100 Years Ago

Life in Viroqua from the Vernon County Censor:

OCT. 20, 1926

A new epic in motion pictures was inaugurated in Viroqua last week when our people were privileged to witness the great film, “The Black Pirate”... The film was in natural color from start to finish, taken with the new Technicolor process. It was beautiful, and seemed more restful to the eyes than the ordinary black and white.

Highway officials throughout the state are busy marking the highways which have been designated as “Arterial” or “Through” highways. Stop signs are being placed at every intersection. It is the beginning of a movement designed to bring more protection to traffic and eliminate more accidents than possibly any one single factor in the driving game.

Lars Haugen, the noted ski rider, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was a visitor in Westby last Sunday, his mission here being to inspect the Snowflake ski scaffold and hill. Following the tournament here last winter some of the best riders registered complaints against the condition of our hill and scaffold, claiming that their general construction was not conducive to satisfactory riding results... Adolph Holte has repaired the scaffolding and fixed the hill... Hence the coming of Lars Haugen. He stated that the hill is now in first class condition, and that it is one of the nicest and best hills in the country... By adding forty feet to the present scaffold it would be possible to make jumps of 200 feet. – Westby Times.

Wouldn’t another blanker these cool nights feel quite comfortable? See our nice, bright new stock of bed blankets. All sizes and prices. Surenson & Thompson. The Farmers Store.

Readstown, October 18 – The concrete sidewalks in this village are being repaired and new sections put in wherever the walks were in bad shape.

OCT. 13, 1926

The Nottingham School District will dedicate their new school building on Wednesday evening October 20, 1926. They will hold a Novelty Social, we mean that each lady bring some comical, inexpensive article, wrapped ready for auction and lunch for two. Good speaking and singing will be provided. Coffee and lunch will be served.

Readstown, October 11 – Work on improvements on the Methodist Church commenced last Monday. The church is to be raised, a new wall built and the basement will later be fitted up for a kitchen and furnace room... David Smith was obliged to close his school last week while he was at home with the mumps.

Bath salts at 50¢. O.E. Davis’ Drug Store.

The 1926 fair was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and the officers of the Viola Fair Association have admitted that it is next to impossible to conduct a fair and make it a paying proposition, especially when the weather is bad... The attendance was the smallest it has been for years... The receipts fell far short of paying the obligations of the fair... So the officers have to call a special meeting of the stockholders to see if they are willing to offer the grounds to the village of Viola for a park. – Viola News.

Orlo Staley and his airplane took a nose dive Saturday afternoon after a flight over the village. The accident happened at the Warnick farm three miles east of Hillsboro which Orlo has been using as a landing field. Something went wrong with one of the wings...and in landing it struck a fence and turned over landing on its nose. Orlo was only slightly injured...but the plane was put out of commission until new parts can be secured. Hillsboro Sentry.

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