From Our Early Files Aug. 24, 2022
25 YEARS AGO
August 28, 1997
At Ettrick man has been charged with dealing drugs are the result of a “sting” operation in Arcadia. Eric Benjamin is charged with five felony counts of delivery of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. According to the criminal complaint, Benjamin sold the controlled substance to an undercover informant on five occasions in April in May at residences in Arcadia and while driving around in vehicles in that city.
The Whitehall School District Booster Club was about to disband earlier this month because of a lack of people interested in taking leadership positions, but the outlook for the club improved after its Aug. 4 meeting. The few active club members are still calling an upcoming meeting critical to the survival of the 20-year-old organization. The crisis developed because some of the club officer positions have gone unfilled for several years. The club had trouble staffing its concession stand during Whitehall High School baseball games this summer.
Frank Racich, Trempealeau, was listed in critical condition Thursday, more than 24 hours after his car collided with a sport-utility vehicle driven by Jessica Greendeer of Ettrick. Greendeer, 18, was treated and released after the accident. Racich, 17, was heading north on County Highway T in the town of Gale when his Nissan compact car collided on a curve with Greendeer’s southbound Jeep.
A Galesville man was found dead after a tractor he was operating apparently rolled over on him. Richard Schlesser, 58, was found at approximately 5:30 a.m. near Centerville in a wooded area, 100 yards east off of Highway 93. According to a report from the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department, Schlesser was apparently operating a tractor in a wooded area on a side hill when it appeared that the tractor rolled over him.
New staff members of the Arcadia Public School for the 1997-98 school year are Carol Dehnke, Bea Burnap, Dawn Hubbard, Jennifer Hanson, Michelle Linton and Ben Dallman.
Part of a delta is now encroaching on Lake Marinuka could be dredged out in 1998, under terms of a plan that received conditional approval of the Lake Marinuka Protection and Rehabilitation board. The plan calls for removal of 95,000 cubic yards of fill, most of it from the delta and rectangular-shaped area south of the delta that also has been filling with silt. Board members made their approval conditional on a number of factors, including a referendum by district residents. The district, which is made up of the city of Galesville and town of Gale, would vote in November.
Kelly Henderson was crowned Miss Ettrick on Aug. 21. She then spent the weekend reigning over Ettrick Fun Days, enjoying the excitement and royal treatment as she moved from event to event.
50 YEARS AGO
August 31, 1972
A survey will be taken in the Blair, Independence, Pigeon Falls and Whitehall area to determine whether there is a need for a non-profit, community-supported day care center to serves those communities.
Roman Feltes, 52, Arcadia, has announced that he will be a write-in candidate for Trempealeau County District Attorney on the Democratic ticket for the Sept. 12 primary election.
The Whitehall Municipal Swimming Pool will remain open on weekends as long as the weather permits, according to Mark Windjue, city recreation director.
Judd Neef, manager of the Arcadia branch of the Production Credit Association based in River Falls, has been selected for inclusion in the 1972 edition of Outstanding Young Men of America, according to Doug Blankenship, chairman of the board of advisors of the national awards publication.
Enrollment at the Arcadia Public Schools was an unofficial 981 on Tuesday morning of this week. Classes at the Arcadia Catholic School began last Thursday with 367 students reporting.
Clayton Olson, Ettrick, elementary school supervisor for the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District reported a total enrollment of 833 with 373 students at Galesville, 302 at Trempealeau and 158 at Ettrick.
Diane (Adams) Hubbard, 25, a Trempealeau native who lives with her husband on a farm southwest of Norwalk, has been nominated for the 1972 Outstanding Young Women of America program. Women between the ages of 21 and 35 have been nominated for outstanding achievements in their communities and professions. They are being considered for further state and national awards.
75 YEARS AGO
August 28, 1947
Some time ago, members of the Clarence Schaefer family donated a quantity of clothing to Protestant relief in Europe. A suit of clothes contributed by Harland Schaefer reached a German boy, who found his benefactor’s name and address in a pocket of the coat. At the boy’s request, a letter of appreciation was written by his pastor, and was translated for the Schaefers from the idiomatic German by the Rev. H.W. Neubauer of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hale.
Pictures of Trempealeau County traffic accidents, taken by County Traffic Officer H.F. Theurer of Arcadia, will be featured in the lobby display at the Pix Theatre next week, in connection with the show “Devil on Wheels.”
A partial survey of the 1947 graduates of Whitehall Memorial High School shows that a number of those young people plan on continuing their education at colleges or universities. Among those are the following: Quinn Risberg, La Crosse Teachers College; Thomas and Edward Larson, Eau Claire Teachers College; Irene MacCornack, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.; Byron Hagen and Alyn Larson, Stout Institute, Menomonie; and Robert Bensend, University of Wisconsin.
Charlotte Klevgaard, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Klevgaard of Whitehall and a sophomore this year at Whitehall High, was the only person from this area to sing in the 300-voice chorus that entertained during the Wisconsin State Fair.
What promises to be one of the most entertaining baseball games of the season at Melby Park will be the contest tonight between the Whitehall Millers and the Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters are not only a group of fast baseball players, but comedians and entertainers as well.
Jack Haines, young Arcadia pitcher, turned in a no-hit, no–run performance against Mondovi at the local ballpark last Thursday night. The score was 7-0 in favor of Arcadia at the end of the game. Haines faced 30 batters in all and struck out 10 of them.
Allie Ressel, 29, Independence, was brought to St. Joseph’s Hospital Thursday afternoon to receive treatment for injuries received in an automobile accident a short time earlier. His car failed to make a turn on the highway several miles north of Fountain City. Dazed and bleeding from facial cuts, he was found by Hilarian Duellman, who brought him to the hospital. Ressel had a concussion and several cuts, but no internal injuries.
Galesville FFA boys and Mr. J.O. Beadle have returned from a 2,700-mile bus trip. They just missed a blizzard in Yellowstone Park, which blocked the mountain roads. They camped in cabins and tents along the way, doing much of their own cooking.
Hiram Gale, who as a youth of 17, marched away from Galesville in the Civil War is now in his 101st year and still going strong.
Lt. Col. Lloyd Rall returned home from Japan and enjoyed a portion of a 30-day leave at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rall. He is on his way to Turkey, serving with the regular Army in that country.
100 YEARS AGO
August 31, 1922
Ole C. Hagen, charged with unlawful relations with Magda Boger, had a hearing in Justice Larson’s court, and was bound over for trial and released on $2,500 bond. The parties are from the town of Unity; Hagen is 55, and the girl is 15. By order of Judge Hensel, the girl was taken out of the custody of her parents and placed under the supervision of Miss Bill, the county nurse.
Train service, restoring Nos. 5 and 6, was resumed in Whitehall Monday. The Green Bay people promised an early restoration of this service when these trains were abandoned because of the coal shortage. This is the first intimation of coal shortage relief.
Whitehall Village Clerk Larson and Marshal Thompson have cleaned the booths and placed everything in order in the town hall where the voting will take place next Tuesday. It is said that this is the first time there has been a housecleaning there. The ladies will no doubt appreciate the thoughtfulness.
Miss Hulda Hanson was accidentally scalded and badly burned Thursday when removing a boiler of suds from the stove, when she took a misstep and fell.
The Lutheran League convention here was largely attended at all session, but Sunday’s was the largest, upwards of 1,000 people being present.
Tins Ragged Edges were slated to play at the opening of the newly remodeled armory. Company A had spent $3,000 in improvements by enlarging the dance floor to 42-by-80 feet and installing a suspended orchestra stage.
Hank Theurer was one of four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for sheriff of Trempealeau County.
The body of private Arthur Dahl, who died in France three years ago, has been returned home to Pine Cliff Cemetery in Galesville were it was buried by Comrades after a public service in Memorial Park.
The first Indian burial was made in Pine Cliff Cemetery for Mrs. John Whiteboy, a widow of the Winnebago tribe. She was 84 years old. She died at Hunter’s Bridge Indian Village. Seventy years have passed since the first grave was made in Pine Cliff and this is the first of the original Americans to set out for happy hunting ground through these portals. Several loads of members of the tribe followed the hearse in their own cars. More than 200 white people were also in attendance. Frank Thunder gave the discourse in Winnebago tongue. There were no tribal rites. Her husband, John, 90, died at the Hunter’s Bridge camp and was buried with tribal rites near the bridge.
Thousands of trout died over night in the basis at High Cliff Park, in the space of a few hours. The why of this is not clear, but in some manner the water became polluted. The matter is being investigated by the State Conservation department in Madison.
125 YEARS AGO
August 26, 1897
Gollmar Bros. Circus, which gave two exhibitions here yesterday, is the best 25-cent show that ever gave a performance here in the village. The trapeze performances and tumbling, while not as extensive as exhibitions in larger circuses, were just as skillfully and daringly executed and as good, if not superior, to say nothing of the acts of trick horses and pigs. The management is first-class, orderly and gentlemanly.
Frank Bowen ran his nose up against a circus employee’s fist yesterday, with the result of a badly disfigured countenance.
Little Harry Towner, who is visiting with his mother at Trempealeau, fell from an amateur trapeze Saturday and broke his left arm near the elbow.
Dr. Parker had two lap robes stolen last night. He suspects a certain party. If the robes are returned no questions will be asked; otherwise, the guilty party may shortly be peeking through the grates.
Marshal Abbott rounded up five tramps who were caught in the act, or suspected of relieving people of their valuables, or accused of some other misdemeanor, during the circus performance yesterday and landed them in the cooler. One of them was up before Justice Ecker this morning charged with slander. He was sent to the county jail for 30 days, in default of the payment of $14.80, fine and costs.
Blair — Landlord Mayer is lamenting the loss of “Tim,” his tame crow, which somebody had the audacity to kill last week. The bird was considerable of a pet and showed a great deal of intelligence.
