From Our Early Files Feb. 21, 2024
25 YEARS AGO
February 25, 1999
Five Whitehall property owners are suing the city and a local industry for damages caused when sanitary sewer lines backed up into their basements. The suit was filed in Trempealeau County Circuit Court last month by Kevin and Tammy Anderson, Todd and Anna Bronkema, Geurink, Inc., Sheridan Johnson and Diana Waldera. Defendants in the suits are the city of Whitehall, Mondovi Food Corporation and the liability insurers for both entities. The property owners sustained damages when sewage in city sewer lines was forced into their basements during heavy rains that fell in June. Mondovi Foods was brought into the suit because the city found after the June rains that the roof drains from the company’s West St. plant were connected to the sewer. That was a violation of state regulations and city ordinances. Total damages sought by the plaintiffs is $23,139.06.
Two musical groups from an Iowa college will present a free concert in Whitehall this weekend. The 45-voice Castle Singers from Wartburg College and the Waverly, Iowa, school’s Knightliters jazz band will perform at the Whitehall Memorial High School auditorium. And a couple of the voices in the choral group will be familiar ones. The Castle Singers include Jeffrey and Ryan Martinovici, the sons of Terrence and Nancy Martinovici of rural Hixton. They are both graduates of Whitehall High.
The Whitehall boys basketball team clinched its first Dairyland Conference basketball title in 11 years by defeating Melrose-Mindoro, 56-44, on Monday night.
What started out in the 1950s as a local newspaper with job printing capabilities has grown into a diversified operation that in 1998 reached $4 million in sales. Arcadia’s Blaschko Enterprises is comprised of four divisions — Supreme Graphics, Supreme School Supply, Supreme Office Supply and the Arcadia News-Leader — in its 50,000-square-foot facility. The commercial printing operation, Supreme Graphics, was started in 1990 and has been fueling the rapid increase in sales and now comprises half of the overall sales of the company.
Electors of the Arcadia School District gave authorization to sell property. Then, the board of education voted, 7-0, to sell a residential lot on the northwest corner of Reit Road and Raider Drive.
Students of the Month for the month of January at Arcadia High School are Rory Waldera, Jordan Klein, Jacob Slaby, Roman Patzner, Candice Slaby, Megan Dettloff, Amanda Deck and Jill Ryan.
A majority of the Ettrick citizens at Monday night’s chamber information meeting said they were interested in forming a chamber of commerce. About 40 people, young and old, attended the meeting.
A fire destroyed Jim Ziegler’s mobile home in Centerville Friday night. Ziegler, who lost everything in the fire, has been staying with relatives. A fund has been set up for him at Zion Lutheran Church in Galesville.
50 YEARS AGO
February 28, 1974
The Trempealeau County board of supervisors, meeting in a special session last week Tuesday, voted to go ahead with further study of a proposed county airport, which would likely be located just west of Whitehall.
St. John’s Catholic Church observed its 25th anniversary with a visit from Bishop Frederick Freking of the La Crosse Diocese, and the confirmation of 59 of its young people.
John Syndergaard Jr, Matthew Gunderson, Pam Eide, Robin McDonald, Paula Ringstad, Tom Eckberg and John Casey Eckberg will be members of the cast for the Trempealeau County Arts Association production of “Pinocchio.”
Whitehall’s lone entry in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state wrestling tournament, 185-pounder Roy Semb, lost his opening round match on a 9-5 decision.
Four area farmers and one community leader were honored at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce annual awards night banquet and annual meeting Saturday night at the Arcadia Country Club. Those honored with outstanding community farmer awards are Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ernst Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Misch, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Pronschinske and Mr. and Mrs. Germaine Puchalla. Clifford Nelson, manager of the Arcadia Cooperative Association, received the community service award.
Arcadia High School students participating in the Dorian Instrumental Festival to be held at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, are Janice Kreher, trumpet; John Forsythe; bass horn; Sandy Smieja, Beverly Bisek and Ann Falkenberg, clarinets and Joyce Kampa, French horn.
It was a family effort that enabled the Bill Trim rink to emerge as champions of the 1974 Adult-High School Bonspiel. Curling with Bill was his wife, Anna; son, Perry, and daughter, Cindy.
Last year was a busy one at Perrot State Park in Trempealeau, with more than 160,000 visitors and 19,000 campers. Although visitation was approximately three percent greater in 1972, camping shows an eight percent reduction compared to the same period one year ago.
The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Junior High will be using a new interim progress report form for its students during the third quarter. Those forms will be mailed to all parents of junior high students. In the past the report sheets had been sent only to parents of students who had difficulty in school or who had failing grades.
75 YEARS AGO
February 24, 1949
Ardyce Aleckson, queen of Whitehall’s ice carnival, left for St. Paul Friday afternoon with her chaperone, local teacher Miss Marjorie Harding, to attend the Icecapades, her prize for winning the title. She was attired in a new suit and accessories supplied by a fund furnished by the businessmen and the Lions Club, with extras contributed by Miss Esther Mortenson of the Home Dress Shop.
Mr. and Mrs. William Ball and their children have been living in their new home for several months, but the Curtiss Candy Co. recently published a story on their house, which includes some special features that accommodate Mr. Ball’s Curtiss Candy distributorship.
Miss Ann Karasch of Independence and Henry Sosalla of Whitehall were united in marriage at St. John’s Catholic church Monday morning, in the first wedding ceremony performer in the new congregation, which was organized last fall.
Eugene Harlow is following in his father’s footsteps, and has become the city shoemaker. The shop has been closed since early December, when W.E. Harlow received a leg fracture when hit by a car, but during the past couple of weeks his son has taken over the work.
Wayne Amundson of Pigeon Falls was hurt Friday when he and several other boys went skiing near the mill dam, the injury knocking out two teeth and requiring six stitches to his lip.
The Blair High School basketball team won its third district championship since 1939 Saturday night, edging Taylor 25 to 22 in the finals of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament held here. The Whitehall cagers won their first game of the season Thursday evening, defeating Merrillan 60 to 21, but then lost to Taylor 57 to 25. Independence edged Alma Center 41 to 39 for the consolation championship. Records crowds attended all 10 games.
Arcadia proved itself worthy of a Mississippi Valley Conference championship by completely overwhelming Black River Falls, 57-37, in a game played in Arcadia. The local cagers 10-2 record could have absorbed another defeat and still give the Raiders the league crown. Rather than relax, however, when the pressure was off, Coach Cashen piloted his champions to complete the rout of hapless Black River Falls.
Regulation of automotive speed on the open highway by state law has been an issue in legislative politics in Wisconsin for many years, but speed limit proposals were always defeated. That there has been a change of public sentiment may have been reflected by the overwhelming support of such regulation shown in the State Assembly last week. The lower house of the legislature approved, by a top-heavy vote of 80-13, a bill which will forbid any driver to travel more rapidly than 65 miles an hour in the daytime and 55 miles per hour after dark.
100 YEARS AGO
February 28, 1924
The fire company answered a call at the A.O. Melby residence on Main Street Friday, and arrived within five minutes, only slightly fatigued. We do not know how soon a call will come from the east side, or from the village limits on the north, south or west. The Village Hall is centrally-located, and pushing hose and ladder carts and carrying 50-pound chemical fire extinguishers several blocks will tire the most robust men such that they are not fit for firefighting when they arrive. A motor conveyance for the Whitehall fire company is worthy of consideration. Act before its necessity is realized by a serious fire.
Dr. Elizabeth Comstock of Arcadia, the first and only lady doctor in Trempealeau County, will address a meeting of the Lakes Coulee Community Club tomorrow night.
The meeting to consider building a canning factory at Whitehall was held at the Village Hall Thursday afternoon, and another meeting was held at the Peoples State Bank on Saturday. The opinion was advanced that it was too late to attempt to handle a crop the coming season. This may be true, but if the necessary funds can be raised by March 15, a reliable contractor will give a guarantee to have the building completed and ready to run by June 15.
The firemen’s mask ball Friday evening at the Village Hall was largely attended. The maskers were many, and the representation varying from comical clowns to the most beautiful costumes. The receipts from the dance were $253.
We were told that an up-town man, well known in county politics, answered an ad for the cure of a red nose. The cure was to keep drinking until it turned blue.
The Arcadia National Guard basketball team won the state championship, defeating Tomah Hq. Company, 41-20. The Arcadia team roster was Collins, Stelmach, Barlow, Schroeder, Slaughter and Stencil.
Officers were elected at the first annual meeting of the A-G Creamery Company. They were: W.F. Rosenow, president; E.O Herbert, vice president; A.C. Schultz, secretary-treasurer; Robt. Ashton, treasurer; E.R. Finner, Anton Scharlau, Jul. Nilsestuen, Claude Meinerz and Ed Erickson, directors.
O.B. Strouse was elected president of the Arcadia Fire Company. Elected with him were R.N. Hohmann, treasurer; Geo. Weisenberger, treasurer; M.W. George, chief and J.A. Danuser, assistant chief.
125 YEARS AGO
February 23, 1899
The public school observed Washington’s birthday.
Nearly 50 couples attended the mask ball given by the dance club last Friday evening.
Nels M. Johnson, a farmer living at the head of Pigeon Creek, lost his residence by fire last Friday. We understand the building was insured in the Pigeon Insurance Co.
The interest M.C. Bjerke, of the firm of Bjerke, Berg and Wall, has been bought by Berg and Wall. The business will hereafter be conducted by the firm of Berg and Wall.
J.C. Lamberson was at Chicago last week with two carloads of hogs of his own raising. Very few farmers in this section are sufficiently engaged in stock breeding that they ship in lots like the above, and Mr. Lamberson is one of the few.
H.O. Hovde was at Chicago last week with a carload of potatoes of his own cultivation. On his way back he stopped off at Fond du Lac and purchased a couple ewes of the Dorset breed. They arrived by express Monday and are fine animals.
E. Berg has nearly shattered his brain since last Friday in trying to concoct a scheme by which he can “get even” with his friend out in Dakota, who sent a valentine in the shape of a nine-pound jack rabbit, which Mr. Berg received by express. The recipient of the parcel, after some murmuring, paid up $1.25 for the express charges. Not wishing to go into the butcher business, Mr. Berg salted down most of the animal and will eat rabbit until Feb. 14, 1900, when he will no doubt receive a fresh supply from the Dakota nimrod.
Elk Creek — Sabiek Pieterick died last week Wednesday morning from injuries received by a kick from a horse a few days earlier. The deceased, only 36 years old, an honest, upright man, by industry and economy had bought and paid for the best farm in Chimney Rock valley.
