105 Years Ago – October 25, 1919

Albert Frost of Withee left today for Omaha, NE where he will be married on Monday to Miss Clara Knudsen.

95 Years Ago – October 24, 1929

Wm. Tuttle and Herb Shelley have leased the Whiteway Hotel, near the Soo depot, for a period of one year, from Mrs. Wagner, who has been operating the place for some time. Mr. Tuttle formerly owned the Fremont Hotel here while Mr. Shelley has been employed in Sturgeon’s restaurant.

85 Years Ago – October 26, 1939

Fire noticed breaking out of the barn on the James Zowol farm located four miles north and two miles west of Curtiss at about 9:30 p.m. last Friday completely destroyed his 40x90 foot barn and a machine shed. Also lost in the fire were three stacks of hay, his recent harvest of grain and one cow.

75 Years Ago – October 27, 1949

Yesterday noon a business deal was completed whereby the ownership of Sturgeon’s Tavern and the building was transferred from Aaron Sturgeon to Leonard Hamm, Owen. The business and name is the oldest in the city having been started by the late Golden Sturgeon in 1906.

65 Years Ago – October22, 1959

The Central Avenue Floral Shop, which was established in 1945 was sold Monday by Mrs. Harry Craig to an Abbotsford couple. Mrs. Craig said the business just became too much for her to handle as she has had full responsibility of the business since her husband’s death four years ago last April.

Wayne Cannon broke out of the courthouse and made a dash for O’Neill Creek shortly before noon. He gave himself up a few minutes later after Officer Dale Schultz of the sheriff’s department spotted him hiding in some brush along the creek bank. He was there for sentencing for car theft.

55 Years Ago – October 23, 1969

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Amacher announce the birth of a son, Scott Douglas, born on Tuesday, October 14, at St. Joseph’s Hospital at Marshfield at 3 p.m. At birth he weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces.

45 Years Ago – October 24, 1979

Two men were injured last Monday morning when a trench they were working in laying a new water service pipe, suddenly and unexpectedly caved in on top of them, burying them with many yards of dirt. The accident occurred in Curtiss, where the two injured men, Bruce and Paul Kramas, Curtiss, were along with Edward Frane and Everett Lindgren, putting in a new water service line into the laundromat behind Gerrie’s Mini Mart.

Given in marriage by her father, Miss Cindy May Isaacs of Templeton, CA, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Isaacs, Withee, became the bride of the Rev. Warren C. Nielsen, Templeton, CA, son of the Rev. and Mrs. Clayton Nielsen of Omaha, NE.

35 Years Ago – October 26, 1989

When LaVerna’s Fabrics at Curtiss holds their 12th anniversary on October 28, they will be introducing a newly published quilt book, giving step-by-step instructions on the ZigZag Diamond quilting made easy. The book just off the press three weeks ago, was compiled and written by LaVerna Marcott of Curtiss and Nancy Witte of Colby. Both are specialists in the quilting craft.

25 Years Ago – October27, 1999

Beatrice Hansen of Withee, at the age of 75, doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet. At an age when most people have slowed down, Bea fills her life with activities that would test a person half her age. On October 9 she participated in a marathon at Ashland, WI with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter Steve, Karen, and Amanda Bade. Bea walked the 13.1 miles in three hours and 38 minutes.

15 Years Ago – October 28, 2009

O-W Junior/Senior High Principal Sherry Baker, Mary Fazendin (7th and 8th grade Social Studies teacher), and Paul Heggemeier, school board member accepted the Promise School Award on behalf of Owen-Withee.

Construction has begun on the water plant project in Withee. The village had been looking for new wells with no results. Instead of spending time and money searching for new wells, engineers agreed the village should replace filters and make other renovations to increase the capacity of existing wells. Withee was awarded $992,125 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as a grant. The other $992,125 is a loan from the Safe Water Drinking Loan Program through the state of Wisconsin.

Dennis Jasmer of DJ’s Repair has broadened his business from the usual repairs of vacuum pumps and gone into a different direction. One year ago, Dennis bought a computer numerically controlled cutting table with a plasma cutter. He is self taught on the computer and can now cut steel into the most intricate shapes.