By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
July 30: 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

JULY 29, 2010 – A disabled barge is pictured resting against a protective cell that may have prevented the barge from striking the Highway 82 bridge over the Mississippi River’s main channel at Lansing, Iowa. The bridge was closed to traffic while the barge tow was disassembled and moved down river by tugboats that arrived on the scene to assist with removing it… Bob Sandy took first place aboard a vintage 1951 Case tractor in the 4,600-weight class at the Reuben Knutson Memorial Tractor Pull sponsored by the Ferryville Antique Tractor Association as part of River Bluff Daze. Sandy’s pull was 219.70 feet. 

TWENTY YEARS AGO

JULY 27, 2000 – Chelsea Dowling and Holly Hartley will represent Crawford County in the State Fair Dress Revue in August. They were among the 4-H members who participated in 4-H Dress ad Food Revue at the Seneca Town Hall in June… A new 198-foot antenna tower erected at Husher Park between Wauzeka and Steuben should provide the improved emergency communications necessary to run the new 911 system in Crawford County. Crawford remains the only county in the area without a functioning 911 system. Planning to start 911 service in Crawford County began in the 80s, but implementing the system has proved elusive.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

JULY 26, 1990 – Quick action by the Crawford County Highway Department and DNR workers prevented serious damage to a trout stream last week after a semi-load of whey overturned and spilled its load next to one of the springheads next to a stream. The accident occurred when the driver of the semi, Jack A. Martin of Boscobel, met a vehicle in his eastbound lane on Highway 171 about one mile west of Mt. Sterling. Martin swerved to miss the vehicle but the semi went onto the soft shoulder and Martin lost control… A very large crowd attended the Mt. Sterling Mid-Summer Fest, which included a walk/run event, a mini tractor pull, horseshoe tournament, arts and craft displays and more… During the recent class reunion and Mt. Sterling Mid Summer Fest, brothers James and Joel Anderson were among the many who inspected the display at the fire station of photos and newspaper clippings depicting the history of Mt. Sterling.

 FORTY YEARS AGO

JULY 31, 1980 – Jerry Hanson and Larry Shanley of the Wood Yard in Boscobel teamed up with Ed Dagenais to move the Model ‘L’ Linotype from the old Kickapoo Scout printing office, owned by Ed Herbst. The Linotype vintage 1926 came from Quad City Lino in Minneapolis back in 1960 according to Herbst. The old typesetting machine moved last week, has now taken its place among other printing artifacts in Dawald Craig’s office in Wauzeka… ‘Growing in the Sun’… that’s what the sign says. Completed last week by the summer recreation mural painting class, youngsters watched as the village crew mounted it on the outskirts of Soldiers Grove. 

FIFTY YEARS AGO

JULY 29, 1970 – What used to be a storeroom for rubbish at the rear of the Gays Mills Public Library has become a bright and attractive space where youngsters can listen to ‘Story Hour’ every Wednesday morning, thanks to ladies of the PACE Club. Bookshelves have been painted bright colors, one wall has Mother Goose paintings, and the floor has been carpeted. Mrs. Delbert Fletsch, Mrs. Richard Gainor and Mrs. Charles Peterson of PACE are pictured at work decorating the room… Electors of the North Crawford School District at their meeting adopted a resolution to appoint a 10-20 member voluntary citizens’ committee to work actively with the board in studying the immediate and long range needs of the district and to make recommendations for solving these needs. The resolution was presented by David Moore, and an amendment introduced by Gerald Schoville that at least four of the members of the committee be students, was also adopted. 

SIXTY YEARS AGO

JULY 28, 1960 – A hobby that started with pencil sketches in grade school progressed through an art correspondence course, decorating store windows and to winning top awards in district art competitions has culminated in a room-sized mural and two weekly art classes for Joyce Haggerty, formerly Joyce Jameson, and wife of local merchant, William Haggerty. The village of Gays Mills has enjoyed Mrs. Haggerty’s painting talent for 20 years including her creative displays depicting the seasons and holidays in the huge display windows of their past grocery store, and presently at their department store… The 80-year old student observatory, a small wooden building at the University of Wisconsin, recently was dismantled and moved several miles to the new site as a gift to the Madison Astronomical Society.