MENU100 Years Ago
Life in Viroqua from the Vernon County Censor:
MARCH 25, 1925
Now is the time to bring your drags and plows to Helegarrd’s blacksmith shop in Rising Sun to be put in first class condition.
Plow shares sharpened 50¢; New plow shares put on $5.00; horses shod, new shoes 75¢; resetting shoes 40¢; and remember I do all kinds of repairing and guarantee my work to give satisfaction.
Most delightful spring weather now prevails. The signs are unmistakable. Live grasshoppers have been found...spring birds are with us. And the roads are getting good. With the exception of an occasional mud hole they are fine traveling – and two or three days more of good weather will put them in nice shape. The snow is all gone except in a few sheltered northern nooks and the temperature is up around fifty degrees – better than most of our days last summer at that.
DeSoto, March 22 – A number of prospective buyers were here to look over the DeSoto creamery. The stock holders are very anxious to sell the creamery and see it start up again... The masquerade dance given for the Tourist park in DeSoto last Tuesday evening was a huge success socially and financially... The dance and supper netted $85.40; Despite the bad roads a number of Retreat and West Prairie people drove in with teams... The ice has gone out of the old Mississippi but the sloughs are quite frozen yet.
The Reed and Larson buildings recently damaged by fire are being torn down. Reed & Son will erect a modern building to replace the one destroyed. Mrs. Larson has no definite plans as yet.
MARCH 18, 1925
The Censor editor acknowledges with thanks the gift of a half-dozen specimens of hen fruit, presented by Ole Fortun. One of the eggs weighed a quarter of a pound, and measured eight inches in circumference around the long way.
March is the month of surprises and is running true to form this year. Just to live up to reputation it favored us with a real blizzard Friday night – more snow falling in the one storm than we have experienced all winter. But old sol is too high to let the beautiful long remain and most of the snow has disappeared, serving to make the roads mighty hard traveling.
The Junior Ski Tournament was held Sunday at the Junior Ski scaffold in the Syverson grove... Lorraine Hagen, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Magnus Hagen, was the only girl rider this year as well as last year.
Frank. H. Williams returned last week from a visit at the home of his daughter Esther. He went at once to the sugar camp at Ross, where Mrs. Williams and son Howard, were already at work and the three of them will be engaged in saving the season’s supply of maple sap and manufacturing it into syrup and sugar.
The fire department was called out at 5 o’clock Thursday morning to subdue a second blaze in the Reed building, some spark escaping the fire fighters the previous day.
The Censor editor acknowledges with thanks, a copy of a large edition of the Washington Times, describing in detail the inauguration of Coolidge and Dawes, sent by Mrs. Helen Thompson.
MARCH 11, 1925
The Censor editor dropped in at the old Opera House a few evenings ago and took note of the improvements which C.G. Culver has made in the place. You wouldn’t recognize the old dance place. A wealth of decorative material lattice work lanterns, lights, screens etc., make it most beautiful. The balcony has been transformed into a modern cloak room of large capacity, the orchestra stand superbly decorated, ahd [sic] all in all, it’s worth your time to give it an inspection.
One of the oldest structures in the city of Viroqua fell prey to the flames today when a stove in the Viroqua Tire Station exploded completely ruining this building and practically doing the same to the Larson building just to the south of it.
The occupants of the tire shop were in the car washing shed at the rear when they heard the explosion... Three streams of water were played on the two buildings steadily for more than two hours... The building owned by Reed & Son is a complete wreak, well covered by insurance... Geo. Chinn had rooms above the tire shop, and was sleeping there at the time of the fire... He succeeded in saving some of his effects...
Mrs. Larson’s building...however, between smoke flame, water and the necessary damage done in fighting fire, it is practically a total loss. It was unoccupied except by some of her furniture.
The building was erected by John Dawson, seventy-five years ago, and used by him as a grocery store for several years. It probably is the oldest structure in Viroqua.
Our full spring line of Gordon-Ferguson hats and caps for men is here. Make your selection early. The Farmers Store. Surenson & Thompson.
MARCH 4, 1925
March surely came in like a lion – the temperature running from zero to sixteen below on Sunday. A strong gale blew from the northwest all day. Wisconsin was the coldest state in the nation that day and it was the coldest March 1st in many years. It is now lamblike and here’s hoping it continues so.
Toothbrushes from 15¢ up to 50¢ at O.E. Davis’ Drug Store.
Dedication exercises were held at the Staley school near Hillsboro, last Friday, February 20. The Staley district has just completed one of the finest rural school buildings in Vernon county. It is a brick structure, properly lighted and ventilated, with all the best equipment.
Emil Faber of Genoa is one of the prominent Vernon county exhibitors in the National Seed Corn Show to be held in Chicago March 2 to 7. Mr. Faber is out after the Kittle trophy of $1,000, offered for the best ear of seed corn in America.
Westby City News... On Tuesday afternoon scaffolding broke at the new high school building and four men fell down all unhurt but one, a young man of Menomonie who received a bad gash on the head and hurt in the back. He was carried unconscious to the home of John Johnson, where he is being attended by Dr. Bernhard.
Redmound, March 2 – Weather prophets are foretelling a dry season and here’s hoping they are not referring to the weather alone... Several in this vicinity delivered tobacco in Viroqua last Friday.
Considering the terribly rough roads and the decidedly windy and disagreeable day, Farmers’ Day was all that could be expected. Quite a large crowd of farmers braved the unpleasant day and roads to trade at the stores and enjoy the fine program presented at the Temple Theatre.