History: History of Altoona, Eau Claire Co, WI, 1887 - 1968 ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Nance Sampson 16 April 1999 ==================================================================== City of Altoona, Founded in 1887, Changed From Railroad Center into Progressive Residential Community The City of Altoona, which received its charter in 1887, has undergone a gradual change from the boom days of railroading until today it is a city of fine residential homes with most of its residents employed in nearby Eau Claire. It was the railroad, now the North Western, that led to the beginning of East Eau Claire in 1880. The mayor of Eau Claire, W. F. Bailey, induced railroad officials to locate its eastern division in East Eau Claire instead of Fall Creek where land had been purchased for this purpose. The original village was platted by City of Eau Claire officials in 1881 and was named East Eau Claire. The railroad had reached Eau Claire in 1870 and in 1872 the separate villages of Eau Claire, Eau Claire City and North Eau Claire were incorporated as the City of Eau Claire. East Eau Claire, four miles distant and just empty wasteland, was not included in the charter. In 1874 a telegraph station was established where Altoona is now located. The real beginning, however, was in 1880 when railroad officials decided to locate a division point between St. Paul and Elroy. They selected Fall Creek, purchased land there and preliminary plans for repair shops and other buildings were drawn up. Mayor Bailey succeeded in having the president of the road and the company's chief engineer go over the line on foot with him between Eau Claire and Fall Creek. Altoona was found to be suitable and good water was there in abundance. Eau Claire officials agreed to grade the land and pay for the drilling of a well. In 1881 East Eau Claire was platted and the company established its division point there. In 1883 a post office was established. The name Altoona was being used more and more by residents as it was synonymous with the already famous Altoona, Penn., railroad yards. The very location of East Eau Claire isolated it from Eau Claire. It was divided from Eau Claire by the Eau Claire River and Otter Creek and could only be reached by a long, circuitous route. Charter Granted In 1887 the city was granted its charter by the state legislature with the new name of Altoona. The story is that Altoona officials went to Madison and obtained the charter without the knowledge of Eau Claire officials. It was before the legislature before it was known in Eau Claire which had full intentions of incorporating the area into the city. The residents selected the mayor-alderman form of government. The first mayor was James K. Brassill. Council members were W. G. Campbell, James E. Clune and W. L. Botsford. A. E. Freeman was the city clerk. At that time there were two wards but in 1922, with the development progressing on the other side of Otter Creek towards Eau Claire, a third ward was designated. It is known today as the Altoona Addition. With the establishment of the division point Altoona began booming. There were only two houses when it was selected for a division point. A dozen more were soon erected and workers flocked to the village for construction jobs and then as buildings were completed other jobs were created. The presence of the railroad attracted other businesses. Eating houses, first constructed by the railroad, came into existence. Saloons, taverns, general stores, livery stables, a blacksmith shop, shoe repair shops and a number of barber shops soon followed. Lumber Plentiful Houses were built from easily accessible lumber and railroad employees moved their families to Altoona. The railroad provided passenger service to Eau Claire, the village's first connection to the outside world. In 1883, two short years after it came into existence, the post office was established. The first order of business for the new city council, the same form of government still used today, was to form a volunteer fire department. A one room public school had been started in 1872 under village auspices. In 1892 the council approved and had a three room school constructed. Each room had three classes. In successive years two additional buildings were used for classrooms from kindergarten through eighth grade. Pupils then attended Washington Town High School. In 1911 a new brick building was constructed for all grades through high school. In 1912 an addition was built. (This school was located on Division St. and Daniels Ave.) In 1950 the school was destroyed by a Halloween night fire. Classes were held in the city hall, churches and empty store buildings until the fall of 1952 when a 16-room building was constructed. An addition was added in 1955 and another in 1961. In 1965 the new elementary school was completed next to the present junior and senior high school. Einar Pedersen has been principal and superintendent since 1947. Present members of the school board (1968) are Hollis Schauer, president; Lyal Bestul, Harold Harris, secretary; Bruce Peterson and Charles Beaver. Water System Installed Another one of the first operations in Altoona was the digging of the community well. In 1919 the city installed a water system and in 1929 a sewage system was installed. A new disposal plant was erected at the present site near Otter Creek in 1953. First church services were held in 1882 and were for any denomination. The first permanently established church was the Methodist Church in 1886. The Episcopal Church soon followed and in 1906 the Bethlehem Lutheran Church began services. St. Mary's Catholic Church was begun in 1916. In 1914 the interurban street car line was opened to Eau Claire and was replaced by bus service in 1932. Altoona also had a weekly newspaper. The first was the Altoona Headlight started in 1896. It continued for many years, went out of existence and the Altoona Tribune began publishing and was in business until 1947. Electricity came to the city in 1911 and telephone service was established early in the 1900's. Through the early 1900's Altoona continued to boom but as better roads were constructed to Eau Claire its residents started to do more shopping in that city and the business district began to decline. The number of railroad employees became fewer and fewer. It spurted to a peak of 450 in 1948 before sagging to its present level of 150 (in 1968) of which about two-thirds live in Altoona. After World War II the town fell on quiet ways. Taxes were low because few improvements were made and the citizens seemed content to leave things as they were. The school fire of 1950 drew Altoona residents together in a crisis in which it was imperative that a new school be built. That spirit has since prevailed. In 1959 two men, Hans Solem, a building contractor, and Chick Feather, a realtor, saw Altoona's potential to become a city of fine residential homes. It had good water, good schools and churches and plentiful home sites. They formed the Hometown Development Corporation and purchased 112 lots in what is now the Bel-Aire Addition. Together they built and sold approximately 90 homes and the residential boom was on. Today there are homes on all 112 lots and other contractors have taken over home construction in the city. A new city building ws constructed and opened in December of 1967 at a cost of $90,000. A city garage was also built at a cost of $21,000. The new city building houses the city clerk's and treasurer's office; a large meeting room, the police chief's office, fire department and library. Mrs. Maurice Nelson is librarian and the library has more than 5,000 books. The city has a bonded indebtness of $224,000 in revenue bonds entirely for sewer and water expansion. It also has a general obligation bond indebtness of $75,000 for the new city building and garage. The city has recently completed storm sewers in the Altoona Addition and streets there are now paved and have curb and gutter. The firm of Market and Koeppel has purchased 40 acres next to Bel-Aire and is presently developing it for homes. Country Club acres, a newly platted residential section north of Spooner Ave., has started construction of new homes. Mayor Gerald Wold, who will be seeking a third term in April (1968), has had to meet these expansion problems with his council. He noted that homes are great but do not pay the costs of all the needed improvements. He noted that the city is seeking new industry and has many good industrial sites with railroad transportation on the door step. The present city council is composed of Robert Thurston, Charles McGrouary, Joseph Dorf, Neil Manor, Glen Yarrington, and Carl Hohman. Dorf is also secretary of the Altoona Housing Authority which has laid plans for 24-units of housing for the elderly. The volunteer fire department is headed by Lamoine Gardow, who took over his duties in January. He succeeded Merl Gillett who resigned. Elwin Rumphol has been the police chief since 1952. Mrs. Lillian Pettis has served as city clerk since 1954 and the city treasurer since 1942 is Mrs. Augusta Rudolphson. The population in 1960 was 2,114 and today (1968) is estimated at 2,400. The assessed valuation in 1960 was $4,873,481 and today stands at $5,624,975. Former Mayors Mayors who have served Altoona since its inception include Stephen Keating, 1895, who succeeded Brassill; J. A. Sires, 1896; Martin Larsen, 1898; A. J. Volkman, 1900; H. E. Edgell, 1901; J. O. Enochson, 1904; C. G. King, 1911; O. H. Carroll, 1918, the year that Altoona was designated as a fourth class city. A. E. Nolle was mayor in 1922; Edward Peterson, 1924; A. E. Nolle again in 1926. There is no record of the mayors from 1928 until 1938 when Fred J. Gloede was elected. Gloede served from 1934 to 1950 when he was defeated by George Thurston who served two years. Gloede was re-elected in 1952 and served until his death in February of 1961. Sherman Paulson succeeded Gloede from 1961 to his death in November of 1962. Gerald Hagen served from 1962 to 1964 and Wold has served since that time. Gloede served the longest of any mayors and was instrumental in developing Altoona beach, one of the finest in the state and also encouraged home building in the city. --Taken from the Eau Claire Leader / The Daily Telegram, Progress Edition, 1968