MENU100 Years Ago
Life in Viroqua from the Vernon County Censor:
OCT. 26, 1921
The Masonic temple walls are almost up to the roof, and the false work to support the big concrete ceiling slab is now being constructed and will be in place in a week after which the concrete will be poured. With this accomplished, it will be possible to enclose the temple so that the work may proceed without interruption from adverse weather conditions.
One of the difficult jobs in connection with the theatre building will be the placing of the twelve-ton steel I-beam over the front of the stage. It will sure take some block and tackle.
Here’s where you get something for nothing: A piece of fine chinaware free with every purchase of two pounds of Good Luck coffee at Johnson & Vigdahl’s grocery store.
The last bucket of concrete was poured Tuesday night, and the mile of smooth concrete pavement which now adorns Viroqua’s Main street is completed... The pavement crew is now busy putting in the block in front of the city hall.
FREEMAN – Heald Hollow, Oct. 15- Many of the farmers are selling their cattle in this neighborhood. Several of the farmers were busy working on the roads last week.
Circuit Court convened Monday morning with a heavy calendar on the docket and Judge Higbee and his court crew in their usual vigorous manner, have disposed of most of it so that adjournment will come late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Two jury cases remain to be decided.
The tobacco situation was somewhat enlivened this week by the appearance of an Edgerton buyer who picked us several crops at 19¢ and 20¢. It is not known whether a general buying movement will result or what turn prices will take.
OCT. 19, 1921
Martin Fortney has sold his store and dwelling house at Liberty Pole to Ole Forde and Olaus Gunderson of West Prairie, Wis. Mr. Forde is an energetic farmer while Mr. Gunderson has had business experience in the west. They should make things hum at the Pole.
Your fattening hogs will do much better if you feed Hess hog warm powder. O.E. Davis.
Our friend, W. C. Miller of Springville recently shipped a pair of calves to his children in Archer, Iowa. He placed a valuation of $25.00 upon them – and the transportation charges on them amounted to $29.30. This is just about the most concrete example of highway robbery that has ever come to our attention.
Our linotype operator, Mrs. Louis Sime, is confined to her home with a severe cold, so the work is going somewhat lame and crippled. This is the fifth consecutive Wednesday that either illness or machine breakage has interfered with us.
The new driveway at the court house park is completed and will soon be opened for use, making a substantial improvement there that is very noticeable.
A crowd of at least 3000 fans gathered at Soldiers grove last Sunday to witness the deciding game of the season between Viola and Richland Center. Big Bean once more proved his supremacy as a pitcher, leading the Viola team to victory and ownership of the coveted pennant by a 2 to 0 score.
Fred Myers of Hillsboro was burned to the extent that death followed on Saturday. In building a fire in the morning he poured kerosene on live coles. The flames entering the container and it exploded, burning his body so severely that death soon followed.
OCT. 12, 1921
The Masonic temple is a strange and weird sight just now. A veritable forest of 4x4 timbers are bolstering up the framework of the second floor and the tile and reinforcing rods are in place ready to receive the concrete. When this is done the theatre building will next be enclosed, the temple walls run up to the roof and a temporary roof put on so that work may continue uninterrupted by cold weather.
Go to Johnson & Vigdahl’s grocery store and get two pounds of Good Luck coffee. The quality is high, the price reasonable, and in addition you get a beautiful piece of chinaware free.
VIOLA NEWSLETTER – Tom Hebberd and his crew of men and teams began the work of tearing up the road preparatory to putting in the cement street Monday.
Two state and one federal prohibition officials descended on Viroqua last week and sure did make a clean-up. At the Sutherland restaurant at Readstown they found and confiscated a fine still in operation and a large quantity of liquor, part of which they destroyed and brought the rest to the county seat as evidence. Liquor was also found at the Ross Bankus place. A still in operation was found at the Mike Hanson place and a still at Sever Tully place not in operation. We understand that other arrests are expected, and the raids of the officers will no doubt have a very salutatory effect on the illicit liquor trade in this locality.
Mrs. Oscar Shepherd and her husband were driving along the road at Kickapoo when they noticed the train coming... so he speeded up his car in order to beat the train over the crossing. It is a rough crossing and the jolt threw Mrs. Shepherd into the top of the car... her lip was cut quite badly.
OCT. 5, 1921
When the sun set last Friday night, there passed into history the most enjoyable and successful fair of all the sixty-five held by the Vernon County Agricultural Society. Seldom if ever has the weather man so smiled upon a Vernon fair... the record breaking crowd attending on Thursday – about 16,000 people. That the fair will show a handsome profit is expected... it will now be possible to carry out improvements that have been needed for years.
The Censor is issued under difficulties this week. A pinion on our Linotype went to pieces, the big newspaper press stripped some threads, and to clap the climax our linotype operator was taken sick today. Printers have their troubles same as other folks.
Return Watch – Avoid Trouble
The party who got my watch at Genoa on September 17 is known and is requested to return same to the Censor office at once. LEWIS B. EVERSON, Soldiers Grove.
The new tarivia road north of Viroqua is now open to public use to the Round prairie school house corner... It is a stretch of wide smooth road and a decided credit to the engineering skill of the present engineer, B.F. Ferguson. Since the state saw fit to give us a real engineer in place of the make believe they first saddled upon us, the work on the big road job has gone along in first class shape.
A quarry has been opened on the road at the top of Liberty Pole hill, and work on the road from the end of Main street concrete south to where No. 11 and 27 fork will soon commence.