Westby Post Office

Westby rural carriers and their rigs.
Left to Right: Tinus Lamb, Nordahl Bergum,
Joseph Bergum, Julius Borgan, Carl Hagen.

The first Post Office for the Westby area was established in the area of “Old Town” in 1857 with George Smith as Postmaster. Between 1857 and 1879, the post office moved back and forth between the townships of Viroqua and Christiana. About 1875, Peder Evenson was the Postmaster and the post office was located in his general store. The first post office in Vernon County was at Bad Ax, now Liberty Pole, in 1847 and in 1849, Springville opened their first post office. 

When our first settlers arrived in this area beginning in 1848, mail was a very important part of their life, so having a post office as close as Springville, only five miles away, was a blessing. Viroqua opened its first post Office in November 1852.  But, just because a post office was so close, did not mean that the delivery of the mail was anything like fast.

Mail was taken by boat up the Mississippi River to Galena, Illinois, then hauled by a one-horse wagon once a week to Platteville and then delivered on horseback once a week to Prairie du Chien. The frequency and mode of delivery from Prairie du Chien to Springville and later Coon Prairie was to be carried in a two-horse covered wagon or sleigh, when the condition of the road permitted, and at other times on horseback. Delivery was to be once a week.  

Erick C. Bratlie
Postmaster 1896-1911

When the Prairie du Chien division of the Milwaukee Railroad was completed to Muscoda, a stage line was established from Richland Center to Black River Falls, via Westby. With completion of the road from Prairie du Chien to Boscobel, Richland Center was discontinued as the starting point and the route started at Boscobel. When completed to Prairie du Chien, the winter mail was carried over the Black River Road, the old Indian Trail (now highway 27), to St. Paul, Viroqua being the end of the first day’s journey, Sparta the end of the second and Black River Falls ended the third day. In 1905, The La Crosse & Southeastern Railway was given the contract to deliver the mail to Westby and continued to do so until the fall of 1932. From then till now, not much has changed on how the mail finds its way to Westby.

The locations of the Westby post offices since 1879 are:  Ole Westby’s General Store, 1879-?; 100 block of West State Street, (later Goettels store);  Somewhere on South Main Street, ?-?;  104 North Main Street, 1909-1925, (State Bank building); 107 East State Street, 1930-1961; 102 Melby Street, 1961- present.