Contributed by the Loyal Public Library and transcribed by Stan

Source: LOYAL CENTENNIAL BOOK (Loyal, Clark County, Wis.) 1870- 1970

1. Loyal has been fortunate not to have had disasters by flood waters, major wind storms, tornado, or forest fires, as some early settlements did.

On April 27, 1905, Mrs. George (Lillian) Wall had gone to the depot to get her order of wallpaper. Although someone had called to her she heard neither the voice nor realized the train was moving until it was too late.

She left four small children, the youngest being a year and a half old.

Albert Davel, knowing the family, took the horse and buggy home and delivered the sad news to the family.

2. An auto accident claimed the life of a seven-year-old boy, Herbert Helm, on Oct. 16, 1927. The accident happened after church at St. Balthasar's Catholic Church. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Axel Helm.

3. Another automobile accident claimed the life of Miss Evelyn Froeba, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Froeba. The accident occurred at the water tower corner on her way home from church on April 4, 1943.

4. A major disaster took place on Feb. 14, 1918, when the boiler of the Jenks Creamery Co. blew up. The explosion had such force that the upper part of the boiler went through the roof of a barn a block and a half away. Several had believed that a balloon was going over when they first saw the object at a great height.

Arthur Harry Jenks, 37, was the manager who was killed instantly.

Thomas Vogel, 17, also in the accident, died in the Marshfield Hospital the same day.

5. One of the most unbelievable catastrophes in the history of the village and city was the Allen Block fire in the wee hours of March 28, 1931.

At that time, known as the Kehrberg building, it was the largest structure in the village. Bill Meyer had just purchased the bowling alley in the basement. Wepfer's Drug Store, the Tribune office, and Kehrberg's store occupied the main floor.

Seven families were living in the building at the time. They were Mr. and Mrs. Frank Christensen and three children; Mr. and Mrs. Matt Beaver; Mr. and Mrs. Gerhard Kehrberg and two children; Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kehrberg and daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Rekow; Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Cowles and daughter; and Mr. and Mrs. William Lokken. The Christensens had moved in only a few days before.

Bobby Christens, 10, and his sister, Marie, 3, perished in the flaming stairway, while the mother had gone to the window for help. Mrs. Christensen, 35, and daughter Jane, 4, were taken from the burning building, and then to St. Joseph's Hospital, where they both died. Two other deaths were recorded in the same blaze. They were Mrs. Matt (Mary) Beaver, 23; and Mrs. Joe (Marjorie) Shober, who had been spending the night at the Beaver apartment.

The disaster carried headlines at the same time as the fatal plane crash carrying Knute Rockne to his death.

6. The most recent tragedy took place Oct. 5, 1967, when Richard M. Miles, 61, and his son, Richard Charles Miles, 31, were both burned to death when they came in contact with high tension wires while installing a television tower in the city.

7. Through the years there had been epidemics of typhoid fever, diphtheria and small pox.

During the influenza and Spanish flue of WWI days, Loyal had its share of victims, but not as many as some communities of equal size in the county. Those listed for Loyal were Paul Brussow, 29, a building contractor; Helmuth Brussow, 28, farmer; Florence Evelyn Felker, 29, teacher; Charles Hamilton, 33, farmer; Anthony Kilburn, 17, clerk in a bank; Clarence Ernest McIntyre, 3 ; Vincent Stelson, 63; Arno Schmidt, 33, no occupation given; and Jessie Smith, 35, housewife.