Vernon County Historical Society

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween!

Today is the 100th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini. One of the things Houdini was most known for, besides his career as a world-famous escape artist and magician, was his crusade against spiritualists and fortune tellers.

Spiritualism was once incredibly popular in the US. It began in the mid-1800s, but reached particular popularity following the Civil War and WWI as bereaved family members desperately wanted to believe it was possible to communicate once again with their loved ones. Houdini, however, felt that spiritualists were frauds who took advantage of people when they were at their most vulnerable.

It seems like the people of Vernon County largely sided with Houdini, as they appear to have been more skeptical of spiritualism than some other areas of Wisconsin. In La Crosse, there were spiritualist church services being held and even a convention of the Wisconsin State Spiritualist Association, but we haven't been able to find any instances of spiritualism being seriously practiced here. As far as we can tell, spiritualism may have only existed in Vernon County in the form of entertainment.

In March, 1912, a magician named Mieklejohn the Mysterious performed at the Viroqua Opera House (above what is now Mr. G's Clothing Store). According to the March 13, 1912 issue of the Vernon County Censor, "Magic in its higher and most intellectual form is unknown to residents of our city, no magician of Meiklejohn's ability and skill ever having appeared here." It wasn't just a magic show, but also included some supernatural elements: "Added to the magic program will be a seance in spiritualism. There is nothing uncanny about this seance which Meiklejohn gives; on the other hand it is something to awe and astonish those who scoff and snear [sic] at the boasts made that communication can absolutely be had with the departed spirits." It must have been an entertaining show, as Mieklejohn was again invited back to Viroqua in 1915 in a performance benefiting the Methodist Episcopal Church pipe organ fund.

Do you know any stories of spiritualism, seances, ghosts, or other spooky things in Vernon County's past? Please share them in the comments!

10/29/2026

Way to go Brewers! Here is one more photo of a local championship team for you all.

The 1950 Western Wisconsin League champions were the De Soto Blackhawks, pictured here, in a photo taken at the De Soto ball park on Sunday night, Sept. 17, 1950. In this year, the team won 27 games and lost 13.

Back row: Jack Gillespie (business manager), Butch Shroeder, Bert Severson, Frank "Knute" Curti, Earl "Porky" Ghelf, Bill Curti, Eddie Gittens (manager)
Front row: Ronnie Gilman (batboy), Jerry Malin, Bill Parizek, Lyle Olson, Joe Robertson, Pat Gillespie, Charley Curti

This photo was one of a number of items donated by team member Bill Parizek in 2009.

Do you have any memories or stories of the De Soto team or any other baseball team in Vernon County? Let us know in the comments!

If you'd like to see more Vernon County baseball photos, stop by the museum anytime we're open (currently M-F 11-4) and ask to see the baseball file!

10/28/2026

The South Ridge baseball team formed in 1939 when kids from two country schools, Nerison and Brown, decided to join forces. When they started out, they were mostly 12 and 13 year olds, had no uniforms or spiked shoes, and only had two balls to practice and play with. They faced their share of challenges in the first few years, only winning a handful of games and being the only team in the league to wear bib overalls and farm shoes to play. Art Theige, the South Ridge catcher, recalled how his mother used to pad his glove with beefsteak wrapped in cloth, so catching the ball didn't hurt as much!

Despite their humble beginnings, the team grew quickly. Eight years after its founding, in 1947, the South Ridge baseball team won the Vernon County League Championship with 17 straight victories! In 1948, the team raised $8000 to install lights in Esofea Park, where they practiced, making the park the first lighted ball field in all of Vernon County.

Hopefully some of you in the C**n Valley/Esofea area can give the Brewers some of your Championship luck tonight!

(Photo and info from an article written by Dorothy Jasperson, published in the Westby Times, 11-2-2000. If you want to learn more about the South Ridge baseball team, we have a lot more where this came from in our archives, including an entire book on the team, written by Jean Theige Marck.)

10/27/2026

What a game last night! Here is some more baseball history to get you in the mood for the next game.

Pictured here is the Mount Tabor baseball team in 1910. They were a fully integrated team.

At this time, professional baseball was firmly segregated - not by any official rule, but by an unspoken "gentleman's agreement." Other non-white athletes were allowed in the Major Leagues, such as Native American and Native Hawaiian players, but Black players specifically were excluded from the sport. A handful of Negro National Leagues existed throughout the 1920s-1940s, but it wasn't until the 1946 season, when Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, that baseball's "color line" was considered officially broken and African American players were able to join the Major Leagues.

You might see a few recognizable names in this photo! Pictured here are:
Back row: Stub Boldon, Berlie Revels, Sherman Newlun, Sandy Butcher, Greg Jeffries, Marvin Shivers.
Front row: June Revels, Mark Jeffries, Herbert Shivers, Alga Shivers, Ed Shivers.

10/24/2026

10/23/2026

If you're hyped about the World Series and want to learn about all things baseball, we've got you covered! Vernon County has a rich baseball history - so much so that we don't just have a single folder about it in our archives, but an entire file box! There's too much to fit in one post, so keep an eye on our page as we plan to post more Vernon County baseball history for you next week.

For now, though, here is a photo of Viroqua's baseball team in 1888, and a little bit about the early history of baseball in Viroqua.

Viroqua's first baseball club was formed in April, 1872. They soon dubbed themselves the Prairie City Base Ball Club of Viroqua, and played their first game against an outside team on June 6, 1872. They traveled to "Hillsborough" to play against the Excelsiors, and had nothing but good things to say about the people there: "All hands were taken charge of and treated in the most hospitable manner by the people, and the boys appreciate the kindness shown them by the highest opinion in the world of the Hillsborough people, whom they pronounce to be the finest people they know of."

Pictured here in the 1888 team are:
Back row: Arba Morrison, Ed Lake, Will Lockington (outfield), R. W. Baldwin, Otto H. Brown, Frank Williams (outfield), Orton
Middle row: Harry Adams (scorekeeper), Russell (manager)
Bottom row: John Chase, Will McKittrick (catcher), Will Blake (pitcher)

10/23/2026

this weekend!

10/13/2026

Back in stock! $25 each