Down the Decades

140 years agoIn 1884: Midnight services were held at City Hall on Monday night. — Some fine cutters have made their way into the village with the fresh snows of the past week.

130 years agoIn 1894: A New Year's dance was given at the Grand Opera House — Dr. E.J. Knapp begins practicing in Rice Lake this year. — The engine house has put in electric lights at its own expense.

120 years agoIn 1904: The Board of Education has leased a part of the high school grounds for the Carnegie Library site. — The Rice Lake Mutual Fire Insurance Co. sold 142 policies in less than five months. — The temperature here this week dropped to 40 degrees below.

110 years agoIn 1914: Rice Lake and Stanfold business people had a banquet and meeting in the Commercial Club rooms. — The special alfalfa institute at Chetek was attended by 150 farmers. — Crisler and Co. announced that the feed mill is running again.

100 years agoIn 1924: Fire caused considerable damage to the St. Joseph School on Thursday. — A lone cracksman invaded the Field Auto Co. and the Grover Auto Supply but obtained only $25.

90 years agoIn 1934: The City Hall building is being remodeled and rearranged. — The Red Owl Store discontinued business this week. — Both banks here have announced membership in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

80 years agoIn 1944: The 32nd division made a successful landing at Saidor on the northern coast of New Guinea.

70 years agoIn 1954: Myron Mommsen was voted Best Boss of the Year by the Jaycees. — Veterans in the on-the-farm training program will receive diplomas in a ceremony at Chetek next week. — Foster Springer, local insurance man, died of a heart attack Friday.

60 years agoIn 1964: John Marcon is running for mayor against William Luell. — State officials are visiting here to consider establishment of a 2-year college. — Eighteen candidates are seeking the Miss Rice Lake crown this year.

50 years agoIn 1974: Daylight saving time, initiated to save fuel, sends youngsters here to school in the dark. — Some 150 people tackled chicken, peas and carrots without benefit of utensils at a Twelfth Night banquet sponsored by the Rice Lake Federated Music Club.

40 years agoIn 1984: The Rice Lake Warriors were knocked out of the Holiday Hockey Tournament by St. Cloud Cathedral. — The first baby of the year countywide was Jonathan Hall of Cameron.

30 years agoIn 1994: Rice Lake's last city Master Plan, developed in 1967, say some councilmen, was left on the shelf and never updated as it should have been. — Democratic Rep. Martin Schneider of Wisconsin Rapids says additional rules are needed to protect Wisconsin residents against computers accumulating personal information about people.

20 years agoIn 2004: A Rice Lake man has been indicted by a federal grand jury and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine. — The state awarded an area probation/parole officer $4,500 for her car, which she believes was torched in retaliation for a parole revocation hearing scheduled six hours after the incident occurred. No one has been arrested.

10 years agoIn 2014: An archery club is starting at Rice Lake Middle School. — Superior Silica Sands has donated $10,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Barron County.