‘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
NOVEMBER 18, 2010 – For the second time in four months the highway 82 bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa was closed because of a barge accident. Around 5 p.m. Saturday Nov. 6 the southbound towing vessel Ardyce Randall failed to successfully navigate its 15-barge tow through the bridge. The tow hit a protective cell or “dolphin” located on the north side of the bridge. A dolphin is made out of steel filled with sand and capped with concrete… The two Most Valuable Players for the 2010 North Crawford boys and girls cross-country teams were runners Zach McCann and Anna Schellhorn. They were presented with their MVP honors during fall sports awards night at the school recently.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 16, 2000 – Joni Peterson, North Crawford’s art teacher, received a plaque in honor of her recent Wisconsin Teacher of the Year award. She in turn presented the plaque to the North Crawford School District at a recent school board meeting where she was honored as employee of the month… Lately, Ming Zhi has become the circuit rider of alternative healing in Southwest Wisconsin going a day a week to Ferryville, another in Muscoda, then Tomah and Wisconsin Dells. He also works out of his home in Viola. He describes his work as another way of healing through acupuncture and relaxation, providing relief of chronic pain due to bad backs, arthritic joints, headaches, internal pain, and even treating colds and flu.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 22, 1990 – Ed Gorman, Gays Mills, was elected to secretary of the Sate Advisory Council to the Wisconsin Bureau-on-Aging. The council consists of 24 members who are appointed to one-year terms by the secretary of the State Department of Health and Social Service. The group’s purpose is to offer advice to the Bureau in its function of administering the Federal Older Americans Act.
FORTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 20, 1980 – The public is invited to join in a mortgage burning service at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Eastman with the district superintendent, Russell Buck, and Pastor Arthur Bray participating along with six past pastors of the church. The groundwork for the church began in August 1959, when Rev. Harry Moeller and his family moved to Eastman from Chicago. Two and one-half acres of land on Highway 27 were purchased and ground was broken in 1960. A parsonage was built three years later. Pastors that followed Rev. Moeller in work of the church were Rev. Vern Root, Ken Rheineck (a layman), Rev. Kelvin Friebel, Rev. Robert Boyce, Rev. Randy Kingsley and the present pastor, Rev. Richard Fossum who came in March, 1980.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 18, 1970 – Fast work by members of the Gays Mills volunteer fire department was credited with saving the life of Raymond Whiteaker, rural Ferryville, whose car plunged into the Kickapoo River pond in the village, trapping him inside. Whitaker’s car traveled west down Main Street at 4:10 p.m. and the driver missed the slight curve onto the bridge. The car smashed through a guardrail and landed upside down 20 feet out into the river, with only the wheels and floorboards showing above the surface. Karl Oppriecht, a volunteer fireman was first on the scene. He managed to open the front door of the car and held Whiteaker’s head above water until Robert Maves and Roger Hiller arrived to help him.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 17, 1960 – William Peterson, Crawford County chairman of the Agricultural Hall of Fame fund drive, commended Utica township for topping all townships in contributions. Serving on the Utica township committee were M. C. Swiggum and Ed Halverson, Soldiers Grove; and Elling Sherry, Ferryville… Star Valley news: We celebrated our fourth kittenball victory last Friday when Haney Valley came to visit us. We had a fine game and enjoyed their visit. Thanks to Roger Halverson and Ray Garvey for umpiring.