From Our Early Files Jan. 18, 2023


 

 

25 YEARS AGO

January 22, 1998

A fire that destroyed a town of Hale residence last week is being treated as a possible arson. The town of Hale Volunteer Fire Department was called to the Brian and Kari Rhoads residence shortly before 2:30 p.m. last week Tuesday. The Hale firemen in turn summoned the Independence and Whitehall departments for assistance. The firemen arrived to find the older two-story wood-frame house fully engulfed in flames. Men and equipment from the local departments were on scene well into the evening hours, but the house was gutted. “It’s a fire that is suspicious in nature,” Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department detective Ron Corcoran said. “We are treating it as an arson.” 

Despite concerns raised by several of its members, the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors authorized the Trempealeau County Health Care Center to buy a private nursing home facility in Pigeon Falls. The board approved on a 19 to two vote, the center’s purchase of the Tri-County Lutheran Nursing Home and Tri-County Memorial Hospital of Whitehall and Gundersen Lutheran Health Systems of La Crosse. TCHCC will pay $850,000 for the 18-year-old facility, using $450,000 of its cash reserves and borrowing $400,000 from the county’s general fund. Casting dissenting votes were supervisors Jerome Blaha of Independence and George Brandt of Ettrick. Blaha raised the issue of whether TCHCC could fill the home’s beds and Brandt was concerned about the effects on the availability of long-term care in the area. 

The Arcadia school board passed a motion to construct a walking track in the gymnasium at the new Arcadia High School location. The walking track is estimated to cost $54,000 and was not on the initial plans for the new education facility. “The walking track is something that many people throughout the community said they wanted to see as part of the new school,” Roger Derrickson, district superintendent, said. “By the board’s action they showed real vision in constructing the walking track now instead of later when it would cost a great deal more money to install.” 

The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce presented its annual awards last week. Receiving the awards were: Linda Backer, educator of the year; Neil and Stacy Klein, community service award; Bill Koslo, community service award; Erns Schmidt, cornerstone of service award and Mike Helgeson of Gold’N Plump for the business of the year award. 

Rick and Lisa Geske, Galesville, were named first runners up at the Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmer competition in Appleton this past weekend. The Geskes competed with 18 young farm families for the 19978 Wisconsin Jaycee Outstanding Young Farmer Award. 

There is a “real need for teenage foster homes,” said Dana Derks, of Trempealeau County Department of Social Services Family and Children’s Services. There are 20 to 25 foster families in Trempealeau County, but the majority of them want younger children. Of these foster families, only three are located in southern Trempealeau County. Derks said there is no awareness in the area. She has heard people make comments like “we don’t have any foster homes in the county.” She added there are families in the county, people just don’t know of them. 

50 YEARS AGO

January 25, 1973

Representatives of Land O’ Lakes, Inc., are not expected to attend the public meeting on the future of its operations, and those of the Whitehall Packing Co., called for tonight by the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce. The company announced last week Wednesday that it is shutting down its plant here, which employees a total of 16 workers, within the next few weeks.

The National Farmers Organization will open its new livestock collection point, located north of Independence on Hwy. 93, this coming Monday. The pens and pole barn were built with the help of labor donated by NFO members.

Alex C. Forster, 93, Arcadia, retiring 50-year director of the State Bank of Arcadia, was presented with a wristwatch by Robert Barlow, recently elected president of the board, at Riverview Lanes. Mr. Foster was first elected to the board of the Farmers State Bank in January 1923 and remained on as a director following the merger of the Farmers State Bank and Bank of Arcadia in 1933.

Mrs. Emil Benusa was elected to the board of directors of the W.P. Massuere Company at the annual meeting last week. She succeeds the late Mrs. Walter Wenger. All other directors were reelected to new terms. They are Bernard Fernholz, Dr. Leon English, Emil Benusa, Gile Herrick, Mrs. Gile Herrick and Mrs. Paul Burns. 

The new Sportsmen’s Lake in Cashen Park will be the scene of an ice-fishing contest Sunday, sponsored by the Arcadia Lions and Sportsmen’s clubs. The new lake, approximately 350 feet long in an L shape, is 135 feet wide and seven to eight feet deep at the other and began to take shape when the city was required to cover the old sanitary landfill site behind the park. 

Leo Schuh of Trempealeau was elected the vice president of the Land O’Lakes District Nine Association at an organization meeting in Black River Falls. 

Teachers at Galesville Elementary School have taken tit upon themselves to become thoroughly acquainted with the location and use of the various types of fire equipment in the building. For years many of the staff members had looked somewhat skeptically at the folded water hoses located at either end of the hallways. No one ever had quite enough nerve to take one off the clip type fasteners and see if they actually were operative or not. That is, no one had the nerve until last Tuesday after school. The hose was uncoiled the business end taken out a window in the back of the school. The valve was opened and water was coming out of the dried out, porous, canvas type hose all over the area, but not a drop out of the end. The valve was closed, but very little happened. Apparently, the valve gasket was so old and brittle that it had disintegrated when the valve was opened. 

75 YEARS AGO

January 22, 1948

Audrey Larson, a 17-year-old student at Whitehall High and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Larson of Pigeon Falls, was crowned queen of Whitehall’ first ice carnival Saturday. Her attendants were Phyllis Briggs of Whitehall and Donna Mae Johnstad of Pigeon Falls. About 600 persons watched the exhibition put on by fancy skaters from Eau Claire and Winona Sunday afternoon as part of the carnival.

H.D. Briggs’ car was struck by the through freight train when it stalled on the Abrams Street crossing Friday. H.D. was able to get out of the car, and the train, pulled by one of the new diesel engines, was able to stop before doing serious damage to the vehicle.

Fire believed to have started in the furnace room completed destroyed the Lakes Coulee schoolhouse and all of its contents early Thursday evening. Arrangements have been made to send the 22 students by bus to the Blair school, at least temporarily.

Attorney Burr Tarrant has installed a new photostat unit in the Trempealeau County Abstract office, in order to provide prompt service to clients requesting abstracts and other titles. The unit, the sixth of its kind to be installed in Wisconsin, makes photostatic copies in a matter of minutes.

The Trempealeau Valley Association of Commercial Clubs recently decided to proceed with a petition to recall Jackson County Judge Harry Perry. Judge Perry is apparently making good on his threat that relief costs would be higher under the new county relief organization, the association claims, and has billed the county hospitalization fund for hay, corn, chicken feed, sport clothes and taxi service.

James Henriksen, 34, of Eau Claire, who represented the Whitehall Ski Club for two winters, was fatally injured while competing in the Norge Ski Club’s 42nd annual tournament near Chicago Sunday.

The Arcadia News-Leader reported that St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church at Knowlton was destroyed by fire Sunday shortly after parishioners had left the church following the last mass. The fire was discovered at 11:55 a.m. when smoke was seen pouring from the steeple. The church was built in 1941 and valued at $30,000.

The Arcadia High School debate teams are preparing for the district contest to be held at La Crosse on Friday, Jan. 30. They will compete with teams from La Crosse Aquinas, Tomah, Sparta, Blair and Viroqua at La Crosse Technical College. 

100 YEARS AGO

January 25, 1923

In response to a call by the Women’s Civic Club, a goodly number of women and men gathered at the Village Hall Monday evening to consider providing a tourist camp inside the village. The sentiment was unanimously in favor of the proposal, and a committee consisting of Rec. R. Clark, Sebert Salverson and J.E. Garaghan was authorized to select a site and report at the next meeting of the village board.

Two attendants at the Trempealeau County Asylum, Misses Georgianna Rathbun and Nellie Cole, were injured when they were struck by a car driven by Theo. Johnson while walking near the L. Rasmussen on Jan. 13. A third, Miss Margaret Wermuth, suffered a terrible shock at the accident which befell her companions. The ladies had stepped to the side of the road, but as the night was stormy, it is assumed that the driver did not see them.

Martin Westley of Osseo entered a plea of nolo contendere in county court Wednesday upon a charge of violation of the Severson Law, and was fined $150 and costs. Defendant was charged with the sale of brandy extract prepared and placed on the market for culinary purposes.

Fire destroyed the fine modern country schoolhouse on Oak Ridge, about 10 miles southeast of Arcadia. School was in session at the time the fire was discovered in the basement. The teacher, Miss Gladys Pedder and scholars, as well as neighbors, managed to save most of the furniture and school equipment. 

One hundred and fifteen business and professional men as well as a number of up-to-date farmers of the community joined together and organized a Business Men’s Club to look after the public interests of Arcadia and vicinity. Emil Mauer was elected president; J.M. Fertig, vice president, Dr. W.E. English, secretary and G.A. Schneller, treasurer. 

Emile Francar was named director of the Farmers and Merchants Bank. J.A. Berg was named president; John Dick, vice president; S.E. Sanderson, cashier and George Sagen, assistant. 

Galesville Colony of Beavers initiated a class of seven at their last meeting. 

125 YEARS AGO

January 20, 1898

A special train was run to Trempealeau Saturday to accommodate those who desired to attend the funeral of Supreme Court Justice A.W. Newman in Madison.

H.W. Plunz organized a class in vocal music of 19 members last Friday night. Instruction will be given two nights a week at the Baptist church.

W.G. Fuller went to Hixton Tuesday and bought the interest of his partner, Grant Winner, in the company’s barn scraper. Mr. Fuller is now the sole owner of the implement.

The first of a series of club dances was held at Woodmen Hall last Friday, and was attended by 39 couples. They promise to be popular and pleasant. A door keeper is installed with authority to exclude members even if under the influence of intoxicants.

Last evening, a meeting was held at which was organized the Whitehall Ice Rink Association, with H.G. Larson as its president, Carl Passo as secretary, A. Anderson as treasurer, and A.E. Alexander as chief collector. A set of rules for polo were adopted. A rink will be kept clear on the mill pond and a series of games arranged during the season.

Messrs. Thomas Johnson, Omer Immell, Haldor Lokken and James Nelson, four sturdy and courageous Blair boys, bade good-bye to friends, who congregated in goodly numbers at the depot yesterday to see them off, and took the west-bound passenger train for the Klondike to seek their fortunes.

Elk Creek -- Our dairy farmers have begun the ice harvest. The ice is about 18 inches thick and of good quality. From the quantity that is being put up, it is safe to say that the buttermaker will not be troubled with poor cream the coming summer.

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