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100 Years Ago

Life in Viroqua from the Vernon County Censor:


Viroqua



MARCH 29, 1922

Clerk Willard Harris of Liberty town was in Monday to arrange for printing of the town ticket. Friend Willard has been clerk for Liberty for 19 years, and friends have prevailed upon him to stand for reelection again. He is opposed by Lewis Hamilton whom Willard says is a real prince of a fellow. That’s a fine spirit to show.

Are you going to dye? If so O.E. Davis has Putnam Dyela and Diamond.

Norris Olson and Andrew Thompson have been out fixing telephone lines this week, which are in bad condition.

Bud, March 21 – Nature has covered the earth with a blanket of snow for a few days, and many farmers are making use of it hauling logs to the saw mill on Nels Tryggestad’s premises, where they expect to saw lumber.

I.E. Casperson received another car load of Ford automobiles this week. He reports the sale of eleven cars during the past two weeks in spite of the condition of roads and weather.

LAFARGE ENTERPRIZES – After eight weeks under quarantine the Luther Green family were released Tuesday morning... It would be hard to enumerate the number of people on the sick list in the village, nearly every home having one or more patients... School closed Friday noon for an indefinite period. Six teachers and many of the pupils have taken the epidemic.

For One Week Only

15 pounds Granulated Sugar $1.00; White Navy Beans, Hand Picked, 3 pounds .25¢; 30¢ Oh Hannah Cookies, per pound, 23¢; Galvanic Soap, per Bar .05¢; No. 2 – 15¢ can Pork and Beans (Beauty Brand) .10¢; 4 pounds 28¢ Peaberry Coffee at .95¢; 6 bars Luna White laundry Soap .25¢; Bob White Toilet Paper .05¢. Johnson Brothers.


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MARCH 22, 1922

Fred Longworth is redecorating the hotel dining room.

The fire truck was called out to quench an incipient blaze around the chimney of John I. Johnson home in the north-east part of the city. The boys sure handled the fire in great shape using only the chemical. The roof and upper story was somewhat damaged.

The Sag City bunch of tobacco growers were in last Friday delivering their crop of the weed.

Ladies new style Pongee blouses, made of heavy weight pongee, all sizes at $3.50 each at Roger’s.

Jury Commissioners met last Friday and drew the list of jurors who will sit in judgement during the coming term of Circuit Court. For the first time in history, the feminine part of the race will have a place upon the jury...the lady to enjoy the distinction of being the first to be drawn is Mrs. Florence Husker of the town of Webster.

FREEMAN – Heald Hollow, March 18 – There has been no school on Irish Ridge a few days this week on account of Miss Klonk having the mumps... Our mail man, J. Johnson has been going horseback this week on account of the bad roads.

A second ice storm hit this section last Friday but it was far less severe than the first one and but little damage was done. The Wisconsin Telephone Company lost several poles south of the city, but the local company was not affected. Apparently the weather man considered that we got enough the first storm.

The past week of weather has been ideal for coaxing up the annual crop of condensed sweetness, and the Williams maple sugar camp and other are running full blast.


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MARCH 15, 1922

Ben Brown is in the seventh heaven of the musician’s glory. In Chicago last week he selected a Hope Jones Wurlitzer pipe organ for the new Temple theatre which will cost no less than $10,000... It is a larger organ in every way than the theatre requires and an additional air chamber must be built in order to give the proper acoustic effect... The tone is surpassingly sweet or powerful, at the will of the player.

The seats are made by the Haywood Wakefield Company – the latest pattern, in mahogany finish, upholstered in dark blue leather – the latest word in comfort and appearance.

With those chairs, that wonderful organ, and Ben at the keyboard, movie fans are assured of the nth degree of enjoyment.

New arrivals in French ginghams including large and small checks, all colors 65¢ and75¢ per yard.

Both the plain and ornamental plastering of the Masonic temple is completed and the workmen are now busy laying the maple floors in the store rooms. The floors in the other rooms of the big building will be of battleship linoleum and the arcade and the theatre aisles will be covered with lino-tile.

The electric light company is getting its service almost back to normal. The last of the residences were connected up Tuesday, and this evening the street lights were turned on.

The telephone company has a much harder proposition...straightening out of the tangled mess. It will be months before normal telephone conditions are restored throughout the country

The robins and blue birds and the grand spring weather which we are now enjoying...


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MARCH 8, 1922

The big Corliss engine at the light plant turned its wheels again Tuesday morning at four o’clock, after an enforced idleness of two weeks due to breakage of a vital part shortly after being put back to work following the big storm.

Merchant M.J. Felix has rented the Williams block now occupied by H.E. Rogers’ store, and will move his stock there as soon as Mr. Rogers moves into the Masonic building... Due to the room being smaller then his present quarters, Mr. Felix will discontinue his shoe, men’s clothing and men’s furnishing departments.

The ice storm did much damage to the telephone system in and around LaFarge. The service men are making strenuous efforts to put the system again in good working order.

There are many cases of scarlet fever in the county at the present time...length of quarantine, twenty-eight days, or longer if necessary.

Miss Elsie C. Witcher, a trained nurse from the American Red Cross, begins work in Westby, this week instructing classes in “Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick”. These classes have a large enrollment and will continue for eight weeks.

We are closing out our Motor High Speed hand-powered washers at $15. Clarence Webb Hardware.

FRANKLIN – Liberty Pole, March 6. Melvin Fortney and Ole Traastad brought home the purebred Holstein heifers which they purchased at the Vig sale... Our silver icicles melted off our trees and left them in bad shape, but we are glad it is not worse.

JEFFERSON – Bud, February 28 – A hard time party was held at the hall Saturday evening.


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MARCH 1, 1922

Boy Runs Into Auto

What might easily have been a fatal accident occurred this morning near the filling station when Ike Morris’ little boy dropped off a bob sled, turned and ran into a car driven by Conrad Allness. Mr. Allness was driving very slowly and stopped immediately, the boy knocking out a couple of teeth as he came in contact with the car. The practice of boys riding on bobs is very dangerous because of the prevalence of cars.

The ice storm just naturally took the Censor editor’s trees into camp, and the first man who calls can have the wood for clearing them away.

Eat your Sunday chicken dinner at the Grill.

Work is going along smoothly on the temple. Plastering is all completed, and the concrete floors are being laid. The ornamental plasterers have commenced their work and it certainly is showing up splendidly.

The first of March has been somewhat of a lion of a day – fairly cold, a bit of sunshine now and them, a slobber of snow and the wind shifting from northwest to northeast and back again. On the whole, the winter has been a severe one, and no one will complain if the month of March lives up to the old saying of going out like a lamb.

The tipping of a load of hay on the East Decker street hill last Friday made as pretty a runaway as one would want to see. The load was left there, and the team straddled the white way post at the Brown Music Co. Corner and left the bob sled there.


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February, 1922