From Our Early Files Nov. 1, 2023
25 YEARS AGO
November 5, 1998
Tuesday’s general election was a good one in Trempealeau County for incumbents. Sheriff Ralph Weisenberger and district Attorney Peter Gierok were reelected. Weisenberger had a more than 2,000 vote advantage over challenger Terrance Daffinson. Gierok won by more than 3,000 votes. Also carrying a big margin was Democratic State Rep. Barbara Gronemus, who pulled 5,034 votes to 3,556 for Republican Terry Madden and 57 for independent John Kimmel.
Bob and Sheila Klimek are the new owners of the Subway sandwich shop franchise in Whitehall, purchasing the business last week from Mike Hallum of Osseo.
Taking the lead roles in this week’s Whitehall High School production of the musical “Grease” will be Ryan Mickelson, Stephanie Ekern, Ross Huson, Mandy Gauger, Lucas Johnson, Jenny Granlund, Reed Short, Jason Tiffany and Kelly Cohen.
Miss Wisconsin 1998 Jill Patzner of Arcadia and Shirley Abrahamson, chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, were guest speakers at the Trempealeau County Domestic Abuse Awareness Day last Thursday in Whitehall.
The Arcadia High School Masquers will present their Fall musical, “Oklahoma”, this weekend. Leading cast members include Ross Sonsalla as Jud Fry; Rebekah Haines as Laurey Williams and Roman Patzner as Curley McClain. Also performing in the play will be Faye Ziegeweid as Ado Annie Carnes; Paul Forsyth as Ali Hakim; Tony Bawek as Will Parker; Havilah Krump as Aunt Eller; Jennifer Motzko as Gertie Cummings and Jared Diebold as Andrew Carnes.
The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau school board Monday night approved a tax levy for the 1998-99 school year below what had been anticipated in August. The board approved a total levy amount of $1,895,829 which was over $320,000 less than the anticipated amount of $2,216,536. The levy amount is 11.49 percent less than last year’s levy, according to superintendent Bill Zaborowski.
The Trempealeau village board Monday night approved a contract with Vierbicher Associates, Inc., Reedsburg, for the planning and engineering of improvements for the historic downtown district.
Most property owners in the town of Gale can expect to see the assessed value of their property increase in 1998, but that does not mean their taxes will group, said Kevin Irwin of Irwin Appraisal. Irwin and his partners, Rick Roesch and Bill Bean, are nearly finished with the town’s assessment, a project begun almost a year ago. The set of new values will be given to Trempealeau County for use in the 1998 assessment roll.
50 YEARS AGO
November 8, 1973
Ground was broken last week for a new industry in Pigeon Falls, one of two that the village’s new development corporation
hopes to locate there. The company, International Dried Flowers, will employ about 30 workers; owned by a group of local investors, it will be managed by David Hauge, owner of Floral Farms in Pigeon Falls.
A downtown mail collection box formerly located in front of the Whitehall Variety Store on Main Street won’t be replaced, according to Postmaster Bernard Matchey. Damaged by an unknown vehicle this past summer, it cannot be replaced because U.S. Postal Service regulations do not allow such collection boxes within a half-mile of a post office.
The Whitehall High girls’ volleyball team, after winning a WIAA regional championship in their first season, lost to Altoona in two games in the first round of the sectional at Chippewa Falls Saturday.
Arcadia city councilmen spent the major share of a special meeting last Wednesday night working on a budget for 1974. The result is a proposed budget of $275,645 for next year, up $7,382 from this year’s total figure of $267,263, but with only a slightly higher tax levy because of an anticipated increase in revenues.
Mr. Vilas Hanson and Mrs. LaVerne Lisowski of Arcadia attended the National Council of Catholic Woman Convention and the first National Council of Catholic Laity Convention in New Orleans, La. As delegates of St. Stanislaus parish Rosary Society.
Dan Thill, former Trempealeau High School student, has been starring in football at Winona State University. Thill set the school season rushing record, becoming the first recorded Warrior to pass the 900-yhard mark. Next year, Thill can also pass the career rushing record of 1,710 yards, held by Pat Boland.
Earlier news about the new state budget included the statement that the state will now share in the cost of new school buildings. With a bond issue for a new school coming to G-E-T in December, it is very important that this part of the state law and the local budget be clearly understood, Robert Howard, district superintendent, wrote in a column printed in the Galesville Republican.
75 YEARS AGO
November 4, 1948
Fire believed to have started from defective wiring greatly damaged the Walgert Hotel early Wednesday morning. Ed Williams of Eau Claire, who was staying at the hotel while doing some construction work at the Whitehall Packing Co., put in the alarm about 1 a.m. Whitehall firemen, assisted by the Blair and Pigeon Falls departments, were on the scene until about daylight. Before the fire was extinguished, about one-third of the roof on the main part had caved in, and the ceilings in four upstairs rooms had burned through.
Harold Saxlund of West Salem has purchased an interest in the Pix Theatre and expects to take over as manager on Nov. 6. Colonel Larson, manager of the Pix for Eskin Theatres of Milwaukee, hasn’t definitely decided what he will do, but contemplates opening a photographic studio in Whitehall if a suitable location can be found.
Donald Myren, 16-year-old Whitehall High student, has been selected for state honors by the university extension service for his tractor maintenance program as a member of the Hale and Hardy 4-H Club the past season.
Henry Schaefer will show pictures at the meeting of the Daggett Community Club tomorrow evening. Other numbers will include vocal solos by Odell Schansberg and Orin Nyseth, and a piano solo by Phyllis Tangen.
Contrary to most polls and forecasts, President Harry Truman won reelection, defeating Republican Thomas Dewey, and Democrats also won a majority in the House and Senate. Truman carried Trempealeau County, but Republicans won the only two contested county races: Assemblyman G.M. Wiley defeated Albert Hess of Arcadia, and Charles Keilholtz defeated Ralph Bautch for sheriff.
The seniors have been busy learning their lines for the annual senior class play, “Don’t Take My Penny.” Cast members are Lorraine Dresselhaus, Jack Malmin, Delores Foss, Ardell Linnerud, Dayton Lovelien, Elayne Thorson, Shirley Gilbertson, Lorraine Haugen, Allen Thompson, Lloyd Gunderson, Mary L. Johnson, Marie Rice, Bob DeBow, Ruth Schroeder, Irene Stensby, Rosella Austin and Louise Bergerson.
W.E. Bishop, 79, one of Arcadia’s most respected and beloved men, died at St. Joseph’s Hospital on Saturday. Although he had been failing in health for this past year, his death came as a shock to many friends.
Arcadia High School football boys proved to be too much for Durand to the dune of a 25-12 Friday night. Arcadia finished the season with a 4-2-1 Mississippi Valley Conference record.
100 YEARS AGO
November 8, 1923
When the price of the Whitehall Times-Banner was reduced from that prevailing during the war, the supposition was that paper and all other commodities entering into the making of the paper, including labor, would reach the level of pre-war conditions. This hope has never been realized, and we have been playing a losing game from the time the paper was reduced from $2 to $1.50 for readers in the county. We cannot longer continue publishing the paper at that price and on Dec. 1, the price will go back to that established during the war.
The Whitehall Camp Fire Girls presented a very delightful and wholesome program to a large and appreciative audience at the Village Hall Monday evening. The Rice orchestra very willingly donated their services, and furnished a number of pieces interspersed among the several numbers of the program.
George Briggs is carrying his left arm in a sling, the result of a break from being thrown from a horse. George has suffered his share of broken arms, as it is his fourth such experience.
Alvin Grotem and son Orlando of Rat Coulee delivered a load of wood here Saturday. Wood is being delivered on wagons in sufficient quantity to meet the demand, bringing from $7 to $8 per cord for four-foot, dry oak.
The deer season opens Tuesday, Nov. 13, and lasts for 10 days. Many Whitehall hunters will be in the northern woods for their share of the venison.
We predict in the next few months that the glare from electric lights will illuminate the horizon in the rural districts around Whitehall as brightly as the reflection from a well-lighted city, that is, if T.B. Olson continues his salesmanship record in selling Delco-Light plants. This week, he sold one to Ignatz Maule of Irvin Coulee
A large barn on the Arthur Dutton farm, located midway between Centerville and Galesville, was destroyed by fire.
A little better than 25 acres of sugar beets raised on the Maloney estate farm near Arcadia yielded more than 250 tons of sugar beets, averaging approximately 10 tons to the acre. The yield multiplied by the price of a sack of sugar for each ton of beets was expected to result in a return of about $95 per acre.
125 YEARS AGO
November 3, 1898
See that your neighbor, as well as yourself, goes to the polls and votes next Tuesday.
The turkey gobbler is beginning to assume the mournful countenance, owing to the near approach of Thanksgiving.
Peter Hanson has sold is farm to Arne Larson of Homer, Minn., and himself and wife took the train Monday for Ashland, this state, where Mr. Hanson intends to engage in business.
The new post office building of C.E. Scott, and Fred Best’s new building, are receiving the finishing touches at the hands of the carpenters, and are rapidly being prepared for occupancy.
Local hunters report game as rather scarce in this locality this fall, and the best they can do is to shoot a few squirrels, which are, however, becoming very few and far between hereabouts.
Companies B and M of La Crosse, of the Third Wisconsin Volunteers, returned home Monday from Porto Rico and were given a most royal reception by the citizens.
The creamery company have recently completed a fine cellar, 16 feet square, with cement floor, well ventilated and easily accessible from the butter room. This in an improvement that will tend to keep the grade of the Whitehall butter product at the highest notch of excellence.
Two farmers became involved in a little altercation about six o’clock Monday evening on the sidewalk in front of Dr. Parker’s office, over the sum of $2, which one claimed the other him, and proceeded to settle the trouble a la Muldoon. Neither was much the worse for it after the fracas, and the onlookers declared it a draw.
The return of the deer hunters from the northern woods will doubtless prove a sad blow to the local meat dealers, as a large number of the families in the village expect to enjoy venison for quite a time, owing to the hunting ability and well-known generosity of those who went in search of the festive deer.
