MENU100 Years Ago
Life in Viroqua from the Vernon County Censor:
MAY 31, 1922
Viroqua has a new physician in the person of Dr. H.C . Erickson, who has located over Dahl’s Drug Store.
Sheriff Sam Gorsline and Deputy Sheriff John Gorsline went to Newton Sunday night and at two o’clock gathered in a perfectly good still and the owner thereof, who pleaded guilty...
Bernard Root is getting his radio outfit hooked up in good shape, and on Tuesday night, picked up concerts broadcast from the Detroit, Pittsburg and Madison stations.
Formal opening of Ellefson & Johnson’s fine new clothing store in the Mason’s Temple building took place Saturday, and the store was thronged all day... Cigars were on tap for the gentlemen and beautiful carnations for the ladies.
The same day Miss Latta formally opened her restaurant in a new location, giving cigars to the men, carnations to the ladies and free ice cream cones to the kiddies.
Grading on West Decker street is practically completed, and curb and gutter is finished past the court house. Bad weather is holding up the work but the crew will probably begin pouring concrete early next week. The Campbell Company is getting in its machinery for construction of the road south of town. The Southeastern is building a side track to take care of their business, and the combined paving and county road headquarters at the foot of Main street hill is about the busiest spot in these parts. A car of road oil has arrived for the city...to apply on the streets leading onto the Main street pavement, but rain put an end to the fearful dust nuisance...
“Dad” Minshall is busier these days them that proverbial hen with one chick. There are fifteen horses now being trained on the Vernon track...
MAY 24, 1922
Surely those progressive merchants, Thos. Ellefson and Bernard Johnson, are to be highly congratulated upon their fine new quarters into which they are now busily moving – the north room of the Masonic Temple building... Messrs. Ellefson and Johnson have had modern shelving built and fine show cases added to their equipment so that when they get the store arranged they will have one of the finest clothing and gents furnishing houses in Southwestern Wisconsin.
As the last of their stock was leaving the old location, hard on their heels comes Hardwareman S.J. Sauer to occupy the building which he purchased some time ago. Our genial friend, Sam, will have the opportunity of a larger stock and more advantageous display in the new place – which he has not enjoyed since the disastrous fire which laid his fine store in ashes two years ago.
Few movements have spread like radio signaling. Receiving and sending radio apparatus is being installed, largely by amateurs, without any thot [sic] of safety from a fire hazard standpoint or bearing on the validity of insurance.
The new motorcycle for the auto cops arrived a few days ago. It is a Harley-Daavidson machine, police model, with an automatically registering speedometer against which the auto scorcher has no more chance than a baseball in hades. The machine itself is geared up to 80 miles per hour, and the speedometer registered 78 per hour somewhere on the coming-in trip from LaCrosse.
DeSoto – May 22 – On Saturday evening, Deputy Sheriff O.G. Lewis deputized Milt Henry and his son Ray, and the trio went to one of the homes in the village and raided the same getting a large quantity of liquor.
MAY 17, 1922
Quick response to the fire whistle by our truck and the department laddies, Wednesday morning and the heroism of Mr. Nystrom, averted a serious fire, the possibilities of which make one shudder to imagine... Fire broke out in the engine house close to Westbrook oil tanks, presumably caused by a spark from the gasoline engine. The building was a mass of flames in a few moments. Mr. Nystrom was in the structure at the time...closed all the valves and cocks leading to the adjacent tanks of oil. He was badly burned...
Farmers in the vicinity of Mason City, with their customary energy and progressiveness, turned out enmasse and worked the road from Mason City north to Viroqua so that the Highway Commission members who inspected the two routes the day before the hearing would find it in first class shape.
During the storm, Thursday evening, Willard Getter suffered the loss of a fine heifer by lightning. The animal was a registered two-year-old which Willard was grooming for the county fair and was valued at $200.
While operating the new electric bread mixer at 3:30 Tuesday morning at the Sanitary Bakery, Kenneth McMasters had the misfortune to have the two middle fingers of his left hand caught in the machinery. In order to save the rest of his hand he pulled back with such force that the two fingers were completely town off at the middle joint... Kenneth is a very fair violin player, and the injury will end his activities along that line we fear.
Ben Brown is treading on air these days. The grand pipe organ has arrived – twelve thousand pounds of it.
MAY 10, 1922
An official notice for a hearing at Richland Center Court House next Wednesday, May 17th. The matter to be discussed is the changing of Number 11 between Viroqua and Richland Center from its present location thru Readstown to a new route through Viola. Petitions have been circulated in this city opposing the change, and have been signed by nearly everyone approached. There appears to be no question but that most Viroqua people are perfectly content to let the road remain in its present location.
Viroqua’s street sweeper has arrived and will shortly be on the job. It is a combination sprinkler and sweeper, a thoroughly tried machine of the Austin make, with a nine-foot broom.
That little old Bud ball team sure is hitting the same old winning stride as they did nast [sic] year. Their 12 to 5 victory last Sunday over the Pleasant (Chaseburg) Ridge team was their third game and their third victory.
Have you noticed the fine window display at Suttle & Tate’s store. The ivory finish background, flower baskets and pedestals bearing a fine ornamental design, are most tasty. They were purchased by Miss Suttle and Mrs. Tate on their recent trip to New York.
Beginning Friday the 12th, we run a special sale on corsets while they last. Suttle & Tate.
At the Court House the committee in charge are planting shrubbery, evergreens and other ornamental trees. Lake Bros. are re-painting the walls of the Court House. These improvements will add to the appearance of our seat of county government.
MAY 3, 1922
The ice wagon will start in a very few days. Please have your ice box ready, and more important than that please get your ice book at the bank of Viroqua. Please heed this notice and be ready. Most respectfully yours, VIROQUA CRYSTAL ICE CO.
$5.00 all wool pull over sweaters, Shaker knit, sale price $1.89. M.J. Felix.
The beautiful balmy weather of the past week has worked wonders with growing vegetation and crops. Leaves are coming out, the long-delayed seeding is pretty well over, and tobacco beds are everywhere beginning to show their white tops. The fine warm rain was a godsend to all growing things.
Ben Brown receives a wire from New York that the fine new pipe organ for the theatre has been shipped.
Help the boys of Co. A. Attend the dance given by them at the opera House next Tuesday evening.
THE COUNTY NURSE DEPT.
Cases of communicable diseases reports for the week ending April 8: Christiana, influenza 3, scarlet fever 2; Kickapoo, influenza 2; Readstown, diphtheria 1; Westby, influenza 6, scarlet fever 1.
WHEATLAND – Victory, April 14 – We now have a small packet boat called the Nevada that makes a daily trip from Lansing to LaCrosse which makes it very handy for the people to go to LaCrosse and have more time to do their shipping. They sure are doing good business as they handle nearly all the freight for DeSoto, Victory, Genoa, Brownsville and Lansing, to and from LaCrosse.
Vernon county is to have another village. Chaseburg has decided to incorporate.