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January 9: Years Ago…
Years Ago

‘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

JANUARY 7, 2010 – The Village of Gays Mills is home to four churches and two of them have been blessed with new pastors. Reverend Adam Becker, 31, is serving The First Congregational Church, the village’s oldest church. Becker completed his religious training at a Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Prior to that he had been a rural mail carrier in Mt. Horeb and Fennimore. He is a devoted husband and a father to three sons and a daughter. Pastor Kent Johnson, 48, is the new pastor at the Lutheran Churches in Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove. He has served for about 19 years, 16 as a pastor and three years as a missionary. He spent time doing volunteer work with the Jewish and Muslim faith, taking many trips to Palestine trying to get a better understanding of the violence and conflict that was happening there. 

TWENTY YEARS AGO

JANUARY 6, 2000 – Cindy Redman is the cook and one of the owners of the Red Zone Sports Bar and Restaurant in Seneca. Formerly the Shamrock Inn, the Red Zone was purchased recently by members of the Redman family from Dick and Sue Boland… Patrick Barnes of CoolWave Media, works out of his home in the hills above Marietta Valley doing website design. Barnes moved from Seattle after visiting friends in the area last May.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

JANUARY 11, 1990 – Joe Brandt has added 24 feet of greenhouse space onto the Village Greenhouse in Gays Mills, nearly doubling his space for growing flowers and vegetables. He’ll start the slowest growing plants February 1 and by spring will have about 18,000 plants growing in his newly-expanded space… Nicky Fortney, and Phil Creek, Ocooch Trail Riders Club President, are pictured with the new groomer for maintaining snowmobile trails in Vernon and surrounding counties. The club recently purchased the new 1988 Track Truck Class B Trail Groomer. It features a four-cylinder gas engine, hydrostatic drive and a mounted drag. The club is involved in several activities this winter including the annual wiener roast at Gerald McDaniel’s place and a jalopy ride for older model snowmobiles… 

FORTY YEARS AGO

JANUARY 10, 1980 – Mr. and Mrs. Wilford Holliday of Gays Mills announced the arrival of a daughter, Misty Ann. Misty was the first baby born at the Prairie Memorial Hospital in 1980… Enjoying the ice-skating rink at Stephen Brown Memorial Park in Gays Mills are the Dobson brothers, Terry, Mike and Dave. 

FIFTY YEARS AGO

JANUARY 7, 1970 – The two foreign exchange students at North Crawford are Edwardo Resstom from Brazil who is staying with the Forest Turners, and Phillip Cabrera from Peru who is staying with the Wendell Showen family… The rural Health Mobile Unit will be stationed in Soldiers Grove, Gays Mills, Rolling Ground and Mt. Zion at different dates in January. The mobile unit will be staffed by a registered nurse and other members of the rural health team. Immunizations will be available to all. This service is being offered by the Coulee Region Community Action Program.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

JANUARY 7, 1960 – Collection of 1959 taxes for the Village of Gays Mills will get underway this week announces Mrs. Grace Teach, treasurer. Total village assessment is $46,577.49. The 1959 village tax rate of $43 per $1,000 of assessed valuation is an increase over last year despite lowering of school and county tax rates.