TEN YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 7, 1988
Dr. Larry Bender upset incumbent Whitehall district school board member Len Ellison in Tuesday’s spring general election vote by a 704-489 margin. Ellison had been seeking a sixth consecutive three-year term on the board.
The Independence city council reversed itself Monday night, rescinding the approval it had given to the hospital waste incinerator proposed that BioSafe Systems of Eau Claire had proposed building in the former Moose Distributing building. The council also voted to have the city’s zoning board of appeals decide whether BioSafe should be granted a conditional use permit.
Head Coach Deanna Matchey doesn’t know what to expect when her Norse girls open the school’s first season of Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association-sanctioned softball next week.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 7, 1983
Citing economic hard times and nearly $600,000 in losses last year, the WBI Farmers Union Cooperative announced Monday that it will close its retail hardware business this summer. The 24,000-square-foot retail facility, part of the new WBI complex built in 1979, will be put up for sale, according to co-op General Manager Bill Gleason.
There are 32 girls out for this year’s Norse track team, which opens its season today, including 11 returning letterwinners.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 12, 1973
Most people sort of smiled when the snow began falling Sunday, but it just kept coming, and by the time it stopped on Tuesday morning, more than a foot had fallen. Real blizzard conditions existed in the area on Monday, with schools closed, the ditches full of cars and some businesses unable to operate.
Leaders of the Whitehall Teachers Association maintained a “wait and see” attitude this week about a tentative contract settlement negotiated by an attorney for the school board and a representative of the Wisconsin Education Association.
Wendy Humphrey and John Peterson have been chosen as king and queen of the April 28 Whitehall High Junior Prom. Other members of the court are Julie Briggs, Gretchen Hegge, Wanda Roelofs, Sue Kopp, Lana Guinn, Kay Clipper, David Pientok, Jerry Sosalla, Arnie Johnson, Cal Thompson, Bryan Pucik and Paul Windjue.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 8, 1948
Harold Stassen won a decisive victory in Tuesday’s Wisconsin Republican presidential primary over Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Gov. Thomas Dewey. Stassen carried Trempealeau County except for the cities of Arcadia and Independence and the village of Blair, which went for MacArthur.
Whitehall has a new mayor, as H.J. Holtan was elected Tuesday to succeed T.O. Rice, who did not seek reelection.
Tom Thunder of Hunter’s Bridge, chief of the Winnebago tribes in Wisconsin, was here Monday and interviewed Dr. R.L. MacCornack in regard to the part the Indians will take in the centennial program to be held in Whitehall May 21. Chief Tom and his tribe will lead the parade and will give a ceremonial dance in the evening.
Mrs. Richard Rogers has resigned as supervisor of nursing at Community Hospital, and has been succeeded by the Misses Esther Johnson and Gladys Olson, who will share the responsibility, at least for the time being.
A Girl Scout Brownie troop is being organized in Whitehall. Mrs. Arnold Olson has been secured as leader, and the committee members are the Mmes. Roy Huitfeldt, C.D. Platz, Goodwin Anderson, Hiram Hegge, Keil Blank and O.G. Birkeland.
Mrs. Richard Hoff of Pigeon Falls has terminated her employment as stenographer with the soil conservation service.
Anton Lien and son Helmuth of Borst Valley were in town Friday on business. When asked if he had delivered tobacco here, Mr. Lien stated that he and his sons have discontinued growing the crop and increased their dairy herd instead. With a milking machine, Mr. Lien says he figures it is more profitable to devote the tobacco land to other crops and produce dairy products.
The well wishes of scores of friends in the Whitehall community go with Mr. and Mrs.. Oscar Thoreson and family to their new home in Mondovi, where they moved Monday. Mr. Thoreson was manager of the Farmers Store here for more than 10 years, and has accepted a similar position in Mondovi. The Thoreson family is of a type that is an asset to any community.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hanson of Whitehall have purchased the Arthur Fredrickson hotel and took possession Thursday. Mr. Fredrickson has moved his family to the Melvin Thomley farm on No. 53 east of Whitehall, which he purchased.
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 12, 1923
Last week, a truck driver abandoned his attempt here to take a load of household goods from La Crosse to Barron with a five and a half-ton truck. It took a day and a half to drive from La Crosse to Whitehall. Our citizens wouldn’t have been surprised if the authorities had taken the man before Judge Hensel for a mental examination, knowing there is something wrong with his “transmission” when a man will attempt to travel on country roads with such a load during the spring break-up. There are no laws on our statutes to prohibit such traffic, so the party attempted to make the return trip home, unmolested.
Officers of the fire company appeared before the village board Monday in behalf of a motor truck, equipped with chemical tanks, hose, ladders and capable of carrying several firemen, and also capable of trailing the regular hose and ladder carts. With a motor truck in readiness at all times, the company could be at the scene of a fire any place in the village, not only at a great savings in time, but in condition to fight a fire instantly, instead of standing exhausted from a long, hard run with the equipment.
Mason and Scott have a barn of fine work horses, and are busy supplying the buyers’ wants. Tuesday, a work team was sold to Bert Moats of Eleva.
Last Sunday, skiing was enjoyed by the Fitch Coulee boys on the new slide at Finstads’. Milton Hallingstad and Bennie Borreson tied for the longest standing and falling jumps, 69 and a half feet and 74, respectively. Longer jumps could have been made, but, strangely, there was a lack of snow.
Regardless of the poor condition of the roads, the Auto Sales Co. is selling cars. Pearl Reichoff purchased a Ford roadster, Arndt Huleatt of York, a truck and a touring car, and the MacCornack clinic, a roadster.
R.R. Langworthy is building a fire-proof smoke house for Martin Simonson, at the rear of his shop.
Augustine Bros. are raising foxes on quite an extensive scale, and are supplying orders far and wide. Last Saturday, they shipped a pair of red foxes to a customer in Oklahoma.
Sever Staff is having a barn frame and lumber sawed, and is contemplating erecting a large, modern barn on his farm in Big Slough next summer.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 7, 1898
Beautiful spring weather.
Farmers are rushing spring work.
Sheriff Jensen brought home another Shetland pony from Winona last week for his children to drive.
William Kremers has lumber on the ground for an addition to the dwelling on his farm east of the village.
The village school opened again Monday, with less than half the usual attendance. The absence is due to the general prevalence of measles in the district.
The new firm of Bjerke, Berg and Wall took possession of the stock of general merchandise which they purchased of Geo. K. Whitney, on the first inst. and will continue the business in the Reitzel block.
Solsrud, Kidder and Co.’s spring clearing-up sale last week was a hummer. Some idea of the amount of goods sold may be had when 11 clerks, including the proprietors, were kept busy from morning to night tying up goods throughout the sale.
The class in ancient history will meet at half-past seven o’clock on Monday evening, with Mrs. H.M. Wade. Response to roll call by quotations.
Geo. K. Whitney, who sold his stock of general merchandise here and returned to Merrillan, made many friends during his brief business career here, who regret to have him make his departure.
At the town caucus last Saturday, J.C. Lamberson moved that the assessor be paid $2 per day of 10 hours. clerk, $65 per year; supervisors, $2 per day on the board of review for 10 hours of service; and that the treasurer receive for collection of taxes one and one-half percent to Jan. 15, and two percent after that date. The motion passed without opposition. Mr. Lamberson can always be counted on the side of the taxpayers, and wherever he sees that way clear to lessen the burden of taxation, he stops and drives a peg.
Elk Creek — It is a fact that, in equalizing the valuation of the different towns in the county, the late board assessed only one long-eared and strong-lunged animal, of the species that Baalam of old is said to have ridden, to the town of Pigeon, and placed thereon the sum of $18, for proof of which see page 20, “chronicles” of county board. Perhaps Chairman Neperud, who appears to be a living encyclopedia of statistics and a firm believer in per capita wealth, will explain how almost 200 people own only one such animal.