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River Commission holds local meeting
The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) hosted a public meeting in Marquette aboard the largest towboat ever built in the U.S., the Motor Vessel Mississippi, on Aug. 12. The big boat caused a stir, but local residents were not allowed to tour the boat as they were in some other locations. During the public meeting, the District Engineer of St. Paul District provided a summary report on national and regional issues affecting the Corps of Engineers and MRC projects on the Mississippi River, as well as an overview of projects underway. Col. Robert Ball explained to the 50 members of the public present that the Corps main functions are navigation, environmental protection, regulations, recreation, flood damage control and disaster response. He said the public needs to be the "voice of the river" and the input they receive at these annual meetings helps to create projects and set policy. He used the Pool 8 drawdown as an example of the public's input helping to make things happen. At the Marquette meeting, several different issues were brought up by those in attendance, including the desire for more local beaches, and the need for commercial and recreational boater to coexist harmoniously on the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, contributes around $142 million to the five-state district economy. The more than 700 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, go to www.mvp.usace.army.mil . Responses to input received at the public hearing will be available on this website within the next few weeks. Facts about the Motor Vessel Mississippi * Largest diesel towboat ever built in the US * Commissioned in 1993 * Ninety percent of the vessel's time is spent as a working towboat for the Corps' Memphis District. Main role is moving barges, equipment and supplies on the Mississippi River in support of mat sinking operation. * Dimensions - Length: 241 feet; Width: 58 feet; Hull depth: 12 feet; Height of boat from waterline to top of pilothouse: 52 feet (main deck plus four upper levels, fully loaded); gross weight: 2,823 tons. * Propellers: 5-blade, 93 inch diameter. * Propeller shaft: 10-inch diameter. * Design speed: 15 mph (slack water, no load); 8 mph (with 16 barges). * Fuel consumption with 16-barge tow: 6,270 gallons per day * Crew members: 37 * Hearing room capacity: 200

Broadcasting from historic St. Feriole Island, WPRE comes through loud & clear for nearly 50 years
Broadcasting loud and clear for nearly 50 years, Prairie du Chien radio station WPRE is the next in our continuing series on longtime Prairie du Chien businesses. WPRE began as a small concrete block building, built in 1952 on St. Feriole Island. Walter Schlaugat Jr. hired contractor Art Steiner to begin construction of the station in August of 1952 and WPRE went on the air on Dec. 11, 1952 at 1280 on the AM (amplitude modulation) dial. With owners Walter and Mary Ellen Schlaugat serving as deejays, along with program director Jack Hassbrock, WPRE broadcast music, news and daytime sports during the station's formative years. Walter said that Mary Ellen selected the music, which included such notables as Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Tex Beneke and others. All music was spun on turntables from 78 rpm platters. Sportscasts during the station's early years included Green Bay Packer football, Milwaukee Braves baseball, University of Wisconsin football and Friday afternoon high school football. WPRE didn't broadcast at night back then, Walter said. Local news was broadcast at 12:30 p.m., as it still is nearly a half century later. One of the biggest news stories that Walter can remember covering was when the Mississippi River bridge between Prairie du Chien and Marquette, "became free," no longer charging its users a toll. "I recorded the governor (Walter J. Kohler Jr.) as he said, "That bridge goes free tonight or else the National Guard will be here,'" said Walter, in explaining that the Prairie du Chien mayor had wanted to keep the toll. "It was like Christmas and New Years Eve all rolled into one," said Walter about the bridge's toll being lifted. "Hundreds of people began driving across the bridge in celebration." "That was a great thing when the bridge went free," Walter said. "The toll was a deterrent for communications both ways." Another top news story during the early years was when the old San Hotel burned down. "The San was a nice hotel and had good food," Walter said. The San Hotel stood where the F&M Bank building stands now. Also mentioned as top news stories were the big floods Prairie du Chien has endured from time to time. During the biggest floods, employees of WPRE had to be taken by boats out to their station, where they broadcast "from out in the middle of the Mississippi." Walter said that down through the years, "The thing that made WPRE was the great employees." In addition to Walter and Mary Ellen, original employees included Jack Hassbrock as program director and deejay, Tom Multerer in sales, Helen Terrence as office personnel and Jerry Key as deejay. Among the original advertisers were Blackhawk Clothiers, Farrell's Drug Store, Ritchie's Jewelry Store, Hess International Harvester (located at what is now People's State Bank) and Blackhawk Jack Sprat Food Store, which was located where the new City Hall is now. Walter said he started WPRE in Prairie du Chien at the urging of a classmate at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Prairie du Chien native Jasper Harwood. Walter said that when WPRE first started, it was the only radio station for miles around, filling a niche in the Prairie du Chien area. "I always loved radio," said Walter, who had worked at a couple of radio stations in Milwaukee, while also enjoying his hobby as a HAM radio operator. In 1942, the United States needed radio operators for the war effort and sent out word to many colleges seeking young men with experience in radio. Walter then took time off from the Milwaukee School of Engineering to work as a civilian instructor at Truax Field in Madison training radio operators for the Air Force. "We put a lot of guys through that (radio) school, I'll tell you," Walter said. Following his stint as a radio operator instructor, Walter joined the Merchant Marine as a radio operator during World War II. Sometime during that period, Walter also graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering as an electrical engineer. In 1952, Walter and his wife Mary Ellen moved to Prairie du Chien and purchased four acres from Mr. and Mrs. Harry Zabel. Those four acres would become the site of WPRE. "Through the years, we always tried to improve," Walter said. A few years after it began, the AM station went "down the dial" from 1280 kilocycles to 980 kilocycles, while increasing power from 500 to 1,000 watts in order to improve the station's reach. Always keeping abreast of the trends, Walter added an FM station in the 1960s at the same site as the AM station. "We were lucky to get it," Walter said of the FM station, which allowed for more diverse programming and the broadcast of live night time sports and other events. "FM (frequency modulation) was just starting to get popular. I could see that FM was going to be dominant." The FM station went from 6 kilowatts to 35 kilowatts and moved to its current location on a hilltop in the 1970s. WPRE AM and WQPC FM served the needs of the greater Prairie du Chien area for the next several years until Walter finally decided to retire. "One day I woke up and I was 75 years old and I decided it was time to quit," he said of his decision nearly five years ago to sell the station to the Robinson Corporation, which is based in Viroqua. No longer spinning 78s, WPRE and WQPC now uses CDs for music and commercials, having become "computerized in the 1980s. Operations Manager Jeff Robinson, who also serves as the Q94 afternoon host, said that in the 1950s, commercials were read live. The station switched to tape in the Ô60s and Ô70s. Robinson said that another major innovation was introduced nearly two years ago when WPRE and WQPC went to completely separate programming. Before then, the AM and FM stations were simulcast. The stations are now known as WPRE "AM Cruisin' 980" and WQPC "Q94 Great Country." The stations continue to evolve and in January 2001, the Federal Communications Commission granted authority to WPRE to operate on the AM dial at night at a reduced power. The "night time authority" paved the way for both the AM and FM stations to be on 24 hours per day, Robinson explained. The purchase of a new $20,000 energy-efficient, solid-state AM transmitter, which replaced an obsolete 1960s model, also allowed for both stations to broadcast 24 hours per day. "This is one of the most exciting things we've done in the last few years," said Robinson. "And we hope to continue to serve the needs of our listeners in the greater Crawford County area." As the stations' continue to expand, WQPC's listeners may be pleased to know that management has been working on getting Monday Night Football. Robinson said that the first MNF broadcast is expected to be of a special Thursday night game Sept. 5. More exciting innovations are sure to come in the future and Robinson said that one long-term goal is to eventually get WPRE relocated out of the floodplain. Whatever new trends come along, WPRE listeners are sure to be tuning in, just as they have for nearly a half century of music, news and sports. Aug. 16 & 17: Villa Louis Staff Reunion. * The Friends of the Villa Louis cordially invite the community to share memories of the Dousmans and their estate with former and present staff members, in recognition of the Villa's 50th Anniversary. (608)326-2721.

Search of Mississippi River at Lawler Park turns up nothing
Several law enforcement agencies, including the newly activated Crawford County Dive Team, converged on the north end of Lawler Park in Prairie du Chien Thursday afternoon after receiving a report of possible human hair found by a fisherman. Crawford County Sheriff Robert Ostrander said that at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday a fisherman reported to authorities that he had hooked something heavy while fishing in the Mississippi River from Lawler Park Wednesday night. The fisherman told authorities that the hook came free and when he reeled it in the hook had several strands of long, auburn hair, Ostrander said. Several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including the Prairie du Chien Police Department, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the MarMac Police and Fire departments, the Clayton County Sheriff's Department, the Prairie du Chien Fire Department, the Grant County Emergency Government, the Prairie du Chien EMS and the Crawford County Emergency Government. A search was conducted of the grounds of the north end of Lawler Park by several law enforcement personnel who formed a tight line and walked slowly while searching the grass for the hairs, which had blown off of a picnic table Wednesday night when the fisherman had turned to set his pole down. One of the hairs was found in the search of the grounds Thursday afternoon. Prairie du Chien Police Department Lieutenant Erich Ahrens and Sheriff Ostrander determined that the Crawford County Dive Team would be activated, and a search of the river near where the person had been fishing was conducted. The dive team, which had just completed its last day of training on Wednesday, thoroughly searched the area of the channel where the fisherman had been fishing. The search was called off in the late afternoon. Lawler Park was closed from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday during the activity. On Friday morning, the channel was searched using two dogs from Sheboygan that are trained to find bodies in water. Both dogs gave indications of something in the water and the dive team was again activated. The dogs again gave indications Friday afternoon and the divers continued their search but nothing was found. The search was called off late afternoon Friday. Neither the Crawford County Sheriff's Department nor the Prairie du Chien Police Department have recent reports of any missing persons.