West Salem, WI Great Part Of Town Destroyed, July 1911

FIRE WIPES OUT WISCONSIN TOWN.

La Crosse, Wis., July 3. -- Fire Saturday wiped out the greater part of the business district and the two lumber yards of West Salem, a village of 1,000, twelve miles east of here, causing a loss estimated at $300,000. The residence section of the village was saved only through the efforts of the La Crosse fire department, which went to the rescue on a special train.
The blaze broke out in the lumber yards of the SANDERS and CULLMAN company, and quickly spread to the lumber yard of F. I. DELLES, adjoining. Both of these yards are at the edge of the business district, to which the flames quickly spread. The main stores, hotels, livery stable and the offices of both telephone companies were burned out. The depots of the Milwaukee and Northwestern roads were saved after a hard fight.
MRS. JOHN GRONER, in charge of the Central station of the telephone company, was in the first building which caught fire from the lumber yards, but she remained at her post until she had sent out messages asking La Crosse, Bangor and other neighboring points for aid.

Waterloo Evening Courier Iowa 1911-07-03
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!