‘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 25, 2010 – Another high quality value-added product will feature apples from Gays Mills. New Glarus Brewing Company’s Apple Ale is being made with Kickapoo Orchard apple cider… Crawford County Conservation Speech Contest winners: 1st place, Allison Anderson on “White Nose Syndrome found in bats”; 2nd place, Jordan Finnell on “Recycle, Reduce, & Reuse”; 3rd place Brayden Friar on “Wind Energy”. All three students are from the North Crawford School District.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 23, 2000 – Kenneth Byl of Soldiers Grove has been appointed to the NHSRA Wrangler High School All Star Rodeo Team. He earned a position on the team based on leadership qualities, academic eligibility and athletic achievements. A junior at North Crawford High School, Kenneth also participates in football and wrestling. He is the son of Ken and Tracy Byl… The Seneca School District will award a high school diploma to any veteran meeting certain criteria including having attended Seneca High School, leaving before receiving a high school diploma to join the Armed Forces during a war period, and having served on active duty under honorable conditions in the U. S Armed Forces.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 29, 1990 – Maggie Sund of Golden Acre Apartments knitted 60 pairs of mittens and three hats for children at Soldiers Grove Elementary who come to school without mittens… Albert Zegiel has purchased the Main Street, Gays Mills building that housed the former Main Street Coffee Shop. Along with long time friend and business partner Gerald Roe, they will operate their new business, Farm Pride Bakery and Café. Zegiel and his wife, Brenda, moved to the area with their four children from St. Charles, IL where they operated a wholesale bakery… Gays Mills maintenance men Francis “Dutch” Heisz and Richard Skolos spent the better part of Saturday searching for and fixing a broken water line. The water originally began seeping through the cracks in the street by the Village Green House but no break could be found there. Later it began seeping through cracks on the other side of Main Street and a break was found there and repaired.
FORTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 27, 1980 – Ruins of the old Peoples State Bank building on Main Street in Soldiers Grove were cleared away several weeks ago, except for the massive vault, which defied demolition. It remained its stubborn self last week even after Reynolds of Boscobel brought his wrecking ball in to work on it. After several days of hammering at the vault, much of it still remained by the end of the week… Matt Walsh, age 14, Soldiers Grove, was the envy of many local hunters after he brought in this 15-point buck, which he downed on the farm of his grandmother, Mary Walsh, between Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 25, 1970 – Eli Crogan is preparing for is first season as head basketball coach at Whitewater State University. He has coached in Soldiers Grove, Fennimore and Watertown during his 13-year career. Crogan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Crogan, rural Gays Mills and is married to the former Karen Sime. Both are graduates of Gays Mills high school… Ray Kyro, area game manager, DNR, La Crosse, asks successful deer hunters to donate the lower jaws of their deer for research. These jaws are used to train DNR personnel in aging deer by examining the teeth in the lower jaw for development and wear.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
NOVEMBER 24, 1960 – The Wisconsin Power and Light Company has applied to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for permission to abandon and remove the dam across the Kickapoo River in Gays Mills. If granted the authorization to dynamite the dam, the company officials have indicated that they will probably dispose of land and the red tile building that hugs the riverbank along Highway 171. William Brewer, local WP&L manager, told the Independent that the dam, land and two buildings “are being offered to any responsible organization for something under $200” He said that officials of his company have discussed the possible sale of the property in the past with village officers and that some civic organizations, particularly the Lions Club, have considered its purchase. If there are no buyers and the PSC grants the power company the right to blow out the dam, one of the county’s old and cherished landmarks will be no more. The Public Service Commission’s hearing at the Community Building on December 6 will set into motion the process of its disposal. You and every other villager should be there.