Bi-County League
The Bi-County League is a former high school athletic conference with its membership base in west central Wisconsin. The conference was active from 1928 to 1959, and all of its member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]1928–1955
[edit]
The Bi-County League was formed in 1928[1] by eight small high schools near the Mississippi River in west central Wisconsin: Alma, Arkansaw, Cochrane, Durand, Fountain City, Gilmanton, Mondovi and Nelson.[2] All original members were located in two counties (Buffalo and Pepin), which is where the name originated from. Five years after it was founded, the conference lost three members to the new Mississippi Valley Conference (Alma, Durand and Mondovi),[3] along with a fourth becoming an independent in Fountain City. Pepin replaced the four departing schools, bringing the membership tally to five.[4] Alma and Fountain City rejoined the Bi-County League in 1934[5] to bring membership back up to seven schools. Plum City joined the Bi-County League in 1935,[6] replacing Cochrane after their exit. They would rejoin the next year,[7] bringing the conference back up to eight members. It would stay at this number for most of the next two decades, save for a season when Maiden Rock was the Bi-County League's ninth school.[8][9]
1955–1959
[edit]The Bi-County League’s membership was whittled away by rural school district consolidation in the 1950s, starting with Nelson’s closing and redistricting to Durand in 1955.[10] Two years later, Plum City left for membership in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference,[11] and after the merger of Cochrane and Fountain City in 1958,[12] the conference was left with only five members.[13] The Bi-County League was dissolved in 1959, with four schools (Alma, Arkansaw, Gilmanton and Pepin) forming half of the new West Central Conference[14] and Cochrane-Fountain City becoming members of the Mississippi Valley Conference.[15]
Conference membership history
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | Alma, WI | Public | 65 | Rivermen | 1928,[1][2] 1934[5] | 1933,[3] 1959[14] | Mississippi Valley, West Central | Dairyland (coop with Pepin) | |
| Arkansaw | Arkansaw, WI | Public | N/A | Travelers | 1928[1][2] | 1959[14] | West Central | Closed in 1992 (consolidated into Durand) | |
| Cochrane | Cochrane, WI | Public | N/A | Indians | 1928,[1][2] 1936[7] | 1935,[6] 1958[12] | Closed (merged into Cochrane-Fountain City) | ||
| Durand | Durand, WI | Public | 307 | Panthers | 1928[1][2] | 1933[3] | Mississippi Valley | Dunn-St. Croix | |
| Fountain City | Fountain City, WI | Public | N/A | Eagles | 1928,[1][2] 1934[5] | 1933,[4] 1958[12] | Closed (merged into Cochrane-Fountain City) | ||
| Gilmanton | Gilmanton, WI | Public | 39 | Panthers | 1928[1][2] | 1959[14] | West Central | Dairyland (coop with Independence) | |
| Mondovi | Mondovi, WI | Public | 250 | Buffaloes | 1928[1][2] | 1933[3] | Mississippi Valley | Dunn-St. Croix | |
| Nelson | Nelson, WI | Public | N/A | Vikings | 1928[1][2] | 1955[10] | Closed (consolidated into Durand) | ||
| Pepin | Pepin, WI | Public | 84 | Lakers | 1933[4] | 1959[14] | West Central | Dairyland (coop with Alma) | |
| Plum City | Plum City, WI | Public | 88 | Blue Devils | 1935[6] | 1957[11] | Dunn-St. Croix | Dunn-St. Croix (coop with Elmwood) | |
| Maiden Rock | Maiden Rock, WI | Public | N/A | Rockets | 1950[8] | 1951[9] | Independent | Closed in 1956 (consolidated into Ellsworth) | |
| Cochrane-Fountain City | Fountain City, WI | Public | 175 | Pirates | 1958[12] | 1959[15] | Mississippi Valley | Dairyland | |
Membership timeline
[edit]
List of conference champions
[edit]Boys Basketball
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Alma | 8 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1959 |
| Cochrane | 7 | 1935, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 |
| Fountain City | 3 | 1939, 1951, 1952 |
| Mondovi | 3 | 1931, 1932, 1933 |
| Durand | 2 | 1929, 1930 |
| Gilmanton | 2 | 1934, 1945 |
| Nelson | 1 | 1947 |
| Pepin | 1 | 1946 |
| Plum City | 1 | 1941 |
| Arkansaw | 0 | |
| Cochrane-Fountain City | 0 | |
| Maiden Rock | 0 | |
| Champions from 1940, 1942-1943 unknown | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i The Mirror. Mondovi High School. 1929. p. 44.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Durand Defeats Gilmanton, Keeps Bi-County Lead". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 17 February 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Mondovi". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 23 May 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Gilmanton Keeps Bi-County Lead, Arkansaw Threatens". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 24 January 1934. p. 4. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Bi-County Conference Admits Two Schools". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 22 September 1934. p. 12. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Arkansaw, Alma Hold Bi-County Conference Lead". Winona Daily News. 7 December 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Gilmanton, Alma, Fountain City and Plum City Victors". Winona Daily News. 25 November 1936. p. 12. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ a b "The Records (see Bi-County standings)". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 28 November 1950. p. 14. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b "The Records (see Bi-County Conference standings)". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 4 December 1951. p. 8. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Durand High School Enrollment Increases". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 4 September 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Seven Circuits See Action in Prep Grid Slate Tonight". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 13 September 1957. p. 11. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d "School District Sells Bond Issue at Cochrane Meet". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 15 September 1957. p. 3. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Prep Cagers End 1958 Season with 25 Games". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 19 December 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Fifty Area Cage Teams Slate Pre-Holiday Action". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 24 November 1959. p. 14. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Chippewa, Menomonie Join Mississippi Valley League". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. 30 October 1958. p. 18. Retrieved 3 February 2025.