‘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
MAY 27, 2010 – The North Crawford class of 2013 held a car wash at the Gays Mills Amoco last Saturday, but when Jim Dworschack took Rosa Thill and Sheri Schwert out for a ride in the rumble seat of his 1929 Nash to advertise the event, the luck ran out. As the trio headed down Main Street, the car ran out of gas in front of the Independent-Scout office… The Seneca School Class of 2010 Valedictorian is Jessica Alanis and the Salutatorian is Jarrett Brandes… The North Crawford Class of 2010 valedictorian is Kay Brudos and the Salutatorian is Eli Mandel… Many students participated in the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest that is held each year. This year’s winners were Cameron Steyer, Kylie Heisz and Macenzie Hanson.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 2000 – The Mississippi Valley Conservancy has acquired an additional 36 acres adjoining their 77-acre Sugar Creek Bluff property near Ferryville. MVC will receive a $50,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources new River Protection Grant Program, the largest of 19 statewide grants awarded, to aid in the purchase… Jane Pfitsch is the Valedictorian and Greg Pettit is the Salutatorian of the North Crawford High School class of 2000… Shayne Chapman and Paul Olson of Soldiers Grove worked together on the 1976 Chevy Malibu, which Shayne now drives in hobby-class stock car races. His first race was May 20 on a dirt track in Lancaster… The North Crawford girls track team earned 187 points to take first place in the Ridge and Valley Conference Meet for the 11thyear in a row… The Seneca High School class of 2000 Valedictorian is Mollie Fisher and the Salutatorian is Travis Stuckey.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
MAY 31, 1990 – Prairie du Chien Police Chief Gary Knickerbocker said violence in a popular movie directly led to the kicking and beating of two Prairie du Chien boys Friday night, May 18. The boys, ages 9 and 13, went to the Metro Theatre that night to see ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.’ When the boys left the show, they were attacked by two 12-year-old boys who had also just seen the movie. The boys were kicked and hit near the theater and were attacked again farther down the street. Knickerbocker told the newspaper, “It was obvious when the kids talked to the investigating officer that it was the violence in the movie that led to this.” The 12-year-olds were referred to their parents and the Department of Human Services.
FORTY YEARS AGO
MAY 22, 1980 – Old time costumes were part of the colorful ceremony dedicating the Cornelius Tourist Information Center at Prairie du Chien. The Center, situated at the gateway to Iowa at the foot of the Marquette-Joliet Memorial Bridge, provides direction and comfort to tourists.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 1970 – Two automobiles plowed into three head of cattle on a town road near Bell Center killing one of the animals and injuring two others so badly that they had to be killed. The cars were badly damaged. Tom Young, Soldiers Grove, came upon the yearling Herefords in the road and was unable to avoid hitting one of them. Rich McDaniel of Soldiers Grove, following Young, hit the other two. The two Herefords that weren’t killed outright received broken backs and were butchered. The stock belonged to Frank Heisz of Eastman, who has been keeping them at a pasture owned by Leita Slayton of Gays Mills.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
MAY 26, 1960 – Miss Ruth Gorman, Principal of the Gays Mills Elementary School, and five other visiting instructors will conduct a phonics workshop at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill. Educators go to Monmouth each summer from all over the United States for the workshop. Miss Gorman has presented this system of phonetic study to local first graders for the past 11 years, adding it to the local curriculum one year after its publication.
