‘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 3, 2011 – Several Soldiers Grove area residents recently enjoyed a get together at the Elling and Joan Davig winter home in Florence, Arizona. The group is pictured and included Joan Davig, Jeanette Montgomery, Patty Schoville, Joan Everson, Phyllis Benson, Bud Everson, Doug Montgomery, Roger Turnmire, Richard Schoville, Elling Davig, Jim Benson and Lorraine Davig… About 375 high school students from nine schools will participate in “Reality Daze” at Western Technical College, Viroqua Campus. The Reality Daze event is an interactive financial program designed to introduce students to money management skills. Students have studied and chosen a career in advance. When they arrive at the event they will be given a life scenario to set the stage for their participation.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 1, 2001 – Fourteen dead cattle were found on a farm three miles north of Prairie du Chien. Crawford County Sheriff’s Department officers executed a search warrant at the Arnold Check farm on Highway 27 and were accompanied by a veterinarian as they searched the barn and outbuildings. The dead cattle included calves, yearlings and milk cows, which had “not been properly disposed of” according to the department… The Mississippi Valley Conservancy has signed a conservation easement on the 280-acre Joan and Fred Schmidt family farm in the Rush Creek Valley of Crawford County. The bluffland farm and trout stream frontage, located just east of Ferryville, will now be protected under the easement, which permanently restricts future development on all but a small portion of the farm.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 7, 1991 – An interested group of about 30 adults met to begin plans for the use of the Mt. Sterling School after the school closed in May. After a potluck supper Arvalene Vedvik opened the evening discussion. Former students, James Grant, an attorney from Waupun, and Harry Sherwood, a retired business executive from Neenah were introduced. James Grant’s first item of business was to the Mt. Sterling Village Board and their need to form a Planning Commission Committee, which would then make the plans for the purchasing of the school. When the transaction is completed the school could then be turned over to the newly formed corporation as a county history center.
FORTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 5, 1981 – Jeff Skarda and Derrick George represented North Crawford Schools at the WIAA state wrestling tournament in Madison… A woodshed was destroyed by fire and the nearby house was damaged Sunday at the John Sander farm on North Buck Creek Road, rural Ferryville. The Seneca Fire Department assisted the Gays Mills Fire Department on the Sander fire, and just hours later the Gays Mills Fire Department was assisted by the Soldiers Grove Fire Department in extinguishing a chimney fire at the Florence Lester home on the west side of Gays Mills.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 4, 1971 – Wind gusting up to 60 miles an hour Friday night blew a camper mounted on a Jeep off the road on Highway 61 at Mt. Zion. Glenn D. Slack, 35, Rt. 1, Blue River, the driver, was unhurt and his rig received around $300 damage. Slack said a gust of wind hit his camper and turned it around, causing the vehicle to roll over on a snowbank… Kickapoo Area Boy Scouts took part in a Klondike derby at the Gays Mills fairgrounds Sunday afternoon. The Scouts from different troops were required to build their own dog sled for the derby. At the opening of the derby each sled-pulled by Boy Scouts raced around the marked trail. Then they continued around the trail again, this time performing various duties at each of the stations including administering first-aid, building a fire and boiling some water, rescuing a Scout from an ice-pack, and also doing some compass reading. SIXTY YEARS AGO
MARCH 1, 1961 – John Lester, 84, Gays Mills, has been a member of a mutual insurance company almost since it was organized by, of and for Crawford County farmers about the turn of the century. Initially the company was known as Utica Farmers Mutual Co. and later was called the Crawford County Farmer’s Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Lester is retiring this year, after 60 years of service. Hubert Freeman, a Utica Township farmer will take over the position.
