Book 2 - Nathan, Amy, Madison and Ethan Berga

Memories of Spring Valley, Wisconsin
McCardle Grocery Store was the closest to
our house, and mother, Helen, would send me there
on errands. My dad’s newspaper, The Sun’s office was
about midway on Main Street and between our house
and the school. There was a municipal building near
the school where Santa came at Christmas and kids
were treated to a movie and candy. The telephone
office was in operation, but not everyone had a telephone
in the 30’s, including my Grandma Lena’s
farm. They didn’t have electricity at that time either.
Churches were well represented: Lutheran, Catholic
and Congregational. The Lutheran pastor, Berven,
served Spring Valley, Gilman and Spring Lake congregation,
with Spring Valley being the largest. The
Congregational Church was built on the west hill.
Cement tracks were built in the drive up the hill to
help the cars. It was frightfully steep and no place
to turn around. At the top of the hill, the road went
in each direction, north and south. Several of the
wealthier families lived there. I gathered wildflowers
there for May baskets, afraid of the banker’s big
dog!
At the bottom of the hill the train pulled in next
to the Grain Elevator before going across the trestle
down through the valley to Elmwood. Next to the
trestle was the second largest, black iron bridge for
walking and passenger cars. My brother, Jerry, and I
would occasionally walk the train trestle on our way
to church. The first black iron bridge was at the other
end of town near where Mother grew up, and where
the “Ice Man,” Mr. Zimmer, lived. The frozen water
in the river was cut and stored in a large barn in
heavy sawdust, to be used in iceboxes in area homes.
During the summer, Mother, and her brother, Ted,
would dive from the top of the bridge into the river.
The water was deep then.
Highway 29 followed along the valley from Baldwin
east through Spring Valley, past the two cemeteries
to Elmwood. It was tradition to meet family and
friends while decorating the cemetery on Memorial
Day. The winter snow would dump over the hills
into the valley. When the snow was piled up next to
the downtown street it would be as high as the first
floor outside the stores. We would walk on the top
to school, above the cars. In the spring the ditches
beside the roads were full of yellow Buttercups. The
village had special days like Farmer’s Day with a parade.
My mother made costumes for Jerry and I to
wear in the parade. Saturday nights in the summer
the farmers came to town to shop, talk and listen
to the school band. It was a peaceful existence and
people were respectful. 19
May 1914: The oldest building in the
village, a former schoolhouse and social
center built about 1870, was torn down to
make room for the approach to a wagon
bridge over Eau Galle River. It was a log
building; 12x16 feet. Former teachers
were: J.A. Martin, Mrs. Alvah Matteson,
B.J. Thompson, Wm. D. Akers, Mrs. H.B.
Irish, Mrs. M.L. Maxgood, Frank Lawrence,
Ira Carpenter, and Ella Carpenter. 3
Dec., 1905: News has been received here of
the death of Wm. D. Akers at Meyers Falls.
Akers retired in February of 1896 after
serving as Postmaster for Spring Lake
Twp., and later for Spring Valley, since
1870. The first post office in town, owned
by Akers, was the former George Wentland
home. It was torn down in 1973. 3
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