TEN YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 22, 1979
Trempealeau County Circuit Judge A.L. Twesme last week Wednesday sentenced Nihla Eder of Osseo to 18 days in jail for embezzling $22,000 from Bye’s Dress Shop. Eder was also placed on probation for five years, and must repay the money she took from the Osseo business.
City, county and regional officials will hold a meeting next week Thursday to bring area residents up to date on the city’s industrial development.
With five players from last year’s 15-1 team lost to graduation, the Norse boys’ will seek to defend their Dairyland Conference championship with the help of six returning lettermen: Dave Clipper, Duey Fimreite, Tim Koxlien, Rich Johnson, Eric Ringlien and Kurt Stellpflug.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 21, 1974
The Whitehall city council last week reversed two earlier decisions, voting four to two to rescind am ordinance allowing taverns to open on Sundays.
Supervisor Gordon Johnson of Osseo resigned from the county board during the annual budget meeting last week, then was elected to succeed Noble Thronson as highway commissioner. Johnson had served on the board for seven years.
Twenty tons of kosher meat en route to New York spoiled after a Whitehall Packing Co. truck was involved in an accident north of Sparta Friday night. The driver, Eugene Filler of Onalaska, has not been seen since the accident.
The Rev. Eugene Klink is the new pastor at St. John’s Catholic Church, succeeding the Rev. Carroll Walljasper. Fr. Klink is an Independence native.
The proposed expansion of the Dairyland Conference would bring four more schools into the league: Cochrane-Fountain City, Gilmanton, Melrose-Mindoro and Taylor.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 26, 1964
The first significant snowfall of the season arrived here last Thursday, coating the ground with about an inch of snow. The temperature registered five below zero on Saturday, the opening day of deer season.
The deer take for the opening weekend was up over last year in the river counties, although 472 deer were registered at the Foss Standard station in Whitehall, 15 less than in the first two days of the 1963 hunt.
The Rev. Richard Buege, former pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, rural Whitehall, will be installed as pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Richland Center this Sunday.
Esther McDonald, an Independence native who has worked in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and California, is the new superintendent of nurses at Tri-County Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Rodney Thompson of New Auburn bagged a buck in the Pleasantville area Saturday afternoon. This is Mrs. Thompson’s first deer hunting experience, and her first buck.
Roy Aanerud had 12 points, and Barry Johnson and Bud Tomter added 11 apiece, as the Norsemen opened the 1964-65 season with a 27-26 win over Trempealeau last week Tuesday.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 23, 1939
A tax levy of $6,500 was voted by the Whitehall village board Tuesday evening. That sum is $500 greater than last year’s levy, although the tax rate will be about the same. The board also voted $500 for high school band uniforms.
A trading post, a place to sell or exchange commodities, has been established by R.W. Hagemeister in his Texaco Service station on North Main St.
Gabe Gilbertson has been awarded a contract to haul train mail to and from the post office and the Green Bay station.
The barn on the W.J. Webb premises has been razed and the material is being used in a hog house owned by Mr. Webb and his son A.R. on the Lake place.
Elmer Hartnagel was elected president of the Whitehall Ski Club during the first meeting of the season Thursday. Tommy Nelson, a skier of note, was chosen as vice president.
Ed Getts and son Allen accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Burr Tarrant to St. Paul Wednesday to see Clark Getts and noted adventurer Osa Johnson. Mrs. Johnson spoke to an audience of 12,000 in the St. Paul auditorium.
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 26, 1914
Thanksgiving. Eat and be merry.
All stores in Whitehall close at 12 o’clock today.
Beautiful winter weather. Good skating on the millpond.
The new depot will soon be ready for occupancy.
Will Harlow is home from his hunt and brought a deer.
The residence of Misses Laura and Alva Engen in Eastside park is well along toward completion.
Gilbert Baalerud of Pigeon is employed in the Van Tassel photo gallery.
Tom Butler was brought before Justice Frank Larson Friday, charged with selling three bags of clover seed belonging to George Hodge at Independence for $36.52. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison.
E.J. Paul has sold his 80-acre farm in Pigeon, together with the stock and machinery, to Anton Bergerson for $8,400. Mr. Paul desires to purchase a dwelling in Whitehall and become a resident here, and we hope he will do so.
Blair — The first snow of the season Saturday. In places between here and Frenchville, the snow is drifted five feet deep. It was 23 degrees below zero Monday morning.
Hale — The railroad meeting Nov. 24 was well attended.
Arcadia — The young people of this village will be kept busy during the long winter evenings. They have organized a literary society, a temperance society, a dancing club, and a German singing club, which meets every Tuesday evening.
Blair — Green wood is selling for $2.50 per cord.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 21, 1889
Thanksgiving one week from today, Nov. 28. Trot out the traditional turkey.
Wanted, a first-class druggist to locate in Whitehall. Splendid opportunity for the right man.
The town hall, used for Good Templar meetings, was painted on the inside by I.H. Ecker last week.
Several Whitehall boys took the train for the pineries yesterday, among them Hans and Ludwig Solsrud.
Hans Jacob Olson, of Preston, completed a six months’ sentence in the county jail and was given his liberty Tuesday.
Ole Vold, the veteran stage driver between Whitehall and Eau Claire, left us yesterday to establish his headquarters at Eleva, where he will open a livery stable. Ole is one of the straightest and most reliable young men in the county, and his many friends will wish him success in the new enterprise.
Elk Creek — Debating societies are in full blast at Elk Creek and Chimney Rock, and are rapidly and conclusively disposing of the mooted questions of the day.
Blair — It is reported that Frank Immell, the old veteran hunter of these parts, went hunting one day last week and returned with a fine buck. Now, we don’t suppose for a moment that this has anything to do with the Greene and Immell bear hunt of several years since, but would it not be in order to ask Frank what he had to pay per pound to the man who killed the buck?
Elk Creek — Reports from logdom are rather discouraging, and those who make a habit of making up in the woods in the winter what they lose by farming in the summer are disheartened. Five of our boys went to Chippewa Falls and adjacent towns two weeks ago, but have returned to subsist on 20-cent buckwheat a while longer.