Sunday Sales

Southside Grocery about 1951.
The car belonged to Clinton (Kink) Gronland.
The woman pumping gas was Lila Skundberg Erlandson.

Do you remember when you needed some gas for your car or a loaf of bread, but it was Sunday and the stores and filing stations were closed? What did you do? It’s hard to imagine that not the many years ago almost everything was closed on Sunday.

In the early fifties, the two places that were open for buying groceries on Sunday were the South Side Grocery and Ballsrud’s Grocery. The only places for buying gas were Transport Oil Company and for a short time, South Side Grocery.

South Side Grocery had the following Sunday hours: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. The South Side Grocery had numerous owners until it closed in 1964. Midwest Cablevision was the last business to be located in the old South Side Grocery building.

Ballsrud’s Grocery became Rude & Volden for a few years and was Borgen’s Grocery in 1969, the last year of operation. Rudy’s Lawn & Garden Service was last business to be located in the building on Second Street that once occupied by Ballsrud’s Grocery.

Clayton Chambers

Transport Oil Company started out as Glen’s Royal Service in 1960, became Walt’s Spur Station in 1963 and then Transport Oil Company in 1965 and staying in business until 1977. Erlandson Clinic Of Chiropractic is now at the location of the former Transport Oil Company.

New Car Dealers

For about 15 years, there was not a problem of buying a new car in the city of Westby. Starting in the middle to late teens of the Twentieth Century and continuing into the early 30s, there were numerous businesses catering to the new car buyer. The following directory, probably not complete, lists the dealers and the automobiles sold by them and one of the years they were selling such autos.

1913. Anderson & Torkelson, Overland.

1915. Johnson Brothers, Buick & Hupmobile.

1916. A.H. Dahl, Ford

1917. Nustad & Johnson, Dodge.

1921. Bennie Johnson, Dodge.

1922. Haakenson & Hanson, Chevrolet.

1922. Ernest Johnson, Overland & Willys-Knight.

1922. C.G. Tostrud, Reo & Maxwell.

1922. Oium & Tostrud, Overland.

1923. The Melodeon, Reo & Maxwell

1924. Oium Garage, Chevrolet, Ford & Willys-Knight.

1925. Oium Brothers, Maxwell, Overland & Chalmers.

1927. S & S (Silbaugh & Silbaugh), Ford & Chevrolet

1927. Bennie Johnson, Chevrolet & Chrysler.

1928. Benny Johnson, Pontiac & Oakland

1929. R.A. Silbaugh, Chevrolet.

1930. Myton Appleman, Willys-Knight & Whippet.

1930. Lind Chevrolet, Chevrolet.

1930. Oium Garage, Overland.

1931. G.C. Rank, Chevrolet.

1936. Westby (Nelson) Service Garage, Plymouth & DeSoto.

1950. Oium Motors, DeSota & Plymouth.

1960. Jules Rudie, Rambler & Ford.

A.H. Dahl was the first to sell Fords and Jules Rudie was the last to sell Fords both in basically the same place as where Dahl had started 50 years earlier. Vernon Communications is today located where both Dahl and Rudie had their car lots. S. & S. sold Fords in the same location between Dahl and Rudie.

Two Trains and a Mill — 1905

In 2005, Evelyn Larson was commission by Ruth Rupp to draw Two Trains and a Mill for the 100 year celebration of the Logan Mill and La Crosse and Southeastern railroad. Pictured is the Southeastern headed south and the Milwaukee headed north. Logan Mill (many owners
and name changes over the years) was the only business in Westby that was served
by both railroad companies each having their own railroad tracks,
Milwaukee on the east and Southeastern on the west.

In November 1860, The Milwaukee Sentinel stated that a railroad was proposed to be built from Viroqua south to join the Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific at or near Muscoda. As we all know, this never happened.

Later, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific (C. M. St. P & P.) Railroad was planning railroads from Sparta south to Viroqua and from Wauzeka north to Bloomingdale. Construction was started on both but only the line from Sparta to Viroqua developed. Today, County Highway S in Bloomingdale is evidence of the early railroad excavation.

From 1848 until 1879 Westby was called Coon Prairie,with the Coon Prairie General Store and post office located in the town of Viroqua just south of the Accelerated Genetics.

Between the early 1860s and August 13, 1879, the day the first train arrived, many business were located further north of Coon Prairie at today’s State and Main streets. The railroad originally wanted to locate its new station about one mile further north at the intersection of Today’s County P and State Highway 27. The reason for this was that this was a major crossroad: Sparta to Viroqua and La Crosse to Bloomingdale. This attempt was defeated however by two La Crosse merchants Mons Andersen and C. B. Soleberg, who urged that the station be built in the vicinity of their good client, Ole T. Westby, and to honor Westby, the new business district was named Westby Station and replaced Coon Prairie as the post office.

The 1904 timetable for the C.M. St. P. & P. At Westby was: Trains Going South, 7:57 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. Trains Going North, 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The La Crosse & Southeastern Railroad arrived in Westby in 1905 and continued until 1933 when it was bought by the C.M. St. P. & P. The Southeastern as it was commonly called, traveled from La Crosse to Viroqua and had a round house in Viroqua that today would be in the vicinity of the Vernon County Highway Shop at the intersection of Main and Broadway streets. The depot was located where the Nelson Agra-Center parking lot is today.

In 1922, the Interstate Commerce Commission valued the La Crosse and Southeastern Railroad at $640,581.

While Bloomingdale and Avalanche never did get a railroad, the Kickapoo Vaålley & Northern Railroad was established between La Farge and Wauzeka with the first train traveling between the two in June 1892.

Lumber Business in Westby

James Lyttle was one of the first lumber dealers in Westby more than 135 years ago. Today the whereabouts of his lumber business is unknown.

Miner Brothers > E.T. Saugstad > Spellum > Colman > Taylor > Nuzum Lumber Company

In 1881, Evan T. Saugstad started in the lumber business and in 1899, E.T. Saugstad bought out Miner Brothers Lumber and for the early part of the 20th Century, Spellum was a partner with Saugstad. 

Colman Lumber bought out Saugstad Lumber about 1918 and Taylor Lumber bought out Colman in 1927 staying in business until 1981. In 1993 Nuzum Lumber added another lumber yard to their Kickapoo Valley yards by opening a yard in the Original Evan T. Saugstad Lumber Yard facilities.

About 1885 after selling furniture for a few years. Theodore Thoreson went into the lumber business and Thoreson Lumber continued in the family until 1950 when Theodore Erickson bought the business. In 1953 the name changed to Westby Lumber and Carroll Olson owned the business in 1967 naming it Carroll’s Lumber.

Thoreson Lumber > Carroll Olson Lumber

Today JGS Computer & Satellite Service is located where Thoreson had his lumber yard.

Martin Bekkedal was also in the lumber business in Westby but in a different capacity. In 1883 he immigrated to Vernon County with his cousin Lars Lium as his sponson In return for transporting him to America, Martin was obligated to help his cousin clear and work land. Working on the farm and cutting ties for the Milwaukee Railroad, he paid off his debt in eight months. During that winter Bekkedal hired out to a lumber mill near Sparta.

Couderay, Wisconsin
September 4, 1922

Martin returned to Westby and started clerking in a local store. Three years later he had saved $1,000 and decided to invest $700 in a timber stand in Bloomingdale. He spent over half the investment in equipping a lumbering and logging crew and in two years had a return of $1,700 from the operation.

About 10 years later, after making considerable money from tobacco and some from lumber, he hadn’t started in banking at this time, Martin bought standing timber and a lumber company the Couderay Indian Reservation north of Rice Lake. By 1925 Martin practically owned all of the village of Couderay and in 1929, the Bekkedal Lumber Company was offered $1 million in cash for their Counderay holdings and they said no, “We’ll wait for a higher offer”.

The higher offer did not come, but the depression did.

Syttende Mai celebration in Westby, May 17, 1914

by Madeline Anderson

Westby Area Historical Society

One of the early Syttende Mai celebrations in Westby was in 1914. It marked the hundredth year of Norwegian independence. The following articles were in the Vernon County Censor. There are no Westby Times articles available as those years were destroyed in a fire.

From the Vernon County Censor for May 13, 1914, under the headline of Centennial Anniversary, we find the following article:

Syttende Mai parade participants lining up in front of the new public school
on West Avenue South.

"Next Sunday, in song and praise, in speech and impressive service Westby citizens will observe the one hundredth anniversary of the independence of Norway. A morning program is arranged at the church, where religious services will be held. At Davidson's grove, in the afternoon, following a parade to the place, fitting exercises will be carried through. People generally are invited to join. The speaking will be in English and Norwegian.”

In a follow-up article from the Censor, dated May 20, 1914, the Censor reported the following: 

"Westby citizens did themselves proud on Sunday last in giving vent to love for the mother country and its institutions and history. The hundredth anniversary of the event was duly and appropriately celebrated throughout the country, but nowhere more in keeping with the times than in our neighboring village of Westby. And there assembled people from all directions making it one of the memorable days in the history of that place.

"The morning hours were given over to religious services in the new Lutheran church. At two o'clock an imposing procession march through the principal streets to Davidson's grove. The cornet band lead the way, blending of stars and striped and the Norwegian flag borne aloft, girls dressed in native costumes, Boy Scouts on bicycles, Sons of Norway, school children, each carrying a flag, making a procession that was both creditable and inspiring.

"The program consisted of addresses by Revs. Eijkarud and Green in Norwegian and Hon. A. H. Dahl in English, singing of American, the Norse national song "Ja, Vi Elsker Dette Landet," band music, etc., making a full afternoon. Rev. H. Halverson presided and Dr. Schreiner was marshal of the day. Mr. Dahl's talk in English combined the historic and patriotic , breathing a spirit of love for the mother and adopted country. He paid a high tribute to Norsemen as statesmen, educators, proficiency as soldiers on land and sea, their earnestness as Christians, thrift as citizens. He said the Norwegians made good Americans because they were peace-lovers, industrious and patriotic.”

The photo of A.H. Dahl addressing the crowd is from a photo album that was donated to Westby Area Historical Society. 

A.H. Dahl addressing the crowd.
Contributed by Westby Area Historical Society

A few historical notes:

Davidson's grove is now Davidson Park. Jens Davidson would often grant permission for special events to be held on his property, prior to donating the land to the city of Westby in 1922 for the park.

Rev. Anders Halvorsen Eijkarud was assistant pastor at Country Coon Prairies church from 1890-1893. He served as pastor at North Coon Prairie church from 1893-1921 when he returned to Norway.

Rev. Joseph Marius Green was a pastor at Perry, Wisconsin and in charge of the Madison circuit for the church at that time.

Hon. A.H. Dahl was Andrew H. Dahl, merchant and influential Westby citizen. He represented Vernon County in the Wisconsin State Assembly, acted as State Treasurer, and also served as a supervisor for the village of Westby among other prestigious offices.

To see the bigger photo, click  HERE.