‘Years Ago’ is a compilation of newsy tidbits as published in the Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout on this week ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or sixty years ago.
TEN YEARS AGO
AUGUST 27, 2009 – The United Methodist Church in Soldiers Grove held a corn roast last Thursday evening. Drafted for K.P. duty were Elsie Clark, Sandy Skarda, Florence Clark and Joyce Ewers… Some results from the Crawford County Fair: Carrie Morga of Soldiers Grove won first place with her Strawberry-Apple Pie in the Fruit Pie Baking Contest sponsored by Welsh’s Concrete Foundations; Guitar Hero Contest first place winners - age 22 and up, Jon Robertson; age 13-21, Brandon Jerrett; age 12 and under, Tyler Steyer; Kaitlyn Riley’s Jersey Cow was named the Supreme Champion and Bill Oppreicht’s Holstein as Reserve Supreme in the first Adventure in Dairyland Event; Tony Teynor, Prairie du Chien won longest distance and Paul Check, Prairie du Chien, won Best Restored in the Antique Tractor show sponsored by Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative, Grant Energy Cooperative, Kickapoo Homes of Viroqua and Horizon Equipment.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
SEPTEMBER 2, 1999 – Effigy Mounds National Monument north of Marquette, Iowa was recently expanded by 1,054 acres. Using public and private funds, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation will hold the land until the National Park Service receives a congressional appropriation to buy it from Charles and Dorothy Kistler of LaCrosse. The land, located just west of Effigy Mounds, includes mounds built by early Native Americans, the first-known sawmill in Iowa and a variety of rare plant and animal life… Community Conservation, Inc. volunteers installed some new exhibits at the Museum of the Kickapoo in Gays Mills. The new panel details Native American history in the Kickapoo Watershed, focusing on the many effigy mounds built by prehistoric people and their rock art. The display was researched and the artwork done by Dr. Kathleen Tigerman of UW-Platteville.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
AUGUST 31, 1989 – Swimming is part of the physical education curriculum at North Crawford for 7-12 graders for the first two weeks of the school year. Instructors Marsha Chestelson and James Carroll conduct beginning to advanced classes at the Gays Mills pool… Because of opposition from some city residents, Viroqua may not limit the number of cats to two per household, as was proposed. Instead, the city may follow Prairie du Chien’s example of licensing cats as they do dogs and restricting their freedom. People had questioned limiting cats to two per household with questions about people who might want to raise specialty cats, kittens in the household, and discrimination against cats as opposed to horses or rabbits.
FORTY YEARS AGO
AUGUST 2, 1979 – Jim Uglum of Mt. Sterling has began running off and on, while attending college in LaCrosse and since then has been increasing the miles he runs per week to about 75 to 80. He hopes to average 100 miles a week by this time next year. He participated in the Milwaukee Mayfair Marathon on Memorial Day and finished in 2:48:38 hours, placing 25thoverall out of 450 runners. Jim is a 1972 graduate of North Crawford High School and a graduate of UW-La Crosse. He is employed as an insurance and real estate salesman working with his father, Alec Uglum, in Uglum Realty in Mt. Sterling.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
AUGUST 28, 1969 – The 1969 Crawford County Youth Fair was held in Gays Mills last week and featured animal auction, dress review, tractor pull, cattle judging, and a horse show. Mark Everson, 9, is pictured leading the way in the race for ponies 46” tall and under. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bud Everson and this was Mark’s first experience in racing competition.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
AUGUST 27, 1959 – Four new faces have been added to the faculty of the Gays Mills Area Schools announces E.S. Gorman, district superintendent. Miss Phyllis Rouse, 21, will be teaching the third grade. Miss Rouse is a 1959 graduate of Wisconsin State College, Platteville. Robert D. Martin will serve as athletic director, head basketball and baseball coach, and assistant football coach. He is a 1958 graduate of Platteville State College and served six months in the U.S. Army. Martin will also teach history and elementary physical education. Thomas L. Vance, will teach history and English. He is a native of Racine and is a 1956 graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He spent two years in the military service. Ronald D. Seybold, a 22-year-old native of Friendship, will be head football coach and will also teach general science and biology. He is a 1959 graduate of Wisconsin State College, La Crosse. Seybold will also serve as assistant coach for basketball and track and is the high school physical education instructor.
