From Our Early Files March 10, 2021
25 YEARS AGO
March 14, 1996
In the contest for the District Eight Trempealeau County Board of Supervisor’s seat on Tuesday’s ballot, it is the challenger who has the edge over the incumbent in government experience. Supervisor Norm Herman of Whitehall is being opposed by Gordon Johnson of rural Whitehall, a long-time former supervisor from the town of Hale and for many years the county highway commissioner.
The Trempealeau County board seat representing the town of Hale, which has been held by three different people over the past six years, is being contested again. One-term incumbent District Five Supervisor Richard Morchinek is defending the seat he defeated John Aasen for two years ago, after former supervisor Eugene Halama Jr., lost out in a primary. Halama had defeated Morchinek two years earlier, after the 1991 reappointment left the district without an incumbent. This time, Morchinek is opposed by a man who has been on the same side of at least one controversial issue. The incumbent voted twice against the one-half-percent sales tax enacted last year and his challenger, John Long Jr., was an outspoken opponent of the tax.
Various Arcadia dignitaries along with Ron and Connie Soppa broke ground on the newest business to build in Arcadia. The Soppas will begin construction on the Draft Horse Inn, a 13-unit motel, which will be located just off Highway 93 on Blaschko Ave.
Elizabeth Waldera and Becky Van Acker will represent Arcadia High School in the State Spanish Speaking Contest held at Adams-Friendship High School.
Jim Kulig has turned his card-collecting hobby into a business, opening Jim’s Card Shop in Whitehall. He has approximately 300,000-400,000 athletic cards in his collection.
The best of five sites studied for a new Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School is an 80-acre tract at the south-west corner of Hwys. K and 54-93, a consultant told the district’s long range planning committee Monday night. The dozen district residents and school board members who sit on the committee decided to take the 22-page site analysis by Galesville architect Brad Simonson homer for study before meeting again April 8.
Trempealeau County residents who admire the scenic beauty and wondered when the tourists would discover it have only to wait until May. Trempealeau County is the destination of a two-day tour originating in the Twin Cities. The tour is scheduled to arrive in the county on May 23.
A Feb. 18, 1997 bid date has been set for the south Beaver Creek bridge replacement and Main Street upgrade, according to the La Crosse office of the state transportation department. The next step is to settle the issue of whether Main Street will be closed between the two bridges, completely for three weeks, as the department wants, for efficiency, or for eight week with one lane left open during reconstruction as some business owners favor.
50 YEARS AGO
March 18, 1971
The Whitehall city council last week Tuesday granted a cable television franchise to Bill and John Giebel of Whitehall Cable Co.
Alfred Peterson has leased the Shell service station at the corner of Main and Scranton streets, and took over management Monday. His employees are his son Gary and George Herman.
Former Whitehall resident Mrs. Hal (Sarah Rice) Martin of Dallas, Tex., the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Rice, appeared recently on the TV network quiz show “Jeopardy” and won $390 and other gifts.
The city of Whitehall has made application for a state grant for funds to develop an 18-acre park and recreation area near the golf course.
A girl and a boy lead the 1971 graduating class, scholastically, at Arcadia High School. Julianne Pavlicin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Pavlicin, Arcadia, is valedictorian with a four-year average of 97.8. John Misch, son of Clarence Misch, Arcadia, and the late Mrs. Misch, with a four-year average if 96.05 is salutatorian.
Sister Mary Agatha, SSJ, a teacher at the Arcadia Catholic School, has been named the recipient of a $100 scholarship from the Trempealeau County Association for Mental Health. The scholarship was offered by the association to encourage career goals or training in mental health.
Heinie’s Mini-Market was granted a Class A fermented malt beverage license at the regular monthly meeting of the Arcadia city council Thursday night. The vote, by secret ballot, was 4-2. The application was the second made by Lyman Maloney, owner of the Mini-Markiet to obtain an off-sale beer license. The first action at the January meeting resulted in a 3-3- secret ballot vote by the councilmen and tabling by Mayor Eugene Killian.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Snow will hold grand opening of their Tally Hoe restaurant this weekend in Arcadia. There will be balloons for the children and gifts for the adults.
City planning is nothing new to Galesville. Many years ago civic-minded leaders of the community began seeking industries to broaden the economic base of the agricultural area in southern Trempealeau County. For a city of its size, Galesville can now boast an unusual number of industries.
Formerly Snapper’s Café, now called Café Marinuka was just one of the many changes that took place recently Spencer Kjos, new manager of the restaurant, informed the Republican this week.
75 YEARS AGO
March 14, 1946
The city council has engaged the A.E. Tilseth Construction Co. of Menomonie to transport from Indiana the 10 demountable housing units purchased by the city for veterans, and erect them on lots in the Briggs and Garaghan addition. The company will be paid $2,400 per home for the work, meaning that the total cost for the housing will be just under $34,000. Four of the houses will be located on an extension of Roosevelt St. south from Melby St., and the others will be on a new street, Sherwood Ave., to be put in between Melby and Hwy. 53.
Plans are being made to have the Trempealeau County Co-op Dairy Improvement Association in operation on April 1. At present there are about 45,000 dairy cows in the county, and only 2.5 percent of them are being tested.
According to the Soil Conservation Service, in a short span of 80 years, Trempealeau County has lost eight inches of topsoil -- two thirds of the original layer, which took nature thousands of years to build.
Leonard Gruentzel, Whitehall city electrician, has a new truck remodeled for servicing the electric system in Whitehall. Mr. Gruentzel, formerly in the Navy, bought a four-wheel-drive weapons carrier truck with a capacity of one and one-half tons.
Henry Jacobson Jr., a radio operated on an Army transport, received his discharged March 2 and returned home this week.
Mrs. Jerome Rebhahn, formerly Betty Jane Read, and daughter, Christine Mary of Essex, England, arrived in the states March 2 on the USS Washington to join their husband and father who arrived here July 8, 1945 after service with the 32nd M.P. Co. in the European theatre.
LeRoy Woychik has accepted a position with the Massuere company. He attended a linoleum school of the Hall Hardware Company at Minneapolis last week.
100 YEARS AGO
March 17, 1921
About 30 baseball fans met last week Wednesday and decided to put a ball team in the field the coming summer. Judge E.F. Hensel was invited to direct the coaching of the team, and a board, consisting of five businessmen, have agreed to assist in the directorship. A big dance has been billed for March 28, and it is hoped that a large ticket sale will demonstrate the loyalty of the fans to the great National Pastime.
There was great activity in fraternal circles in Pigeon Falls last Saturday, when nine new members were admitted into the Scandinavian American Fraternity: Mrs. Melvin Evenson, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gamache, Paul Evenson, Reuben Evenson, John Skadahl, Austin Selboe, Oluf Knutson and Alvin Johnson. Leif Erickson Lodge No. 44 is steadily growing under the excellent leadership of President Isaacson, and we look for a membership of 100 before the summer is over.
Ole J. Eggum appeared before the State Supreme Court at Madison on Friday. The Northfield school consolidation case was then up for a hearing.
The case of the State of Wisconsin against Elmer Hilleque and Lulu Tormoen was on preliminary examination before Justice F.N. Larson this week Tuesday. The defendants were accused of a statutory charge, but after an all-day examination, the justice dismissed the action for lack of evidence to convict.
The people of Arcadia were pleased to learn that Mr. L.A. Hild had recently installed a new soda fountain in his drug store, representing the very last word in modern soda fountain construction.
News was received of the death of Mrs. W.P. Massuere at St. Petersburg, Fla., where she and her husband were spending the winter.
Collin McGilvary, known over a wide territory as “Rank” died Monday at his home in Trempealeau.
Sacia Brothers, P.V. Becker and Matt Deeren are four of the happiest farmers in the county. They recently installed milking machines. Sacia Brothers milked 23 cows in less than an hour. Mr. Deeren finished his 16 cows off in less than half an hour. Mr. Becker said his milk has gained in quantity and butter-fat.
Clarence Braaten, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Braaten, marched in the parade at the inauguration of President Harding and witnessed all the ceremonies at the national capitol. The Galesville youth is in the U.S. Navy.
125 YEARS AGO
March 12, 1896
The government thermometer indicated 13 degrees below zero this morning.
Rev. Selevold preached in the Norwegian language at the Baptist church last night, to a large congregation.
Richard Mattson has his residence ready for occupancy, with the exception of plastering, which will be commenced soon.
Fred Scott and wife contemplate putting in a line of millinery and dress goods in the apartment vacated by A.F. Reitzel.
Herman Plunz has a large singing class, which meets three nights each week at the Baptist church, that is making excellent progress in vocal culture.
The cycle craze is gaining in vogue. Two new wheels arrived in town last week, the Solsrud sisters receiving one and E.C. Getts the other, and more are expected soon.
D. Wood has commenced buying grain for shipment on his own hook. He appeared on the market Saturday, and as a consequence the price of oats ran up to 16 and a half cents. Mr. Wood is a good man for the farmers.
Messrs. J.M. Ingalls and G.C. Rice have decided to engage in the machinery business here. They are putting an office and warehouse between the Solsrud and Kidder and Getts buildings, which will be their place of operation.
While G.E. Erickson of Preston and his son-in-law, Christ Woolstad, were driving into town Saturday, their team took fright from the water escaping from an open hydrant at the end of Main St. and precipitated both men to the ground. The team dashed down the street at lightning speed to Porter’s corner, turning west and encircling the block. They were caught as they came back out onto Main, but not before another team, hitched near the post office, had taken fright and made the same circuit.
