Nancy Wolf's Ice Skates

Carol Mullen

Catalog Number: 1996.030.01

Image copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

La Crosse native Nancy Wolf could likely have been spotted enjoying these ice skates here from the 1930s to early 1940s. She reportedly wore them skating on the Mississippi River, and probably at area skating rinks as well.

Though often done, skating on the Mississippi was a chancy form of winter recreation. Ice thickness could change quickly with the current and the weather, and accidents and drownings occurred.

For this reason, several “safe rinks” were established by the city.  In 1935-36 La Crosse maintained ten skating rinks: at West Avenue and Jackson, Fifth and Hood, Hogan and Roosevelt Schools, Kane and St. Andrew, 14th and South Avenue, Copeland Park, the Pettibone Lagoon, 16th and Vine, and at Central High School, then located at 16th and Cass. Four new warming house huts were also erected that year, at the Roosevelt, 14th and South Avenue, 16th and Vine, and St. Andrew and Kane Street rinks. The La Crosse Tribune estimated over 100,000 skaters used its rinks during the 1935-36 season.

Ice skating was a wildly popular sport in La Crosse at the time, especially for young people. Area skating rinks were a place to meet friends, flirt with sweethearts, exchange gossip, and hang out, all while having fun during the long Wisconsin winters.

Nancy’s black leather skates were a quality brand called North Star, manufactured by Nestor Johnson of Chicago. They probably date from the 1930s, and would have cost about $95 in today’s money. Called “tubular skates”, they were designed with a stabilizing metal tube below the shoe portion of the skate and connected to the blade. An extra leather strap provided support.

Nancy Wolf was born in La Crosse in 1922, the daughter of Dr. Herman Wolf and his wife Eva. She lived in the city throughout her youth and young adulthood, when these skates were likely used. A busy career in museum work took her to San Francisco, Boston, Denver, and Washington D.C. Nancy also married and raised a family. She retired to La Crosse in 1992, and was active in La Crosse County Historical Society and the Preservation Alliance until her death in 1996.

Obviously worn and well loved, these skates are in original condition except for the replacement laces. If they could talk, they would tell the story of an adventurous young woman who spent many La Crosse winters on the ice.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on December 28, 2019.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

S.S. La Crosse Victory christening bottle

Haley Gagliano

Catalog Number: 1982.045.01

This christening bottle is from the S.S. La Crosse, a victory ship named after the city, which was christened 75 years ago on December 22, 1944. Christening is an age-old good luck tradition of breaking a champagne bottle over the bow of a new boat.

The S.S. La Crosse Victory was built in The Bethlehem-Fairfield Yard, a mass-production yard for Victory and cargo ships that was founded in 1941. Victory ships were created to transport war cargo quickly.  

A La Crosse Gold Star mother, Nellie Mae Cilley, launched the ship into the waters of the Patapsco River as she cracked the champagne bottle across the bow of the big merchant vessel. The broken bottle keeps its shape inside of a fabric cover which is tied and sewn shut to keep the pieces together, and to ensure that the broken pieces of glass didn’t end up in the water.

Cilley was chosen by the Navy Mothers Club No. 318 of La Crosse to christen the ship because she had lost two sons in the war and her third son was serving in the navy. One of her sons, Machinist Mate First Class La Verne D. Cilley, was lost on October 20, 1943 on his first voyage aboard a submarine in the south Pacific. Another, Sergeant Halsie E. Cilley, died on September 14 of injuries suffered while on duty at the Barton, Florida army air base. Her third son, Seaman First Class Paul E. Cilley, was taking advanced naval radio training in Chicago.

After the end of the war, the S.S. La Crosse Victory was used to bring soldiers home as were many other Victory ships. In 1947, the ship entered private ownership, was wrecked and repaired in 1961 and was eventually scrapped in 1969.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on December 21, 2019.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

The Hyde Family's Toy Horse

Amy Vach

Image Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Catalog Number: 1990.005.01

At some point during their childhood, many kids ask for a pony as a birthday or Christmas present. I asked Santa for one when I was little, and I never did get my pony. Besides the fact that ponies do not fit well under the Christmas tree, there are a lot of logistics and associated costs for adding such a pet to the family. A practical and economical solution is to purchase a toy horse. 

Image Courtesy of the La Crosse Public Library Archives and the La Crosse County Historical Society

This nearly century-old toy belonged to the Hyde family of La Crosse. Sam and Nan Hyde had two sons and two daughters David, Sam, Nancy, and Sally. Pictured are Sally and Nancy playing with their toy on a beautiful day outside. 

This is a rather large toy, and the photo does not do it justice. The horse and cart together are over 70 inches long, about 20 inches wide, and nearly 30 inches tall. The horse's body is made of wool stuffed with wood shavings, the mane and tail are made of black yarn, the ears of felt, and the eyes are buttons. It is wearing leather tack and a wooden handle for a child to hold onto while playing. The horse sits atop a metal carriage with wheels that still turn. The cart is wicker and wood with a gold-painted design on the side. A great deal of time and dedication went into making this horse. 

The vast majority of this horse, except the buttons, is made of natural materials instead of plastic. It is very different from the plastic toy horses available today. 

While the Hyde children did not get a real pony that year, this toy shows evidence of having been well-loved by the Hyde family and received many hours of play. On the back of the horse's legs, there are patches where holes have been mended again and again.

This horse and cart was donated to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 1990 by David Hyde.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on December 13, 2019.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.