before dawn on Friday saw flames shooting form a barn on the Larry Corcoran farm. He stopped, pounded on their door and yelled “Your barn is on fire.” Then he left without giving his name, apparently to go on to work somewhere. ‘We hope he’ll let us know who he is,” said Mardie Corcoran. The Corcorans want to thank him for the alarm at 3:50 a.m. because it gave them time to get some of their 54 milkers out safely and it gave firefighters time to save part of the structure.  

Kay Wiemer, director of emergency government services in Trempealeau County, said implementation of an enhanced 9-1-1 emergency telephone system was now tentatively scheduled to begin in April. The installation of the equipment is scheduled to be done during the months of February and March, according to Wiemer. 

Two new firemen were installed at the meeting of the Blair-Preston Fire Department on Dec. 27. The new members are Travis Armitage and Pastor John Twiton. Retiring from the department are Randy Moser, with 10 years of service and Kris Stephenson with four years of service. 

(50 YEARS AGO) Jan. 15, 1970 - A fire early Wednesday morning destroyed the former Melvin Tangen home, now owned by the Pigeon Falls Cooperative Creamery, located on the south edge of that village. The occupants, Mavis Brady and her children and grandchildren, escaped with only the clothes they were wearing.

Ralph Rasmuson poured in 39 points, and Orland Hagen, Brian Nordhagen and Eric Windjue all scored in double figures, as the Norsemen crushed Independence 108-39 Friday. Ray Warner had 15 for the Indees.

Dave Schreiber was elected president of the Arcadia Sportsmen’s Club, succeeding Allen Kube. Mike Lettner was selected vice president, succeeding Schreiber.

A new law requires drivers to display a “slow-moving vehicle” (SMV) emblem on the rear of any vehicle that usually travels slower than 25 miles per hour. 

We’re number one and Galesville has shown signs of letting everyone know about it. The number one refers to the selection of Gale-Ettrick’s Redmen to the number one position in the final standings of the football Little Ten. The Redmen’s eleveation to the top of the state’s small schools’ football heap at the end of the 1969 campaign has made a number of local residents proud enough of the fact to spend some time and energy to let people know about it. 

“The time has come for the silent people to speak,” was one of the comments voiced from the floor of the meeting as taxpayers from the town of Caledonia got together to discuss their plight. Their plight was a jump in property taxes that amounted to a 51.5 percent increase over last year’s property taxes. 

Snowmobiles were again a topic of discussion by the Galesville city council as the city looked for ways to find proper regulations for the operation of these vehicles within the city limits. Meeting last Thursday, the city’s aldermen debated possible legislation. Alderman John Williamson said that before drawing up any ordinances governing the machines, the council should get the feeling of the newly-formed snowmobile club. 

Don’s Bar and Lounge opened over the holiday season. It was formerly the State Theater building in Blair. 

The annual Ettrick Legion and Auxiliary oyster stew supper is upcoming. 

The first annual snowmobile derby will be held at the Blair Sportsmen Club grounds on Jan. 11. 

L/Cpl David Aldach, Taylor, was injured in Vietnam with shrapnel in his right leg, a hole in his left arm and two large veins severed in his arms. 

(75 YEARS AGO) Jan. 11, 1945 - During 1944, 143 marriage licenses were issued by the Trempealeau County Clerk’s office, one less than in the previous year. Register of Deeds Lester Brennom reports 197 weddings recorded, compared to 187 in 1943, and seven divorces were granted by the circuit court, one more than in the previous year. There were 536 births, compared to 581 in 1943, and 251 deaths, 12 fewer than in the year preceding.

The free marriage license offered by the Trempealeau County Clerk’s office to the first couple applying in the new year went to Palmer Nokleby of Hale and Dorothy Nelson of Sumner.

Colonel Larson, Whitehall High coach and teacher, is a hobbyist, and one of his hobbies before he came here was the breeding of pet mice. He raised 3,000 of them in two years. He saved several of his pets after disposing of the rest to a hobbyist in Florida, and also gave a few of them to children in his neighborhood. Also reposing in the Larson basement is a frog that is at present in winter hibernation. A former household pet was an alligator, which Mr. Larson had to give away before moving here from Neillsville last summer. His chief hobby now is photography, and he has organized two camera clubs at the high school, thereby interesting more than 50 young people in that activity.

Three members of the Leland Zastrow family were injured in a car accident on Highway 95, six miles west of Arcadia.  All members of the Zastrow family received injuries. Mrs. Zastrow had a broken leg, her daughter, Janet, also had a broken leg. The Zastrow’s son, Gaylord, had eight teeth knocked out and a broken leg and Leland had facial cuts. The family was taken to the hospital by Fred Theisen. 

The home of John Keller was gutted out by a fire. The blaze started at approximately 8 a.m. in the kitchen of the home. Firefighters had a battle on their hands and they were just able to extinguish the blaze. Keller lit his stove early that morning, the cause of the fire is unknown. 

S/Sgt. Raymond Hanson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Hanson was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic action on Mt. Bemi in Italy. 

Pvt. Stanley Hestekin, 35, has been reported missing in action in Belgium since Dec. 22. Pfc. Tilman Leque, 30, was wounded in action in Germany. 

(100 YEARS AGO) Jan. 15, 1920 - Judge H.A. Anderson, one of the most highly respected men in Trempealeau County — first janitor at the courthouse, after that, district attorney and county judge — has doffed the judicial ermine and settled down to private life. He had been judge for 10 years and could have held that office for many more year, but refused last year to again become a candidate, preferring to make way for someone else and to devote his remaining years to rest and carrying out his plans to write a war history of Trempealeau County. 

The hockey game here last Sunday between Whitehall and Pigeon Falls ended in a victory for the latter by a score of 2-1. The Whitehall team was crippled because of the inability of some of the regulars to play.

Ben Pehler, Dodge, took the train from Arcadia to Milwaukee where he will be taking a course at the Milwaukee Motor School. 

George Eckel was seriously injured when he was working in Kronschnable’s ice house. He was chopping with an axe when it got caught in a truss overhead and fell on his head, resulting in a gash. 

The old Garringer residence property in the Trempealeau community has been purchased by James Little Bear, a full-blood Winnebago. Other Indians are looking around for property.

At the last meeting of Home Co. No. 1, Galesville Fire Department, Carl Anderson was elected foreman; J.M. Koehler, first assistant; George Gould, second assistant; George Sagen, secretary, John Vier, treasurer and Herman Christianson, trustee.

Crashing into two cars of cinders near the old Holmes farm on the Galeville-Trempealeau branch of the Northwestern Railroad, the train leaving Galesville at 11 a.m. Monday was stalled there until the wreckage was cleared after midnight. 

In the census now being taken, Galesville will show a population of about 1,050. The East Side and the Lake Road sections are not counted as part of the Galesville population. 

(125 YEARS AGO) Jan. 10, 1895 - A number of parties are putting up their summer’s supply of ice, which is of good quality.

Indoor baseball furnishes a great deal of sport to the young men of the town at Opera Hall evenings.

Rickard Mattson has opened his meat market in the Getts block and is conveniently situated. Adolph Olson of Pigeon swings the ax and cleaver.

Blair — The United State Express Co. has instructed its agents at Whitehall and Blair to receive and deliver no more spiritous liquors sold by Whitehall saloon keeps to residents of this section. This is the outcome of a move on the part of our authorities to put a quietus on this kind of business.

 

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