From Our Early Files Jan. 10, 2024
25 YEARS AGO
January 14, 1999
Whitehall resident John Radke retired last week after more than three decades as a driver’s license examiner with the state Department of Transportation, but not before he was given an award that has gone to only a handful of his peers. Radke was named the Outstanding Wisconsin Certified Examiner for 1998 by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, an organization which includes the United States and Canada. He is believed to be the first regular examiner to receive the honor, the other recipients being supervisors or district administrators.
Members of the rural electric cooperatives in Trempealeau and neighboring counties will get to vote on a proposed merger of two of those co-ops. The board of directors of the Buffalo and Trempealeau electric cooperatives late last month voted to forward to their membership a recommendation for the merger of the two organizations.
Whitehall High School’s Academic Decathlon team may not be going to the state championship, but team members did bring home individual honors last week. The WHS quad placed fifth out of 12 schools entered in the regional Academic Decathlon event held Friday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Middleton High took home the first-place trophy. The local team’s ranking was believed to be the best showing ever by Whitehall High, which has participated in Academic Decathlon for 14 years and advanced to the regional competition six times. WHS team members who earned individual recognition included Franz Bergman, Leah Hanson and Caleb Olson.
With an eye toward Highway 93 north road work in 2000, the Independence city council recently discussed the results of a questionnaire sent out to property owners north of the city. The questionnaires were sent out to 18 property owners along Highway 93, just north of the city limits, asking if they wanted to be annexed to the city and if they want water/sewer service. Of the 14 property owners who responded, nine did not want to be annexed and six did not want water/sewer service.
Jeff and Carol Bawek of rural Arcadia placed second in the Wisconsin State Conservation Farmer Award contest. David Appleyard, administrator of the Trempealeau County Land Conservation Department, said the Baweks placed high in the state contest due to their efforts in preserving the soil and water resources of the land.
The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau school board hopes taxpayers will fill its high school library meeting room at a special meeting on Feb. 3. And board members would like those taxpayers to come armed with questions about a proposed April referendum.
The Trempealeau Main Street 2000 project kick-off meeting will be Jan. 20 at the village hall. According to administrator Jim Mielke, the meeting is being held to solicit views and comments about the future project.
A divided G-E-T school board decided Monday to postpone a decision on whether to sign a contract with Pepsi Cola granting the company exclusive rights to market its products on school grounds. Some board members were uneasy about the apparent encouragement for kids to consume soft drinks rather than healthier beverages like fruit juices. Pepsi offered the district cash in exchange for the contract. The district could receive as much as $80,000 over the next 10 years from the company.
50 YEARS AGO
January 17, 1974
Fire late Sunday night destroyed the George Thompson residence three miles north of Pleasantville. The Thompsons, who were not home when the fire stated, lost all their clothing, furnishings and households effects; the Pleasantville Lions Club and the Elk Creek Lutheran Church will hold benefit shower for the family this coming Monday night, at the church.
The Whitehall city council last week Tuesday night approved a letter to the state Public Service Commission asking for improvements in the warning lights at the Main St. crossing of the Green Bay and Western Railroad, where five persons have died in accidents over the past eight years.
One new director was elected and another reelected to the Arcadia Country Club board of directors at the annual meeting Saturday night. George Blaha, Arcadia, was elected to succeed Mrs. Pat Nelson, Arcadia, and Franklin Sobotta, Arcadia, was reelected to a new term. Mrs. Nelson did not seek reelection. Holdover directors are Gilbert Benusa, Ernest Korpal, Kingo Andow, Gerald Myers, all of Arcadia, and Jerry Rozek, Winona, Minn.
Reelected as officers for the Arcadia Volunteer Fire Department were: Martin Rebhahn, chief; Arnold Platteter, assistant chief; Adrian Kostner, president and Glenn Forsythe, secretary-treasurer. The department answered 24 calls during the year. Eight were city calls, six in the township of Arcadia, eight in the township of Glencoe and one each in the townships of Dodge and Trempealeau.
When roll call was taken at the regular monthly meeting of the Arcadia city council Thursday night, only three aldermen and Mayor Eugene Killian were present. With no quorum, the meeting adjourned.
The public libraries of Arcadia, Blair, Eleva, Galesville, Independence, Osseo, Strum, Trempealeau and Whitehall all became members of the La Crosse Area Library System on Jan. 1. The move will greatly expand the availability of library materials to county residents.
Dave Schreiber was elected president of the Arcadia Sportsmen’s Club at the annual meeting last week Tuesday. He succeeds Jack Wantlin.
G-E-T’s Nick Bell made nine field goals – most of them from 25 feet or beyond – in the first half as he finished with 24 points on 12-for-17 shooting in G-E-T’s 66-53 win over West Salem.
The 100-year-old large building on Main Street, which was Ettrick’s first store and now houses a tavern and a coin-operated laundry has been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Fanello of Stoddard.
Ettrick has not had a physician or an ambulance since Dr. C.O. Rogne, who had served the area since 1923, died in July.
Masonic Lodge 177 of Galesville elected new officers on Dec. 27. Royce Poss was installed as worshipful master; Robert Docken, senior warden; John Brophy, junior warden; William Finch, senior deacon; Victor Folkedahl, junior deacon; Ernest Sandman, secretary; George Jenks, treasurer; Rolf Hammer, tyler; Henry Knudson, chaplain; Alfred Anderson and Howard Chalsma, stewards; Bill Thomas, officer and James Beck, marshal.
75 YEARS AGO
January 13, 1949
Trempealeau County Sheriff Charles Keilholtz, who took office Jan. 4, had announced his deputies. Sam Stemlmach of Arcadia has been reappointed as undersheriff, while the deputies are Albert Skoug, Strum; Manley Miller, Osseo; Eugene Bijold, Independence; E.A. Sorenson and Einar Kildahl, Whitehall; and Albert Severson, Ettrick.
The Holtan Wood Products Co., H.J. Holtan, proprietor, will open very soon in Whitehall to add another industry to the fast-growing little city. When he gets into full production, Mr. Holtan expects to employ between 10 and 15 men. Mr. Holtan, the mayor of Whitehall, also owns a chick hatchery in the city.
A Lutheran Brotherhood has recently been organized in the Synod Lutheran church at Pigeon Falls, of which the Rev. E.B. Christopherson is the pastor. Officers elected were Albert Erickson, president; Rolf Christopherson, vice president; James Hagen, secretary; and Irvin Vesta, treasurer.
After a long rest from conference play, Arcadia again hit the winning column by downing Osseo, 41-26. Kulas led Arcadia with 10 points.
Quite a bit of time was devoted by city councilmen in regular meeting to discuss the basis for the charge to be made to the towns of Arcadia and Glencoe for rural fire protection from the city’s new fire fighting equipment.
A coroner’s jury returned the verdict placing the cause of Hensel Knutson’s death to the operation of a motor vehicle in a careless, reckless, negligent manner constituting a high degree of negligence on the part of Leonard Sheffield in the inquest held at Whitehall.
100 YEARS AGO
January 17, 1924
Three decisions were handed down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday in cases which involve Trempealeau County matters. In one of those, the court affirmed the ruling of Judge Hensel in county court here in the case of B.B. Olson versus Stanley Skroch. That proceeding grew out of the sale or attempted sale of a tractor to Skroch by Olson, and the receipt by Olson of some bonds which he later discovered to be worthless.
The Carpenter school house, on No. 11 between Whitehall and Blair, was destroyed by fire Friday afternoon. During school hours one of the pupils noticed the flames in the entrance, which other than the windows, was the only exit. The teacher, Miss Clara Grinde, was the 20 children were able to make their escape as the flames were coming up through the floor. The school board has rented rooms in the H.O. Wold farm residence and school resumed today.
Martin Kolve of Chimney Rock was arraigned before Jude Hensel Saturday on a charge of unlawfully selling intoxicating liquor, and on his plea of guilty to the charge was fined $500 and costs and committed to the county jail for four months, with an additional four months’ sentence if he fails to pay the fine. He is an old offender, having been convicted of the same offense a year ago.
The Lien Sisters and Otto Hauge have inaugurated a new enterprise. They have made a start in raising foxes, and for foundation stock have purchased five pairs of registered stock from the Chippewa Valley Silver Fox Co.
Stanley Hulett returned home from Milwaukee Tuesday, where he took the state board examination for a master barber license. Stanley is a first-class workman, and is entitled to his card.
The county garage and machine shop on Cleveland St. in Arcadia were seriously damaged by a fire that broke out near the furnace. Two trucks in the shop undergoing repairs, two truck chassis, some tools and machinery were destroyed.
The annual report of R.N. Hohmann, secretary of the Arcadia Fire Department, showed that the department had responded to 14 chimney fires and one marsh fire during the year.
125 YEARS AGO
January 12, 1899
J.E. Cance of Ettrick called at The Times-Banner office Tuesday and left a silver cartwheel for his subscription.
No business was transacted at the regular January meeting of the village board, a quorum not being present.
The burning out of a chimney on the residence of N.L. Fredrickson Sunday precipitated a fire scare in that ward, but no damage was done.
It is impossible to mention personally all who are numbered on the sick list this week. They include some member of nearly every family in town.
Judge Odell and District Attorney Cowie were at Arcadia Friday attending to a complaint against Martin Simbeck for larceny. Martin is an incorrigible fellow, and the testimony was fatal to him. But his youth saved him from the penitentiary, and he will have an opportunity to mend his ways at the reformatory, Sheriff Steig taking him to Waukesha Monday, where he was placed in the reform school.
The new Whitehall librarian, Mr. Hogan, has had cases made for the books, both the old and the traveling collection, and all patrons of the library will please note the fact that he is now the sole custodian of the Whitehall library. This office has been the headquarters of this association for nearly two decades and it is eminently proper that others get some benefit from the salary allowed the librarian, office rent, etc.
