February 2023 Timeline

100 Years Ago: February 1923

• Mr. and Mrs. Ed Culb returned Tuesday from their wedding trip to Chicago, Elgin and Beloit.  Miss Katherine Flanagan and Ed Culb were married last Wednesday morning.
• Mrs. Garrett Barry and Dr. Phil Fox of Oregon received word Tuesday of the death of their nephew, Dr. Phil Fox of Milwaukee. He died at his home in that city of anemia.
• Mrs. Oscar Minch, who has spent the last three months with Mrs. J. O’Brien and Mrs. C. Shilton at Oregon, left Monday for her home in Opportunity, Oregon.
• Village Board notes:  The following invoices were presented for payment:  Smith Auto Co, storing chemical $9.00.  H Fincher, salary as janitor $5.00.  P. Gunderson, salary as marshal $90.00, W. J. Bossingham work on catch basin $8.00, Tony Nelson work on streets $9.00 and C. E. Pledger services as marshal $2.00
• Oregon School Week:  some features include: 
  • A high school arithmetic speed and accuracy contest;  dedication of new school building; A band, vocal and instrumental concert and a debate on government ownership of coal and oil production and transportation.
• The basketball teams of Oregon and Milton high schools were invited to attend the Michigan-Wisconsin game at Madison on Monday.
• Regarding next Thursdays Evansville-Oregon basketball game, the amount of people from Evansville, and the bad automobile travel, it has seemed advisable to charter a special train of four coaches to carry the local fans to the contest!

50 Years Ago: February 1973

• An era has ended with the death of Forest E. “Steve” Madsen, 67, in a Madison hospital Sunday after an uphill battle against a long illness and recent complications. At the time of his death, he was completing his 36th year as president of the village of Oregon.

• Two signs at the north entrance to Oregon have been undergoing a rejuvenation.  Chamber member “Doc” Coffman has  completely redesigned the sign and is working on the second sign which followed it in sequence a short way closer to the village entrance, which is in the process of completion.  

• During the year 1972 Oregon fireman answered 52 calls.  Of these calls 47 required fire apparatus and five were for the emergency (rescue) unit.
• Mrs. Craig Smith and daughter Chantel arrived home Thursday from Okinawa.  They are presently staying with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Erfurth.  Mr. Smith will be joining his family shortly.
• Mr.  and Mrs. Larry Berger have moved to Racine where he has taken a position with Johnson’s Wax.
• A fire of unknown origin destroyed a barn on the Dale Gulrud property, Schneider Drive, last Sunday afternoon.  The 25’x60’ frame structure along with approximately 600 bales of hay was almost completely engulfed in flames by the time the Oregon Fire Department arrived on the scene.  The owners of the property were asleep at the time the fire broke out.  

25 Years Ago: February 1998

• The application process for public school choice, that allows parents from the school district to send their children to another district, or residents of another district to apply to have their children attend Oregon’s schools began. Oregon’s school policy choice followed the state guidelines in that parents have a three week window of time in February, from the first Monday through the third Friday of the month, to apply to enroll their child in the district.
• For a second school board meeting in a row, Oregon teachers filled the meeting chambers as they protested the lack of a local contract. Oregon teachers had worked 210 days without a contract and more than 80 of them were prepared to let everyone know that they want to reach a settlement by appearing at the Oregon Board of Education meeting carrying placards.
• The Oregon Village Board completed the last step in authorizing 1998 sidewalk repair on several village streets and a major  waterline expansion along Kierstead Lane. The village is responsible for any tree removal from either private or public property. The same is true for driveway approaches, when done as part of a major street reconstruction or for the installation of sidewalks in developed areas.
• Oregon high school students were treated to a demonstration in the art of Samba Dancing. An interactive workshop to learn the traditional dance of Brazil was presented and several of the students got involved in the dance demo. The program was part of a week-long multi-cultural celebration at the high school.

• After three years of planning and negotiating the Brooklyn Elementary School campus got larger. The Oregon Board of Education approved buying 9.46 acres of land to the north of its 8.5 acre site. The acquisition made the campus nearly 18 acres in area. The school had been considered undersized for years, even at its former 300 student capacity. The past fall’s improvements added space for an additional 150 students, adding the need to increase the school grounds. The land acquisition brings the campus to the recommended size for an elementary school of this size.

10 Years Ago: February 2013

• Wednesday’s storm dumped between 5-6 inches of snow in the area,  More striking, however was the 38 degree temperature swing reported in Dane County around the time of the storm.  The weather service reported a high temperature last Tuesday of 54 degrees followed by a low of 16 degrees Wednesday.
• Documentary “This is My Sister” to be shown at Beloit film fest.  The documentary film by Oregon resident Frank G. Caruso is a 61 minute movie Caruso finished last year that tells the story of Mary Ann Fischer, a 55 year old Stoughton resident who has Down Syndrome.
• Brooklyn resident Jill VanDenEng has published her first novel “Divided Moon”. Which tells the story of a Hmong girl living in Wisconsin struggling to live in a culture within a culture.  The main character, Moon Vang, is a 14 year old high school girl struggling to life the life she wants, while straddling the culture of her Heritage and that of an American high school student.
• Oregon resident Charles Elliott was one of 23 volunteers from Habitat for Humanity who spent a week building homes for low income families in El Salvador.
• The Oregon Village Board is considering adopting a code of ethics for elected and appointed officials.  The board decided to consult with village attorney Matt Dregne about what should be included in such a code before deciding whether to adopt one.