From Our Early Files April 14, 2021
25 YEARS AGO
April 18, 1996
Despite a substantial turnover of the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors, and a run of bad luck for people occupying his position, John Killian was reelected as the county board chairman this week Tuesday.
A Whitehall city council committee has given Beef and Dairy Days, Inc. permission to add a second tractor-pulling competition to this year’s festival and move both pulls to a slightly different location. Instead of running the pulls on Ellis Street between Scranton and Dodge, organizers asked to run them on Scranton, from the mid-block between Main and Ellis streets west to Hancock St.
Miss America 1981, Susan Powell, will be in Arcadia to serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the 21st annual Miss Arcadia pageant.
The Arcadia Lioness Club has become an important part of the social fiber in Arcadia and is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of its creation.
Two area men were killed in a car accident on Highway 53 near Holmen. Joshua Bielinski, 19, of Independence and Curtis Knospe, 42, Fountain City, were killed when the vehicles they were in collided at about 8 p.m. Sunday evening. Jason Galewski, 19, Independence is currently in fair condition while Knospe’s wife, Mildred, was listed in critical condition at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center.
A $628,793 state grant means Galesville should have a badly needed new well on the north side in 1997. The city’s share of the $1.1 million project is $493,497, said Jack Sanderson of the state agency.
Staff members from the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School have been studying the block scheduling concept — or four-period day — at other schools and the faculty is now discussing the concept for possible adoption. Principal Craig Gerlach told the school board at its April 11 meeting that the idea has been met with “lots of enthusiasm” so far.
The Galesville city council at its reorganizational meeting Tuesday elected Gary Redsten to serve as council president.
Blair-Taylor High School teacher John Pellowski was announced as a recipient of $1,000 from the Kohl Fountain Scholarship and Followship Program.
Blair-Taylor School District attorney Bill Koslo attended the school board’s monthly meeting and discussed the options the district has regarding the buildings that will no longer be needed should the referendum for a new building pass. Koslo closed his remarks stating the electors continually have power over school affairs and they are ultimately going to decide the issue.
50 YEARS AGO
April 22, 1971
The Whitehall city council last week Tuesday night approved making application state and federal grants to build a new swimming pool and make improvement to the new park currently being developed near the existing pool. Bids will be sought on two versions of the proposed aluminum pool, with construction to be completed this fall if an acceptable bid is received. Since the new pool would be on the site of the current pool, there would be no swimming this summer.
LaVerne Pientok has purchased Gerald Schansberg’s garbage pickup equipment, and will take over the collection routes in Blair, Independence and Whitehall effective May 1.
At is April meeting the Whitehall-Pigeon Rod and Gun Club voted to purchase the 274-acre Roy Warner farm in Johnson Valley, town of Hale.
Jim Reedy was named the 1971 Arcadia High School Senior Athlete of the Year while Bill O’Brien received a National W Club Award at the third annual Father-Son Athletic Banquet held at the Arcadia High School last Tuesday.
Officers for the coming year were elected when the St. Joseph Auxiliary met in the hospital craft room Monday afternoon. New officers are Mrs. Darlene Wozney, president; Mrs. Ruth Schank, treasurer and Mrs. Shirley Finner, secretary.
The Trempealeau village board awarded Frank Construction Co. of Winona, Minn., the bid for the sewer system and force main for $310,250. The Books Construction Co. of Brookfield, was awarded the sewage disposal plant and construction of two lift stations for $189,180.
The Trempealeau High School junior-senior prom king and queen and attendants are Queen Shari Dahl, attendants Diane Walski, Margaret Welch, Judy Mahutga and Donna Adams. King Wayne McCutchen, attendants Dennis Blank, Glenn Brommerich, Mike Leaviitt and Dan Brueggen.
75 YEARS AGO
April 18, 1946
Patrons of the Pigeon Falls creamery will be interested to know that barrels of dried milk processed there are reaching some of the remote outposts in starving Greece. A recent letter from Lieut. Nell Irene Erickson to her parents reported that a large quantity of dried milk from Pigeon Falls had arrived at Messolonghin, to be used in the relief program with which she is working.
The second-annual Trempealeau County marble tournament will be held on the ground at Whitehall High on Saturday, April 27, announces Colonel Larson, coach here. Last year, Orville Nething and Richard Rice of Whitehall placed first and second in the county, and competed in the sectional at La Crosse.
The business places of Whitehall will be closed from 1 to 3 p.m. on Good Friday to allow the people to attend the church of their choice. This is by order of Mayor T.O. Rice.
Work is underway on the new farm residence of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sylla in Lincoln. The old structure, built back in pioneer days and occupied for many years by the J.M. Ingalls family, was razed and a new home is being placed on the site.
California isn’t the only state that has early vegetables. Jim Wright, Whitehall citizen, still owns his farm at the foot of Fly Creek valley, and spent much of the day Monday walking across the fields where rutabagas had been grown last year. He found three rutabagas sound and undamaged by the winter weather, so Jim and his sister, Mrs. Amos Jacobsen, with whom he resides, had ’bagas for dinner Tuesday.
After four years of no baseball, the Whitehall High School nine played its first game Thursday afternoon, defeating Eleva 9 to 8. David Larson and Robert Bensend were the battery for Whitehall, and Laurie Bergerson scored three runs.
Leonard Kaas found a weather bureau balloon in one of his fields near Pigeon Falls Monday. It was sent from St. Paul in January 1945.
The grounds of St. Stanislaus parish are the scene of much activity this week. Construction of the new church — to replace the one that burned — has begun. The contractors, peter J. Nelson and Sons, Inc. of La Crosse are on the job supervising the excavation and grading that is now underway.
Virginia Kroener and Leona Sexe were named Blair High School valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.
Lawrence Wooldridge resigned as manager of the Preston Creamery.
Ettrick veteran Ralph Crogan, 21, was killed instantly when his car hit the Highway 53 bridge at Frenchville.
Albert Stone, Taylor, is hospitalized after losing two fingers while sawing wood.
100 YEARS AGO
April 21, 1921
A meeting was held Monday night in the domestic science room to discuss the recently proposed boundary extension of the Whitehall school district. The proposal is for a union free high school, and in order to accomplish this new but not untried system, it is necessary to effect the establishment at Whitehall of one of the finest high schools in the state. Every father and mother recognizes the importance of education for their children, and the best at the least cost right at home is what they most desire. A diagram presented by the board of education at the meeting showed the proposed boundary limits to include about 72 sections tributary to Whitehall. The union free high school plan does not affect in the least the rural schools now in existence in the territory mentioned. We believe the advantages to be gained by the system will be found worthy of the support of the school patrons in the proposed high school territory.
The Whitehall village board met Friday night and appointed Carsten Thorp as the new village marshal. Several bids were entered, but the board chose Mr. Thorp. Lars Linberg, who has held the position for the last two years, has done so with much credit, and those who have been in a position to know vouch that Mr. Linberg will be hard to beat.
Hilman Mattson, proprietor of the City Bakery in Whitehall, has had new ventilation put in his place of business, which will greatly improve conditions for those employed there.
Leo Haesle has been offered a very flattering position at New Holstein, a place near Sheboygan, as instructor of a juvenile band. Mr. Haesle’s proposition provided him with an income of $4,000 a year, but he has not decided whether to accept the offer or not.
Frank Rossa, Arcadia, announced that he was ready to sign contracts with parties wishing to raise pickles for the pickle factory.
The Trempealeau Valley Silver Fox Co. was organized with a capital stock of $40,000. J.G. Schneider of Arcadia was elected a director.
About all the available cars in Trempealeau were headed to La Crosse on Tuesday over the McGilvary Road. This was Trempealeau’s showing of appreciation of the restoration of the road and bridge, which shortens the route to La Crosse by 13 miles.
Galesville is without a mayor. When the council met Tuesday, Mayor Wadleigh, re-elected at the recent election, announced that he would not continue in office. The council adjourned and will consider the matter later.
The work of constructing trout basis in High Cliff Park goes on by volunteers from the Galesville-Ettrick Rod and Gun Club.
Galesville is now marked on the State Trunk Line for tourists as a desirable oasis.
125 YEARS AGO
April 16, 1896
Little Elsie, the four-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Hanka, fell off the highway bridge crossing the Trempealeau River near the D. Wood farm Tuesday afternoon while playing with her brothers and sisters, and was drowned. Relatives and friends of the family have dragged the river for a considerable distance, but as yet the body has not been found.
Parties desiring building lots on Main Street in the south end of the village should purchase them now, before it is too late. There are only a few left, and the supply will soon be exhausted.
The trout streams of this section literally swarmed with fishermen yesterday, the first day of the open season. There were more lines dangling in the water than fish landed.
E.S. Hotchkiss of Independence, it is said, will track his horses on the Merrillan race course this summer.
Pigeon Falls — The two school districts set off from District No. One have organized and are preparing to erect school houses. One of the buildings will be located at the corner near S.T. Berge’s place, where the roads lead, one through Big Slough, the other through Tuff Coulee. The other schoolhouse will be built by the road that leads to John Thorson’s place.
