From Our Early Files Feb. 24, 2024
25 YEARS AGO
February 18, 1999
Members of the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors Monday night got an earful from several citizens unhappy with plans to build a new multi-million-dollar county jail in Whitehall. One of the citizens, Sandra Albertson, appeared before the board’s regular monthly meeting concerning the county jail study committee’s proposals for a new jail. Albertson noted the lack of population growth, that the county has the lowest crime rate in the state and an incarceration rate lower than state average. “Why build a bigger and more costly jail when it’s not needed at this time?” Albertson asked for a referendum on the new jail.
The town of Pigeon held a special reconvened caucus last week to nominate candidate for chairman. The township held its regular caucus Jan. 20, re-nominating all incumbent officers, including Chairman Sverre Aasen, who had served in that capacity for more than two decades. But Aasen died two days after the caucus and the other town board members voted to reconvene the meeting with only nominations for chairman on the agenda. About 25 people attended the reconvened caucus and they nominated Mark Hoff and David Steig to be on the April 6 ballot.
Despite some bad weather and greater-than-usual competition from other communities’ events, Whitehall’s 1998 Beef and Dairy Days ended up making more than the previous year’s. Whitehall Beef and Dairy Days, Inc. provided its annual fiscal report to its sponsoring organizations and the city of Whitehall last week. The WBDDI report shows a gross profit of just over $9,000, an increase of about $1,500 from 1997.
The Make A Splash capital campaign for the Arcadia Area Family Aquatic Center really did make a splash at its festive kickoff and concert celebration last Saturday at Arcadia High School with the announcement of total contributions in cash and pledges of $986,670. Contributors who made commitments of $50,000 or more include Chuck and Jo Blaschko of Blaschko Enterprises, Darrell Sonsalla of United Bank, Dave McKeeth of Nelson Muffler, Dr. LJ English and Joyce and Ron Wanek of Ashley Furniture Industries. An anonymous donor also gave $50,000.
Arcadia Troop 64 Boy Scouts Matt Benusa, Jered Diebold, Jon Dorn and Tony Bawek will be recognized for receiving the rank of Eagle Scout at a ceremony on Feb. 28.
The Arcadia city council last week approved an ordinance governing race tracks, providing the first step in what Dave Hesch hopes will lead to stock car racing on the Fourth of July.
With its finances in a precarious state, the Galesville Curling Club would like to turn its building over to the city. But legally, that movement may be tricky. Club representatives Dan Ekern told the city council that tracking down the club’s shareholders to even muster a quorum is just about impossible. Because the majority can’t be present to vote on changing the organization to a non-profit entity, it would be impossible to comply with the city requests that it do so.
The Ettrick Area Chamber of Commerce Interest Committee will meet on Feb. 22. According to committee member Mike Behan, the meeting is being held to see how much interest that is in the Ettrick area for a chamber of commerce.
50 YEARS AGO
February 21, 1974
The initial contract proposals submitted by the Whitehall Teachers Association includes an $800 per year increase in salary, improved fringe benefits and the dropping of the no-strike clause in the present contract.
The state Public Service Commission will hold a public hearing concerning warning signals at Whitehall’s Main St. railroad crossing next week Wednesday night at the county courthouse.
The Whitehall Lions Club has agreed to underwrite the cost of the fence for the new softball diamond at the new city recreation area opened last year.
Whitehall 185-pounder Roy Semb, who placed second at Saturday’s Viroqua sectional, is only the second WHS wrestler ever to advance to the state tournament.
Debi Pucik scored 12 points as the new Whitehall High girls basketball team lost its first-ever game, 38-36 to Augusta.
Arcadia FFA officers are Terry Reglin, sentinel; Dean Sobotta, president; Ron Literski, vice president; Scott Nelson, treasurer, Brad Reuter, reporter and Joe Pronschinske, secretary.
The Arcadia city council heard a request for rezoning a parcel of land on West Main Street as a potential site for a new supermarket. Dick Schmidt, Mound, Minn., has acquired the right to purchase a piece of land owned by Mr. and Mrs. Art Hertzfeldt located between Main and River streets. He presented a petition to the council requesting rezoning of apportion of the property from multiple residential to commercial. A part of the land is already zoned commercial. Schmidt, who attended the meeting with Eldon Berg, real estate agent, presented an architect’s sketch and tentative plans for his building. As proposed, the building would be a 106-by-76 square feet.
First plans for construction on the former Clarence Misch farm, purchased recently by the Arcadia Industrial Development Corporation for residential, commercial and light industrial development have been announced by Harold Blaschko, owner of the Arcadia News-Leader and Supreme School Supply Company. Blaschko has purchased a 10-acre site from the corporation along Highway 93 and plans to consolidate his operation into a new modern 140-by-360-foot building. The News-Leader and Supreme School Supply Company are presently located in three separate buildings on Main St.
Galesville Housing Development Corporation is planning the construction of an apartment-type rental unit to provide low-cost rentals for the area elderly citizens. An apartment of 16 units is being planned.
The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Senior High School music department will present its mid-winter concert on Feb. 19.
The Centerville Mixed Bonspiel began on Feb. 8. Teams from Mapleton, Arlington, Nashua, Rice Lake, Madison, Galesville, La Crosse and Centerville were entered. The Ron Sacia rink from Centerville took fourth place behind two rinks from Mapleton and one from Arlington.
75 YEARS AGO
February 17, 1949
Ardyce Aleckson was crowned Queen of the Ice of the second-annual winter carnival, sponsored by the Whitehall Lions Club and local businessmen, at the ball held Saturday evening, attended by about 500 persons. The new queen also opened the Flying Pigeons ski tournament held near Pigeon Falls Sunday afternoon, and reigned at the show put on by the Eau Claire Figure Skating Club Sunday evening.
The Whitehall Merchants will tangle with Van Dyke’s Original House of David Feb. 23 at the Whitehall High gymnasium. The colored boys feature fast and flashy ball handling, dazzling passing and showmanship. The Merchants will floor one of the fastest teams in the area. Their strength has been bolstered by the return of Luther College player La Verne Nelson, a former Whitehall High star, and Harold “Hawkeye” Everson, former star at Luther. Veteran Al Windjue will be counted on, along with “Herbie” Johnson, Dave Larson, Bruce Wilberg and player-coach “Connie” Johnstad.
Sixty-seven riders took part in the at the Flying Pigeons Ski Club annual tournament held Sunday at the Eid Bros. farms near Pigeon Falls. Ronald Johnson of the local club placed first in Class C, age 12 and under, and Kenneth Ringlien was sixth. Wayne Amundson was fourth in Class B, ages 13 and 14; Aldon Olson and Warren Ringlien placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in Class A, ages 15 and 16; and Doc Larson was first in the senior class, 17 and over.
The Scout troop was revived in Pigeon Falls Monday evening with Fred Stone as Scoutmaster.
By far the largest crowd ever to attend a creamery meeting in Arcadia occupied all available seating space and stood up at the rear of the new armory at the 25th annual meeting of the A-G Cooperative Creamery. An estimated 1,000 people attended the event, the real drawing card was the interest on the part of patrons in their cooperative, which has shown such astounding growth in the 25 years since the consolidation of the two creameries here.
Rudy Pahl, associated with banking in Arcadia for more than 25 years, has resigned his position as assistant cashier at the State Bank of Arcadia. He will leave this Sunday for Steamboat Springs, Colo., to make arrangements for establishing a home there, and his family will join him as soon as they can wind up their affairs here. Pahl has accepted a position with the Northwestern Colorado Finance Corporation.
Arcadia’s contribution to the March of Dimes as a result of the benefit basketball game played last week between the Headquarters Company and the Galesville Legion team amounted to $125. This sum was augmented by $52 collected in a campaign in the public school.
100 YEARS AGO
February 21, 1924
A meeting will be held this afternoon at the Village Hall to discuss the question of a canning factory in Whitehall. A group of businessmen met last Thursday at the Peoples State Bank and concluded to elect a committee to make further investigation. Those in the position to know advise us that the soil tributary to Whitehall is excellent for the growing of peas, so there ought to be no difficulty in obtaining acreage. As to the financial end of it, we will all have to put our shoulders to the wheel, as a factory involves the expenditure of $75,000 to $100,000.
Wm. Kelly and Frank Cysewski pleaded guilty to violations of the liquor laws in Judge Hensel’s court Saturday, and paid fines and court costs. On Tuesday, Victor Anderson of Northfield pleaded to having liquor in his possession, but up to this time is serving a 40-day jail sentence, rather than paying his fine and court costs.
A new electric sign bearing the name of the Otis E. Hutchins Post 191 and the Legion emblem shows the way to the Legion headquarters in the Simonson building on Main Street.
Last year, several of the York farmers experimented with the application of limestone on their farms. The result was gratifying, and they placed an order for four carloads of the best grade limestone available, the first of which was unloaded Saturday afternoon here. Here to take their shares of the load Saturday were Knute Haugen, Richard and Abe Hulett, Axel Sedahl, Stanley and George Dettinger, Geo. O. Humphrey, Basil Cosford, Henry Hanson, Ole and Hans Eid, Carl Klomstin, Ole Peterson and Oscar Vesta.
Young girls in Bruce Valley are bobbing their hair. Some visited the barber shop Friday and Saturday.
125 YEARS AGO
February 16, 1899
The Whitehall dance club will hold a mask ball tomorrow evening at the hall.
John Bugbee, a well-known citizen of Burnside, and a man well along in years, was instantly killed yesterday. Mr. Bugbee was on a load of hay taking it to Independence when it overturned, throwing the unfortunate man to the ground and breaking his neck.
An error of $100 was discovered in the bid of Fetter and Crosby for the extension of water mains on Scranton and Abrams streets, and when they declined to perform the work for the contracted figure, the bid was awarded to Frank Hengel.
A call signed by Messrs. C.W. Harnden, W.H. Stallings, L.L. Solsrud and Fred Best has been issued, calling a mass meeting of the citizens of taxpayers of Whitehall to meet at the town hall next Thursday evening, for the purpose of considering a proposition to the county for the location of the new insane asylum.
Ed Crane, who has a job as switchman in the yards at the Green Bay and Western Railroad at Green Bay, spent the Sabbath with relatives at Old Whitehall. He is taking a layoff on account of a pinching between freight cars he received a short time ago.
Elk Creek — A new club has been formed in the berg since this cold weather set in. As yet the club has not a very large membership. At its last meeting it was decided to call it the Sitmore and Dolitte Society.
Elk Creek — Last Saturday morning, Sobiek Peterick had the misfortune to be kicked in the abdomen by a horse. Medical aid was had as soon as possible, but at present writing his condition is such that his life is despaired of.
