‘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
FEBRUARY 24, 2011 – North Crawford Students assembled near the intersection of Highway 131 and County X on school property to protest a budget repair bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker. The students were particularly unhappy about provisions in the bill that would essentially strip public employee unions, like the local teacher union, of collective bargaining rights. The students organized the protest using Facebook on their computers Wednesday night.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 22, 2001 – The students in the classes of Ann Wallin, Mary Stuckey and Karen Wallin at Seneca Schools, along with their families, attended a Computer Night so the children could share with their parents some of the activities they learned during computer classes… Ethel Lerum has been one of the faithful organists who have served the Freeman Lutheran Church congregation, rural Ferryville, during its 123-year history. Ethel’s last official Sunday was November 6 as one of the regular organists. The congregation observed her retirement with a reception and gifts following the service.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 21, 1991 – The City of Hillsboro in Vernon County has chosen the Soldiers Grove firm of Town and Country Sanitation as its solid waste hauler. Town and Country began in November when stockholders Mike Bedessem, Richard Scholville, and Don Stoebner formed the company. Doug Enke of Prairie du Chien, a former Gays Mills man, is the driver. Town and Country Sanitation has accounts in Soldiers Gove, Readstown and Boaz, and handles recycling at Viola… A good-sized crowd attended the School Use Committee meeting Monday night in Gays Mills. Bill O’Herrin chaired the meeting and handed out copies of two letters written by architect James Glueck to WPL Holdings, the organization that has helped build apartment complexes in existing structures in other areas. It was reported that approximately 12,900 square feet of the buildings would be suitable for housing usage, or approximately 29 percent. Some comments in the public input portion were of concern of the financial burden to the village and taxpayers, and others noted that there were already plenty of empty apartments and houses in Gays Mills.
FORTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 26, 1981 – Neli Sime, 98, died last week at the Sannes Skogdalen nursing home in Soldiers Grove. Traveler, adventurer, photographer, and salesman, Neli was raised in Spring Valley, near Readstown. After high school his career took him from the Kickapoo area to many places including St. Louis in 1903 for the World’s Fair and then throughout the midwest as a magazine salesman. In Arkansas, Sime met a man who had a camera inspiring Neli to eventually purchased his own and he taught himself the art of photography and developing. The Douglas Publishing Company in Rochester, New York paid him for 3x5 postcard pictures, and in 1908 while in Junction City, Kansas he snapped a picture of William Howard Taft and Williams Jennings Bryan who were there to dedicate a monument designating the geographic center of the United States. The photo appeared all over the country with the heading, “The Friendly Enemies”, it was his first big scoop. He went on to spend time in Panama during the digging of the big ditch, Havana, Cuba and eventually back to Louisville to provide photos for headline stories such as the Kentucky Derby and numerous robberies and murders. He later specialized in portrait photography and feature photos for the newspapers. His work included photos of aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Evangelist Billy Sunday, and many presidents and dignitaries. In 1966 he came back home to the Kickapoo to rest.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 25, 1971 – Each year in Wisconsin a state mathematics test is given in March to qualifying students. The test is designed to find students with insight and logic as well as an above average background in mathematics. North Crawford high school will be sending two students this year to take the test, Tim Showen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Showen, Petersburg, and David Barlow, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Barlow, Soldiers Grove… Kristi Karney, Annette Harris and Kathy Karney are pictured wading in large puddles caused by warm, spring-like temperatures prior to Monday’s snowfall.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 22, 1961 – A site committee for the proposed Kickapoo Area high school was appointed at a recent meeting of the new Kickapoo district school board. The committee, who has been instructed by the school board to select a rural site of at least 40 acres, includes Dr. James Leary, Adrian Hoffland, Veron Gochenbauer, Jules Jacobson, Albert Sherry and Amos Schroeder. These men were chosen as representatives of the three former districts, Viola, Readstown and Soldiers Grove, which make up the new district.
