95 Years Ago – March 26, 1931
The Northwestern railway is going into the operation of bus lines, according to information received here yesterday. A bus line between Chicago and Minneapolis via Milwaukee is to start April 15 by the Interstate Transit line, a subsidiary of the Northwestern.
Mrs. Esther Chanklin, a married woman, was shot to death in her sleep at Medford Tuesday morning by David Barkdall, a former Milwaukeean. Barkdall entered the house of Wm. Shepard, father of the woman, about 2 a.m., groped his way to Mrs. Chanklin’s bedroom, and fired three shots. After the shooting Barkdall walked into a Medford restaurant and gave himself up to officers. Mrs. Chanklin and her husband were estranged and she had been keeping company with Barkdall.
85 Years Ago – March 27, 1941
A building and remodeling program that will amount to $3,000 was started at the Owen office of the Northern States Power Co. Monday. The work includes a new 16x27 foot brick and tile addition to the building and the remodeling of the interior of the main office. The building will serve as a garage for the company’s transportation equipment.
By the end of this week all of the new equipment being installed by the E.W. Kidd Company will be in operation and the productive output and capacity of the plant will be increased by 25 to 30 percent. The new equipment includes a double tenoner used in the manufacturing of drawing boards and coaster wagons, a 10-spindle boring machine and two new rip saws.
A lovely wedding service was solemnized in the Lutheran parsonage at Withee at seven o’clock in the evening on Friday, March 21, uniting Miss Viola Belle Blunck, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Blunck of Withee and John E. Jalling Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. John Jalling also of Withee in marriage.
75 Years Ago – March 29, 1951
Tuesday night 32 persons, including members of the Owen Common Council, their wives and guests were entertained at a steak and chicken dinner given at the Woodland Hotel by Mr. Henry Radant, contractor from Eau Claire.
Ad: After too much High Life, the big Hamm is rushed to the hospital and as the doctors are cutting some Schlitz around his Grain Belt he lays there and Blatz, “I won’t take ether, get me a cup of coffee from Ted’s Lunch.”
65 Years Ago – March 30, 1961
The board of the Marshfield Rural Fire Department voted March 23 to sell the department’s present pumper unit to the village of Curtiss. The old unit purchased in 1948, had a water tank capacity of 500 gallons. The new truck is to have a capacity of 1,000 gallons.
55 Years Ago – April 1, 1971
Ralph Miller, manager of Will Implement Company’s store in Owen, Tuesday sustained a compound fracture to his right leg while assisting with the task of unloading a stove.
45 Years Ago – March 26, 1981
Demolition has begun on the old one-lane bridge in the town of Hixon. Built in 1911, it spanned the Black River until this year when the town decided to replace it because it was deteriorating. The new bridge, scheduled for completion 90 working days after it is begun, will be 32 feet wide, a full two lanes.
35 Years Ago – March 28, 1991
Twenty-six Owen-Withee Community Fire Department members took their written exam on March 18, 1991 for their certification as Wisconsin State Firefighters as mandated by the State of Wisconsin.
25 Years Ago – March 28, 2001
A Variety Show sponsored by the Owen-Withee Education Association and the Owen-Withee Educational Support Personnel will be presented in the high school gymnasium beginning at 8:00 p.m., April 20, 2001.
The community really helped the Girl Scouts “Reach for the Stars.” They did an excellent job this year. Twenty-nine girls sold cookies, with an average of 127 boxes. At least 18 girls sold over 100 boxes.
15 Years Ago – March 30, 2011
Clark County Economic Development Corporation & Tourism Bureau is planning its first annual Studio Art Tour on Saturday, April 30. The Studio Art Tour will feature many of Clark County’s finest artists and their creations.
At 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22, amid snow, sleet, rain, thunder and lightning, the City of Owen lost power. Xcel is labeling the outage as probably weather related although it was the result of a spruce tree near Kerry Ingredients falling on the power line. In an interesting side note, the WEAU-TV tower went down at 8:44 p.m., approximately the same time as Owen’s power outage.