From Our Early Files Sept. 15, 2021
25 YEARS AGO
Sept. 19, 1996
Reigning over this week’s festivities at Whitehall High School are the members of the 1996 Homecoming court Tracie Schroeder, Camaron Severson, Jennie Maudal, Annesa Semingson, Rebecca Thompson, Arne Berg, Travis Schroeder, Gregg Johnson, Tom Speltz and Todd Danziger.
The ceremony that took place at Bethel Cemetery near Independence wasn’t all that rare. Although the Civil War ended more than 130 years ago, veterans of that conflict certainly are discovered on occasion and their graves suitably marked. But what made Saturday’s event rare was that the child of the Civil War veteran was present. Madelyn Hagen of Pigeon Falls was among the dozens of persons attending the ceremony on the small cemetery, located on County Q, just east of Independence. The occasion was the placement of a flag holder and U.S. flag on the grave of her father, Andrew Anderson.
Members of the 1996 Arcadia High School Homecoming court are Kendra Slaby, Jill Deck, Lacy Sobotta, Becky Soppa, Kelly Grotjahn, Neil Patzner, Aaron Bagniewski, Chad Scow, Mike Guenther and Matt Wozney.
Franciscan Skemp Healthcare Arcadia Nursing Home received final approval from the state of Wisconsin and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for Medicare certification this summer. All 75 beds in the nursing home are now Medicare certified.
The city of Galesville’s definition of a fence and the way the city enforces its fence rules has a South Eighth Street resident steaming. The definition was debated at a Galesville city council meeting Sept. 12. Dan McCluskey said the city had failed to follow up with citations on several fences that he said violate the city’s fence rules. City officials said some of the fences McCluskey had photographed and shown to the council after his own run-in on a fence permit last year weren’t fences, but decorative devices. They don’t meet the city’s definition of a fence, said city attorney Rob Longwell.
Hillside mobile home park owner Dale Holley has had his water line break repaired, has contracted with a plumber to design and build an upgraded water system and has started delivering bottles water to the park’s 63 residents as ordered a state DNR official said Tuesday.
The residents of the Blair-Taylor School District will vote Nov. 5 on another building referendum. The decision to go to a referendum was voted on upon a motion made by school board member Nancy Zarovy, She made a motion to go to a binding referendum in November with the option that passed in a 1994 advisory referendum, calling for a new grade 5-8 building on the present middle school site in Taylor with building and remodeling needs to accommodate grades K-4 and 9-12 at the Blair facility. “It passed once and you won’t admit it,” Zarovy said. “Give it a chance. If it fails, I will drop it.”
Sandy Wheeler and husband Terry have been selected as recipients of the 1996 Civic Award as part of Blair Cheese Festival.
1996 Blair Cheese Festival Royalty were Miss Congeniality Mandy Sveen, Little Miss Blair Ellyn Jennings; Second Attendant Denise Sosalla; Miss Blair Alyssa Bents and First Attendant Beth Mathson.
50 YEARS AGO
Sept. 23, 1971
An open house for the dedication of the new Sunset Memorial High School will be held Sunday, Oct. 24.
Herbert Lee of Whitehall was listed in satisfactory condition at La Crosse Lutheran Hospital Saturday morning, the day after he suffered a broken knee in a construction accident.
Junior quarterback Gary Sosalla passed for three touchdowns as Independence blanked Whitehall 21-0 Friday. Jerry Kopp carried 28 times for 131 yards for the Norse.
A-G Cooperative Creamery recently held a series of banquet meetings with patrons at Arcadia, Ettrick, Gilmanton, Pine Creek, Trempealeau and Independence. About 700 patrons attended the various meetings, which were held to inform them of the progress of their cooperative and deliver $85,000 dividend checks. This represents payments of 20 percent of the 1970 earnings totaling about $425,000.
Official registration figures for the Arcadia Public Schools show 999 students enrolled in kindergarten through high school. That is 20 more than the preliminary numbers showed.
David and Charles Blaschko, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Blaschko, Arcadia, were discharged earlier this month from the U.S. Navy. Dave, a member of Squadron VA 65, at Oceana, Va., served three years and nine months including tours of duty in Vietnam and the Mediterranean. Chuck completed three years and 10 months of service, including two years at Patuxent River, Maryland and the past 14 months at Keflavik, Iceland.
Efforts are being made to get ambulance service for Galesville and the surrounding area, Ed Scheller said. Ed Forster of the Wisconsin Department of Health was in Galesville with an ambulance and put on a demonstration Friday at the city hall.
Following a recent meeting of the board of education of the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District, superintendent Robert Howard announced that the plans for the proposed elementary school in Galesville were now well enough advanced to be publicized. Present plans call for the new school to be located on the southeast corner of the Sacia site now being purchased by the district on the west side of Galesville.
75 YEARS AGO
Sept. 19, 1946
Whether several new highway projects are started and completed in 1947 depends on the voters of Trempealeau County. The board of supervisors has adopted the road-building program, but the voters will have to approve a bond issue to pay for it at a referendum to be held with the November election.
Henry Sylla, 43, farmer residing in Dissmore Coulee, received a fracture of the third lumbar vertebrae Monday morning when his team bolted and he attempted to get in front of the horses and stop them. He had taken the team and a corn binder to the field to cut corn.
Bruce Wilberg shot the end of the middle finger of his left hand Tuesday morning while shooting cans with a 22-caliber gun. The wound is not serious.
The Whitehall-Pigeon Rod and Gun Club released about 600 pheasants in the area this week, according to Hiram Hegge, secretary of the club. About half of the roosters released were banded, and the club hopes to trace the movements of the birds by this method.
Eleven lettermen are members of Whitehall High’s football squad this year, according to Waldo “Jug” Marsh, the new coach, whose Durand team last year took the Mississippi Valley Conference without a defeat. They are Bob Bensend, Dave Larson, Alyn Larson, Erling Kildahl, Kenny Fremstad, Quinn Risberg, Merlin Moen, Herb Johnson, Byron Hagen, Art Hanson and Jim Holtan.
Paul Walske, who as been serving as war food assistant to the county agent in Door County since June 15, 1945, with offices in Sturgeon Bay, arrived in Whitehall to begin his work as Trempealeau County’s new assistant agent. He succeeds T.C. Main, who was promoted to the position of county agent after Arnold Wochos resigned.
Two transactions have been effected recently involving the sales of business property in Arcadia. William Eckel has sold his implement business and building on River Street to C.WS. Covington of Minneapolis, who takes immediate possession. Covington is also said to be interested in the Arcadia Brewing Company. Donald Stevenson has sold his tavern business to Edward Slaby and Rufus Slaby, his brother, has purchased the Kotlarz building housing the tavern.
100 YEARS AGO
Sept. 22, 1921
Our Saviour’s Lutheran congregation’s new church will be dedicated Oct. 2, with an open conference to be held the two preceding days. The Friday afternoon and Saturday morning sessions will be conducted in Norwegian, as will the Sunday morning worship, which will begin with the cornerstone laying. The Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions will be conducted in English.
A suspicious character was picked up by the night watchman Saturday, while prowling about the alley in the rear of Wright and Paulson’s restaurant. He was taken into court on a John Doe warrant, given three days in jail, and then ordered on his way. He is said to have had skeleton keys and a searchlight in his possession when picked up at a late hours by Mr. Roeseler and Mr. Schilke.
Miss Gladys Settingsgaard met with what at first was thought to have been a serious accident Monday morning, falling about nine feet from the hay loft to a concrete floor. She was unconscious for about 20 minutes, but is doing nicely now, although still unable to get around.
Helmer Lundstad has purchased the jewelry stock and business connected with that line of Frank Larson, and will conduct the business at the same place. Mr. Larson’s time will be wholly taken up by his extensive insurance business.
Pigeon Falls — School opened here a week ago with the following teachers: Alice Everson of Blair in the grammar room, and Alice Scarseth of Ettrick in the primary.
Martin Manning Jr. was elected chief ranger of Helen Court 783, C.O.F.
M. Mergener was elected grand knight of Arcadia Council 1654, Knights of Columbus.
C.A. Doenier, A.C. Foster and Mike Mergener represented Arcadia at the hardware convention at Whitehall.
Galesville residents are asked to look over their $100 bills. The circulation of counterfeits has been reported.
Dry wood is coming to market. There is a large cut from last winter in supply. Green wood will soon be on the market. The price for dry ranges from $9 a cord and up.
125 YEARS AGO
Sept. 17, 1896
The Whitehall town board has placed the steel bridges on Ervin and Fly creeks. They are substantial structures.
Whitehall and vicinity helped to swell the crowd of upwards of 2,500 people who attended the Republican mass meeting held at Blair yesterday. Sen. Knute Nelson of Minnesota was the speaker, and addressed the crowd for two and a half hours on protection, reciprocity and free silver.
Hammer’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin company produced this great and popular play in a tent here Saturday night, and did not do the piece even decent justice, consequently the crowd which filled the pavilion felt hurt.
Chris Anderson has sold his hotel property, the Scandinavian House, in the village to Ole C. Foss of Pigeon, the consideration being $2,700, and gives possession the first of next month. Mr. Anderson is looking for a place to rent, intending to stay here until spring, and may continue to remain a resident of Whitehall.
The Prohibition wagon manned by Rev. Geo. Plant and the Badger quartet was here Saturday night. Rev. Plant gave a talk from the rear of the wagon on the liquor question and the quartet sang, interesting and entertaining quite a crowd, who showed their appreciation by contributing very liberally to the hat that was passed around at the close.
