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Each week a small segment of Vernon County history is published in the county papers.
For the week of 2/15/2026
by Kristen Parrott, curator
Thanks to everyone who helped to make our February program about Cheyenne Valley a success! If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the recording we made, which is now available on our new youtube channel. We will be adding more videos to the channel soon, so stay tuned.
Our calendar is filling up for the next month: First, remember to come to Carol Krogan’s retirement party open house next week on Thursday, February 26, from 1 to 3PM, at the Vernon County Museum and History Center. Carol has worked here for a quarter century, so if you’ve visited the Vernon County Historical Society anytime in recent memory, you have probably met her! Come enjoy some cake and wish Carol a happy retirement.
The next public history program will be held on Tuesday, March 3, at 7PM, at the museum and history center. Local historian Brad Steinmetz will offer an insightful history of the village of La Farge. Brad is the author of several books about La Farge and the surrounding area, and he writes a weekly history column for the La Farge Episcope newspaper.
The next genealogy class will be held on Thursday, March 12, at 10AM, at the museum and history center. Teacher Karen Sherry will talk to the class about how to find genealogical information about your Wisconsin ancestors.
From Saturday, March 14, through Thursday, March 26, we will be hosting our first-ever winter exhibition, “Good Earth - Deep Roots”. This special exhibit will feature rarely-seen landscape paintings from the collection, on view for a limited time, plus a silent auction of local art. Nathan Popp, who has a doctorate in art history, is the guest curator for this exhibit.
The museum and history center will be open every day from 11AM to 4PM during the art show, March 14-26. Suggested donation of $10 to see the art show and tour the museum. More details to come soon!
For the week of 2/8/2026
by Carol Krogan, assistant curator
On July 5, 2000, I began working at the Vernon County Museum, 12 hours per week, assisting visitors and preparing exhibits. Now, over 25 years later (who knew!), it’s time to retire. I am an Onalaska native so I had a lot to learn about Vernon County, and boy did I learn! So many stories and interesting people.
I enjoyed the variety of my position and especially liked assisting genealogists with their research and helping to solve any mysteries they may have had. Being a creative person, I also enjoyed putting exhibits together to educate museum visitors about the county and beyond. The subjects were varied: the Civil War, schools, civil defense, women in the military, photography, and tobacco, among other things. I also loved decorating for the holidays and seasons.
I have seen many volunteers come and go over the years and have made friendships with some. People from my past have come in the door to do research or make a donation, including high school classmates with ties to Vernon County and a distant cousin visiting from Georgia. I also found out that I am a cousin to the Norwegian genealogist Liv Marit Haakenstad who frequently visits the area.
There were a lot of changes over the years: the addition of our Main Street entrance in 2005, the transformation of the boiler room into a meeting room in 2011, the addition of an elevator in 2017, and the new HVAC system for the upper floors in 2025. All positive changes to make the museum visitor- and staff-friendly.
One of my favorite memories is a connection I made between a woman named Chele living in Australia, and her cousins here in Vernon County. The cousins didn’t know each other but later met when one of them travelled to Australia to see her. By coincidence, this cousin’s daughter was living near her. Several years later I was able to meet Chele.
I look forward to having free time to pursue my hobbies and get together with friends. My husband and I also plan to do some travelling. So many things to do... Someday, I’m sure I will return to volunteer.
(Be sure to come to Carol’s retirement party open house on Thursday, February 26, from 1 to 3PM, at the Vernon County Museum and History Center!)
Kristen Parrott and Carol Krogan (right) celebrate Women's Suffrage
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