From Our Early Files Sept. 13, 2023
25 YEARS AGO
September 17, 1998
New members of the faculty at the Whitehall public schools are Carrie Imgrund, Damon Lisowski, Natalie Smick, Karen Schmidt and Debbie Erickson.
A Whitehall man escaped serious injury last week when his car overturned near Blair. Gordon Boe, 51, apparently dozed off and lost control of his 1996 Pontiac compact, which hit an embankment and rolled over on Highway 53 at about 7:45 a.m. on Friday.
Pigeon Falls Village President Kermit Hanvold told the village board at its regular meeting last week that the engineer for the dam-repair project was proposing a change in the structure’s design. Hanvold said Mark Blaske of Abacus Consulting, Eau Claire, proposed replacing the planks that control water flow over the dam with a second gate. The gate would be controlled remotely; the planks now being used have to be removed by hand during high-water conditions. The state Department of Natural Resources has ordered the village to fix the failing dam, and has awarded Pigeon Falls a grant that will cover about half the estimated $307,000 cost of the work.
On Sept. 9, Sister Ann Jerome, SSND, the former Lou Ann Bisek of Arcadia, left for Rome, Italy, where she will begin service as the general secretary of the international congregation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Specific duties will include keeping the records of the congregation and its members, serving as liaison to offices in the Vatican and other secretarial duties.
New teachers at the Arcadia Catholic School are Patti Schank, secretary; Mary Seleen, preschool; Mary Wineski, preschool; Jennifer Pape, kindergarten and Amanda Bautch, third grade.
An eight-year-old Winona, Minn., boy drowned Saturday in the Black River while camping with his family at the Pow Wow Campgrounds, south of Galesville. The body of Christopher Saltou was found by rescue workers at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, according to the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department. The search for Saltou began Saturday evening when the boy was reported missing at about 6:20 p.m.
About a dozen people showed up at a Sept. 9 Galesville Planning Commission public hearing to oppose a requested zoning amendment that would allow for a duplex in the High Cliff Park Addition. Residents of the area objected on several grounds, primarily the ability of the owners to provide enough off-street parking and the impact on property values of other homes in the area. The commission recommended that the request to rezone the property be denied, which was upheld by the Galesville city council on Sept. 10.
Village of Trempealeau officials asked the railroad commissioner to consider allowing a pedestrian crossing near Duck Pond and the marina. Burlington Northern Santa Fe representative Spencer Arndt said 34 trains are scheduled to travel through Trempealeau every day at a maximum speed of 60 mph. The railroad would approve of a crossing at the Duck Pond area with specific request including that no motorized vehicles be allowed to use the crossing.
Members of the 1998 Homecoming royalty at Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau are Jeff Ofsdahl, Krystal Kramer, Tim Konkel, Sarah Wegner, Zach Johnson, Cindy Baardseth, Sam Fugina, Megan Dahmen, Emily Nyre, Jenny French, Nate Tabbert, Justin Young, Jenny Householder and Barry Martin.
50 YEARS AGO
September 20, 1973
The Whitehall district school board voted Monday night to reject a tentative agreement on a disputed 1971-72 master contract with the Whitehall Teachers Association. The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission ruled two weeks ago that a board negotiating committee had reached an agreement with the WTA in 1971, but had never recommended acceptance of the contract to the full board. The present school board members disagreed, saying that the board at that time voted four to three against acceptance.
Mike Gandyra, rural North Creek, won national recognition for Kingo Andow, Arcadia photographer, during the national convention of the Professional Photographers Association in Denver, Colo., earlier this month. It was one of only 30 prints selected for hanging from among entries submitted by Wisconsin photographers at the national meet. Earlier it won regional and state honors.
James Mahoney, 25, Ettrick, was hired as assistant city administrator in Arcadia under the Federal Emergency Employment Act by city council last Thursday night.
The Galesville Music Study Club will present a tour of homes this Saturday. The twin retirement homes of Myrna and Ronald Ellsworth and Dorothy Schaller and the contemporary home of Mary and Gene Mensing will be shown. Other homes featured are the Viv and John Salsman residence and the rustic home of Jackie and Jim Siefkas. It is requested that visitors do not smoke in the homes nor ask for the use of any facilities.
Ten batiks by Marlene Steffes, Trempealeau, are on display at the second floor gallery of the La Crosse Public Library during the month of September.
75 YEARS AGO
September 16, 1948
The Whitehall schools, which opened last week with Conan Edwards as the new principal, have an enrollment of 415 this year, about the same as last year. There are 194 students in the high school.
Billy Holtan will take over the operation of the Holtan Frozen Foods plant in Whitehall Sept. 20, when the contract with the present operator, William Lietz, expires. Billy is the son of R.A. Holtan, owner of the plant. Mr. Lietz and wife have opened a grocery store on the east side.
The Whitehall Ski Club, inactive since 1942, when annual tournaments were discontinued because of the war, will be revived this year, according to Norman Anderson, a member of the committee that is making negotiations for the revival of the sport. The ski slide was left intact, and will now be repaired. The club has purchased additional land from Peter Fredrickson to furnish more area for downhill runs, an electric tow will be installed to carry skiers to the top of the slide, and a warming house will be built and other improvements made.
The Hushman Construction Co. of Kansas City, Mo., began laying concrete on No. 53 at Pigeon Falls and proceeding south, at the rate of about 1,200 feet per day. The two sharpest curves in the old road have been straightened, and other minor relocations made, for the Whitehall-Pigeon Falls project, which is expected to be completed in about five weeks.
Three representatives of the Arcadia Volunteer Fire Department appeared before the city council at its regular September session. Their object was to receive opinion from councilmen as to the rate of pay to firemen for calls to the rural areas. They believe they should receive the full $50 paid for each run, out of which $5 would be paid to each of the six firemen who would man the truck and the remaining $20 would go into the treasury to be prorated at the end of the year.
The Arcadia city baseball team will play the Independence ball club Sunday night under the lights in Independence. Featured in this game will be two minor league pitchers. For Arcadia, Jack Haines, who has pitched for a Wausau team this season, will be on the mound. For Independence, Ollie Kulig, who has pitched for a team in Georgia, will be the hurler.
100 YEARS AGO
September 20. 1923
The seriousness of violating the 18th Amendment was impressed upon the minds of four Trempealeau County residents last Friday and Saturday before Judge E.F. Hensel. Last week Sheriff Hilman Erickson and federal prohibition officer Andrew Nanstad of Black River Falls did effective work in the western part of the county, arresting Frank Marsolek of Travers Valley, John Symetzik of New City and Tom Gamroth of Burnside and son George. All pleaded guilty to manufacturing and/or selling moonshine, and were fined and sentenced to jail. The jail sentences evidently have more effect on the violators that the fines, as the stigma of being in the hands of the law convinces them of the seriousness of the offense.
We feel safe in saying nine-tenths of the owners of guns are off to the happy hunting grounds after their allotment of prairie chickens. The season opens today and closes Monday.
I.C. Neprud, graduate of the Palmer school of chiropractic, will locate here about Oct. 1, with rooms in the Model building.
Tom Truog and wife were driving through town Sunday evening, and when in front of the Melvin Elstad residence, a rear wheel on their Ford car dropped off. Tom wasn’t exceeding the speed limit, and fortunately escaped injury.
L.M. Rognlien has remodeled his store, giving him more room, and he can now take care of twice as many customers as before. The Variety Store proprietor strongly believes in progress and improvement.
W.E. Olson and A.W. Myers reported picking pickles valued at $430 from two acres of land they had rented on the Patrick Maloney farm.
125 YEARS AGO
September 15, 1898
Russ Morden is painting the cornice of the graded school building in Whitehall.
Anderson and Ringstad are building chimneys on William McGivergin’s new residence in Whitehall.
E.B. Gullord has a neat and tasty residence nearly completed on the farm he purchased about a year ago northwest of Whitehall. Richard Mattison and crew are doing the building.
Fred Best has leased the American House of W.H. Stallings for two years from the first of November next, the time his present lease expires. Mr. Stallings will put in a steam heating plat and otherwise completed the extensive improvements in progress on the property. Mr. and Mrs. Best are numbered among the most popular hotel people on the Green Bay railroad line, and their many friends will be pleased that they are to continue to manage the American.
Assemblyman Peter Peterson of Amherst was in Whitehall this week, conferring with E.C. Getts regarding the purchase of potatoes, the visiting gentleman being an extensive dealer in the article.
Independence — A little child of Tip Cilley while playing with the bees this week was stung over 200 times. Its mother was also rescued while attempting to rescue the child.
Blair — Tom Johnson returned from the Klondike country Saturday, with a somewhat emaciated and tanned countenance, but feeling strong and healthy. Mr. Johnson left his comrades, Haldor Lokken and James Nelson, on the Big Salmon River, Northwest Territory, where the three men have claims.
Elk Creek — Nels Larson wishes to challenge any farmer in the community to do quicker ensilage work than done at his place this fall. He claims to have hauled 37 huge loads in one day, filling the whole silo in three days, which for an ordinary goer would require a week’s time. Nels is a hustler and makes things hum in his vicinity.
Independence — Last Tuesday evening, the village board put eight persons on the blacklist, and we understand that they have an even larger batch in preparation for their next meeting.
