‘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
MARCH 25, 2010 – Pharmacist Don Stoebner is retiring after 28 years of service at Solar Town Pharmacy. Don arrived from North Dakota in 1982 to take over the building that had originally housed Denis Daniels Glassworks Studio in the newly constructed commercial district. The pharmacist would eventually build a strong business in Soldiers Grove. However, business came slowly as customers from the area had been going out of town to get their prescriptions for 35 years. Eventually though the pharmacy became a vital part of the community. Stoebner sold the business to Vernon Memorial Healthcare almost five years ago and has continued to work as a pharmacist employed by VMH since the transfer of ownership.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 23, 2000 – A Soldiers Grove fire truck was completely destroyed March 19 in an accident. Driver Chris Peterson was operating a 1969 Ford fire truck owned by the Village of Soldiers Grove. As he drove down a steep hill road, the truck developed a mechanical failure and went over the embankment rolling completely over once before coming to a stop against some trees. Peterson was able to free himself from the wrecked truck and was examined and released from Vernon Memorial Hospital… Music for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Sannes Skogdalen was provided by the County Vernon Ceili Band with members Abram Doval, Peter Doval and Tim Jenkins… The Valedictorian of Seneca Highs School’s graduating class of 2000 is Mollie Fisher and the salutatorian is Travis Stuckey.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 29, 1990 – Peppermint Springs Furniture of Gays Mills is inviting everyone to attend an open house at their new factory located in Mound Industrial Park in Viola… Good Citizen awards were given at a Fort Crawford DAR luncheon at Patch Grove. Awarded were Katherine Johnson of North Crawford High School, Julie Kilburg of Wauzeka High School, Christine Zinck of Boscobel High School and Kathryn Sutton of Seneca High School.
FORTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 27, 1980 – In honor of Youth Art Month, Arden Unseth’s sixth grade class at North Crawford observed the occasion by preparing a 12x6 foot Picasso replica that is displayed on the wall of the junior high gym in Soldiers Grove. Art teacher Carol Ziehlsdorf conceived the idea and presented portions of a small Picasso reproduction to class members for them to enlarge and copy… Jeff Swiggum, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Swiggum of Gays Mills, found a balloon in his yard that had been released the day before in Houston, Minnesota. James Meyer and 300 other Houston students participated in a Weekly Reader project and released helium-filled balloons with their names inside and request for a reply by the finder.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 25, 1970 – More than 100 men from throughout Crawford County attended the fish and game hearing at Prairie du Chien Monday night. Among other decisions made, the group went on record in favor of ‘bucks only’ season in this area next fall. Several well-filled petitions, which were presented to conservation warden Bill Heibing, indicated strong feelings on the subject around the county. Arguments for the restricted season were based largely on the extreme hunting pressure from outsiders taking advantage of the county’s liberal ‘any deer’ season… Eastman’s Cloverleaf 4-H Club presented a one-act play, ‘A View of the Sea,’ at the Crawford County 4-H drama program at Prairie du Chien. The Cloverleaf’s production was selected to go to Richland Center for the district festival. The play directors were Mrs. Carl Achenbach and Mrs. Bernard Boylen. The cast included Gail Kramer, Duane Borgen, Gary Boylen, Sue Shinko, Steve Achenbach, Sandy Lenzendorf, Nina Trautsch, Dale Achenbach and Mary McCarthy.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 24, 1960 – The Kickapoo Valley Conference coaches selected their all-conference cage teams with champion Soldiers Grove and La Farge each getting two players on the first five. The selections: First Team: Shelley Schoville, Soldiers Grove; Roy Rosemeyer, Soldiers Grove; Don Rabota, La Farge; Dean Hamilton, La Farge; and Dick Finley, Seneca. Second Team: Dave Olson, De Soto; Jerry Wenzel, La Farge; Dick Trappe, West Lima; Ron Shinko, Seneca; George Fetty, Soldiers Grove.
