Holmen area

historical society
Spring 2023 Volume 29 Issue 2
IN THIS ISSUE
President’s greetings ..........................................1 Ice Cream Social Fundraiser information .........4
Archive report ....................................................2 HACC Corn Hole Fundraiserr ........................... 5
Programs held at HACC ....................................3 Membership form ..............................................5
Upcoming program schedule .............................4 Books available for purchase ............................ 6

HAHS President’s greetings

Dear HAHS Members:
Another committee I am on is our
church cemetery committee. The history
of the cemetery is what interests me the
most, but there are also the other decisions
that must be made when on any board.
The history of its formation has become
important for those decisions in the last
couple of years. We have struggled to try
to figure out the reason of the naming of
the cemetery when it was formed in 1877.
The bylaws were written in Norwegian.
After having it translated, we know some
more but still not why the name was cho-
sen. If only we could talk to those settlers
who struggled to settle in a new country
and had to provide a final resting place for Grave markers at Lewis Valley Cemetery
their loved ones.
As we go forward studying our ances- We encourage you to share the activities of the HAHS with your
try and the events that shape our commu- friends and neighbors. HAHS program coordinator Lynne Valiquette
nity and our lives, I encourage you to has some wonderful programs lined up for the rest of the year.
write down your stories, the stories you If you haven’t renewed your membership, please send it to Betty
remember your parents and grandparents Sacia. Consider a donation to help us pay our rent and keep our archiv-
sharing. Barb Johnson and Pam Hanson ing supplies and documentation current.
will share the very interesting story they We are open to suggestions of how we go forward to present our
have just come upon. Our local authors, treasures to the community. Barb and Pam are now doing the displays
“Growing Up In Holmen” by Arlan of the American Legion. We will soon be presenting another display at
Helgeson, “Mid Hills of Home” by Mar- the village office. The library continues to have displays of early
garet Suttie, “The Historic McGilvery Holmen and will also feature our member, Lynne’s art display. The
Bridges and Friends That Saved Them” by board and officers continue to meet the third Thursday of each month at
Ray Kyro and Friends of the McGilvery 9 a.m.in the small meeting room at the Holmen Area Community Cen-
Bottoms, “Long Ago Long Coulee” by ter. You are all welcome to join us to pass on ideas as we collaborate
Bratberg, “Early Schools of La Crosse our creative thoughts and goals of the HAHS.
County” by Estella Bryhn, “Sawmills to Please take the time to join in celebrating our member, Ruth Scholze,
Sunfish” by the Dolbiers, and many others as she retires from her position at the Holmen Library. She has been and
have all shared their stories. Each one will
be different. President’s greeting, continued on page 5
HAHS Facebook address is—https://www.facebook.com/Holmen-Area-Historical-Society-103927925185757
Website: www.holmenhistory.weebly.com
Email: holmenhistory@gmail.com
 Archive and collection report
SEARCHING FOR INTERESTING HISTORICAL STORIES
From your Archivists – Pam and Barb
Ever wonder about the past? Relatives or just those who lived
here in the Holmen Area before us? We would like to share what
we found, by chance, about a resident of the Long Coulee area back
in the mid 1860s.
While searching for information about another past resident of
the Long Coulee area, Pam and I made a visit to the La Crosse Pub-
lic Library Archives in La Crosse. I had seen on their web site a
document titled: Thomas Pederson Reminiscences of the Long
Coulee Community, 1960s. So, knowing there were Petersons and
Pedersons in the Holmen area, this was of interest to me. We re-
quested the file and what the librarian brought out to us was a hand
written document about growing up in Long Coulee, with no para-
graphs or punctuation. It was written by Thomas Pederson (1861 –
1950) in 1937 and talked about what he remembered of growing up
not only in Holmen but much of his life.
He wrote about the Norwegian settlement and the two most im-
portant personages, the tailor and the shoemaker. He said twice a
year, spring and fall, these two would go from house to house in the
settlement and make the clothing and shoes that each family was in
need of. This usually took one to two weeks. The cloths and leather
for these garments and shoes were always homemade. The women
in the settlement weaved the cloth and most of the men tanned the
leather. Wool and flax came from the farms but cotton yarn had to
be bought. Both boys and girls were dressed in the same styles and
clothes were handed down to the many children in each family.
Nearly all the furniture and soap were homemade. On the farms,
work was done by hand until machinery was invented.
Education for the children was the worse problem as early set-
tlers did not speak the English language. There were no public
From the archive
First creamery on Long Coulee circa 1889
2
schools so nearly every household had an elder-
ly person and they were drafted into service.
Thomas said his was an old grandma who was
his first teacher. He learned the alphabet, then
spelling short words and reading short sentenc-
es. They were all Lutherans and the children had
to memorize three books and commit to
memory. He started school at the age of six or
seven. He had to walk over the high bluffs to
attend school which was comprised of about one
-half Norwegians and the other half Hollanders.
They couldn’t understand or speak of the others
language. They were taught the three Rs and
geography. He quit school just as he entered
fifth grade.
He wrote about a tragedy he will never for-
get. While visiting another family in Council
Bay area he and two siblings and three of the
kids from the family they stayed at went down
to the Black River to swim. No one knew how to
swim though. The three other children went into
the river and the sand gave way under their feet
and an older brother tried to save them but all
three drown. Those three children’s bodies were
found by the community members who worked
night and day searching and are buried in the
Long Coulee Cemetery.
Thomas Pederson was in his 70’s when he
wrote his story. It is his story and talks about
what he remembers. By sharing this we wanted
to share our experience with readers and stress
that there is an immense amount of information
out there, you just need to search for it. The doc-
ument we have is stored at the Minnesota His-
torical Society but the librarian was also able to
find it in sections that were published for the
Wisconsin Magazine of History. The document
in La Crosse was given to them as a copy by a
person from Onalaska. Thomas Pederson and his
wife Amalia Berg (1865 – 1953) are buried in
Woodlawn Cemetery, La Crosse. More search-
ing was necessary to determine that his father’s
picture in the document says Nels Pederson, but
his name was probably Cornelius and he went
by Nels.
 Programs held at Holmen Area Community Center
Eighth-grade historians present projects
Apollo de la Rosa (left) and
Lauren Weissenberger
Holmen Middle School students Apollo de la Rosa and Lauren Weissenberger
presented their National History Day projects at the April meeting.
De la Rosa’s project was The New Deal. He covered the Franklin D. Roosevelt
administration and presented a documentary covering the numerous programs the
Roosevelt administration enacted to address and attempt to remedy the economic
situation of the Great Depression.
Wiessenberger gave a performance enacting the Nixon – Kennedy debates. She
acted the parts of the news reporter, moderator and other personalities involved with
the debate. She also took on the roles of two voters who each supported one of the
candidates.
Both students’ projects moved on to state competition.
Note: At it’s May meeting, HAHS members voted to support Holmen Middle
School eighth graders qualifying to compete at the National History Day’s national
competition with $100 contribution for the top qualifier and any qualifying alter-
nates. The contribution will help the students with travel expenses.
HMS eighth-grader Avery Schmitt qualified with her Dorothea Dix exhibit. Alter-
nates are Nick Allind with his performance, and Molly McBride and Ava Amundson
with a group exhibit.

Military nurse shares stories from her book

In observance of Women’s History Month, the speaker at the March meeting
was Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Deenie Laskey. Laskey talked about her
training at Fort McCoy followed by her deployment to Iraq where she served for
a year as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From entries she made in her war-time
journal, she wrote and then had her memoir, Journal from Iraq: A Nurse’s Story
published.
An emergency nurse, Laskey trained at Fort McCoy and then headed a medi-
cal team in the Iraq theater. She and her team successfully set up the medical
emergency unit from scratch and had it ready for inspection in only a month.
In addition to her medical training, she and all under her command had to un-
dergo military training. She reported the hospital received two direct hits. She
shared personal stories about the personnel on her team as well as the soldiers Deenie Laskey (left) discussed mili-
they treated. tary nursing with a fellow nurse.

HAHS member shared her genealogy research

HAHS Board member Miranda Alexander detailed her research into her
genealogy of the Brothertown and Stockbridge-Munsee indigenous commu-
nities at the February meeting.
Brothertown is made up of six tribes from seven communities, but the
tribes aren’t federally recognized. However, the Brothertown members are
working to change that. The Stockbridge-Munsee tribe is one of 11 federally
recognized tribes in Wisconsin.
Miranda’s research determined she is two percent Native American herit-
age on her mother’s paternal side. She has been able to trace that Native
American lineage to her third great-grandfather (Stockbridge-Munsee) and
her fourth great-grandparents (Brothertown).
Brothertown natives settled in the eastern part of Wisconsin after being
removed from the eastern part of the United States. They were considered
Miranda Alexander and HAHS archivist Christian and were referred to as “praying Indians.” The Stockbridge-
Munsee were also removed from the New England states they settled in
Barb Johnson
what is now known as Bowler, Wisconsin.
3
 Upcoming program schedule
Our upcoming programs begin at 6 p.m. at the Holmen Area Community Center the first Monday of each
month unless otherwise noted. HACC is located at 600 N. Holmen Dr., Holmen, WI 54636.
Attend in person or view live on the Holmen Area Historical Society Facebook page (vs. group). Watch for
reminders and updates on future programs on the Holmen Area Historical Society’s Facebook group.

Movie about wives of combat veterans to be shown at June meeting

A film featuring interviews with wives of veterans
from WWII to the Middle-East wars will be shown at
the HAHS June meeting. I Married the War: Wives of
Combat Veterans Tell Their Story (Syringa Cinema
LLC, 2021) will be presented at the La Crosse County
Library Holmen branch’s community room June 5 at 6
p.m.
The Holmen branch is located at 121 W. Legion
Street, Holmen. The event is free and open
to the public.
The showing will be the Wisconsin premier of the
moving documentary. Created by Betty Rodgers and
Ken Rodgers, the film explores the ways families at
home are forever impacted and changed by the trauma of war.
Francine and Bruce Jones from Mindoro, Wisconsin, are featured in the movie and will introduce this important
film. A trailer can be viewed at https://imarriedthewar.com/trailers.
At the request of the producers and Francine and Bruce, donations to a local group providing support to veterans
and families may be directed to La Crosse Area Veterans Mentor Program, lavmp.org.

We have a great series of programs planned for the remainder of 2023.

Monday, July 3, Story Circle: First Job - Each July we circle up and share stories on a topic. This year it will be fun
to learn how we all got started in the world of work. The telling is sweetened with root beer floats.

Second annual Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social Fundraiser

Sunday, August 6 · 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Bill and Julie Yahnke’s Antique Green.
Come for the ice cream, music, basket raffles and a silent auction of donated
antiques.
Visitors will have the chance to see the Yahnke’s amazing collection of
antique John Deere tractors.
Funds raised is to cover rental for HAHS’s archive storage and preservation.
Watch for more details in the coming months
No meeting in September because of Labor Day holiday
Monday, Oct. 2, Human Library - Come and “check out” local “human books” with stories to tell. We will focus on
next year’s National History Day theme (yet to be announced).
Monday, Nov. 6 Historic Women’s Basketball—A Granny Basketball team, the “La Crosse Does,” will play a
“historic” basketball game, using 1920’s era rules, vs a team of local girls. The show down is co-sponsored by our part-
ner, the Holmen Area Community Center, and the Barb & Dave Skogen Boys and Girls Club. It will take place in the
BGC gym.
Monday, Dec. 4: “Annual Meeting and Holiday Potluck”
4
 President’s greeting, continued from page 1
is so involved in our community, its history,
many committees and activities. Drop her a
card and share your thoughts and memories you
share with Ruth. Plan to attend the celebration
of retirement on May 24 from 3-5 p.m. at the
Holmen Public Library.
Enjoy the spring weather and continue mak-
ing your own history with friends and family.
Sincerely,
Barb Anderson, President HAHS
HACC Corn Hole Fundraiser
The Holmen Area Community Center
is holding a Corn Hole Tournament fund-
raiser Saturday, June 24 from 1 p.m. – 5
p.m. at Features Sports Bar and Grill. Fea-
tures is located at 504 N. Holmen Drive in
Holmen. The fundraiser includes prizes,
raffles, silent auction and music.
The community center provides meet-
ing space for HAHS programs and the
historical society encourages support of
the fundraiser.
For more information or to register, call 608-526-3600.

Ways to support HAHS

Holmen Area Historical Society is a nonprofit with the mission of preserving Holmen’s
past for future generations.
Memorials and honorariums are always welcome to maintain the historical collection and
to hold programs. You can also support HAHS by renewing your membership and inviting
friends and family members to join.
Send contributions to Holmen Area Historical Society, PO Box 535, Holmen, WI 54636.

Remember — 2023 membership are due. They can be mailed to the post of-
fice box listed in the membership form or can be paid at a meeting.

Membership Form
Name _______________________________________________________
Mailing Address ______________________________________________
City, State, Zip Code __________________________________________
Phone number _______________________________________________
Email address ________________________________________________
Annual: I would be willing to -
 Individual, $10 __ be a board member/officer
 Family, $20 __ help with archiving
 Business, $125 __ help write grants
Lifetime: __ membership development
 Individual, $75 Mail membership dues to -
 Family, $125 Holmen Area Historical Society,
 Business, $500 PO Box 535, Holmen, WI 54636 5
 Booklet about Holmen’s past available to public
HAHS President Barb Anderson shared stories of Holmen’s past as well as actual arti-
facts from the early years of the village and surrounding area with second graders at Prairie
View Elementary and Sand Lake Elementary.
The sessions included stories about how the Holmen was discovered by European ex-
plorers and then settled by immigrants from those countries.
Using a slide presentation created with the help of archivists Barb Johnson and Pam
Hanson, Barb showed photos of pioneer life including settlers standing by their log homes,
folks building a barn, ice harvesting and other activities.
Among the items from the HAHS archive and Barb’s personal collection were a bread
riser pan, ice tongs, bottles from the creamery, a school dress and a small travel trunk.
Students were provided a work book containing historic photos along with activities encouraging further study of
Holmen’s history. The study booklet is available to the public for $5.

A number of copies of Living History, Holmen Eighth Grade Students

Respond to 2020 are also still available to the public. The book contains es-
says written by students at Holmen Middle School students who share their
lived experiences during the 2020 pandemic.
Copies can be purchased for $15 at monthly meetings or by emailing
holmenhistory@gmail.com.

The Holmen Area Historical Society newsletter, edited by Pat McKnight, is published seasonally to keep
members and supporters informed about its activities.

Holmen Area Historical Society

P.O. Box 535
Holmen, WI 54636