MENU100 Years Ago
Life in Viroqua from the Vernon County Censor:
NOV. 26, 1924
HEARSE BADLY BURNED
The fire department was called out last Friday night to extinguish a blaze which started in an unusual manner and place. The fire was discovered in Otto Otteson’s hearse which was stored in Mons Helgeson’s garage.
The brake was set in the hearse, but the conveyance was pulled out of the garage and the fire was put out with chemicals after it had burned through the partition and burned all of the inside of the cab. The glass in the doors and windshield was burned. There were four other cars in the garage but none of them were injured. It is supposed that the fire was started by the batteries or short circuit wires.
Mr. Otteson carried no insurance on the vehicle and it will probably cost him several hundred dollars for repairs.
John Sidie is erecting a substantial building just south of his grocery store, which will be occupied by Baker George Chinn as soon as completed. Mr. Chinn expects to be going again by the first of the year. The new building is somewhat larger than the old bakery room which was fire swept two weeks ago. Mr. Sidie is renovating his building and will open his meat shop into the room occupied by the bakery before the fire.
Viola, November 17 – A new filling station will be put in Viola by the Perfect Oil Company of LaCrosse soon as the building cam be constructed on property purchased from Mrs. Lulu Stormont, where Dr. Stormont’s oce [sic] was located... Thieves stole Bliss Hull’s Durant Sedan at LaCrosse, Thursday night of last week. Later the car was found near Sparta with the radiator smashed and the upholstering burned out. Evidently the thieves had run out of gasoline and they attempted to destroy the car.
NOV. 19, 1924
“LEAPING LENA” LEAPS
“Leaping Lena,” the Ford roadster used by the high school boys this fall, has caused considerably merriment and comment as it would tear down the street with almost the whole football squad draped around its unprotesting body. But things assumed a more serious turn Tuesday noon. “Lena” skidded while rounding a turn. Earl Krogan was riding on the gas tank. He was thrown off, catching his foot in the wheel as he fell. Whether the car passed over him is not known. Medical aid was hurriedly summoned and to the relief of all, it was found that his injuries were not serious. He was rendered unconscious by the fall and received severe bruises about the head, body and limbs.
Victory, November 17 – Rod Oliver has a new well completed... Will Johnson’s have a new radio installed in their home and on election night the reports were heard very plainly... Russell Angell transacted business in Genoa last Monday. He went up in his launch.
Mason City, November 18 – Henry Johnson is busy shredding corn... A number of this vicinity attended a bazar held at Viroqua Immanuel church one day last week... Peter Vigdahl delivered cattle at Viroqua last Monday.
SHORT LOCAL JOTTINGS
Thanksgiving drawing at the Temple Wednesday evening... Farmer’s dinners 35¢, at Miss Latta’s Restaurant... Prepared Lutefisk this week, and it’s fine, at Vigdahl’s... Members of the Westby school board were here on Monday evening of last week to see our new high school building. A similar building is being erected in Westby.
NOV. 12, 1924
We have moved to our new location, south of hte [sic] Wintz Plumbing Shop, where it is more convenient for delivery of cream. We will also retail sweet cream and milk and putting in a line of staple groceries. You will find us here during the evenings. We also sell kerosene oil, bacon and lard, ice cream, Eskimo pie. We furnish thermos containers for ice cream and will deliver in quarts or more. Stop in. A good half-ways place going up town and back. GEO. GRIFFIN, South Main St., Viroqua.
WESTBY CITY NEWS
The furnace and heating equipment for the new high school building has arrived and is being installed... A trial was held in Justice G.C. Olson’s court, in the city on Monday, for young boys who partook in Hallowe’en pranks, Attorney Langve appearing for the boys and Attorney Martin Gilbrandson appearing for the complaining parties. The boys were acquitted.
THANKS TO THE “FORCE”
The Censor editor wishes to express his thankfulness to his faithful office force, who are issuing the Censor under difficulties this week. Mrs. Goldsmith has been absent from her desk for two months, being at the Grandview hospital at LaCrosse, and now the editor has also taken the count, being confined to his home sciatic rheumatism. THE EDITOR.
In your Christmas shopping have you thought of a fine, rich FUR TRIMMED COAT that would please her or where your money would go so far. $15.00 to $89.00. Within these Prices we offer a very wonderful array of choice Coat styles that are matchless and we mean that in particular. M.J. FELIX, 102 Main Street, VIROQIA, WIS.
NOV. 5, 1924
The Douglas Produce Co. with headquarters at Wonewoc, has established a branch in this city and are erecting a fine business place just north of the Fred Eckhardt Co. Building... One half of it will be used for the handling of eggs, the other half for poultry.
Fire which started near the oven in Chinn’s bakery in the Sidie building on Saturday afternoon, completely gutted the bakery, and caused almost a total loss of the Sidie Grocery stock and Mr. Chinn’s household effects in the second story... Hardly had the sound of the siren died out before a billow of flame was sweeping upward through the front windows of the bakery... The fire ate its way into the Sidie store and the fire, smoke and water rendered this a practical loss….The building proper was uninjured.
Calvin Coolidge was returned to the White House on Tuesday by the biggest popular vote ever awarded a candidate for the presidency.
Work of the new quarter began at the Normal Training school this week.
GIVE A BOOK
Our library in common with everything else has suffered from the war taxes and H.C.L. The demand for fiction and for children’s books is always a heavy one in any library. A great many people buy a new fiction when it first appears or good fiction in the cheap edition for reading on trains or on vacation... It would be neighborly of [sic] you would give these books to the library...
Farm Notes – As long as farmers average 16 to 17 bushels per acre corn will continue to be an expensive crop.