Kickapoo Valley League
The Kickapoo Valley League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, competing from 1907 to 1971. Membership was concentrated in the Driftless Area of the state, and all members belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]1907-1953
[edit]
The Kickapoo Valley League was formed in 1907 as an oratorical and track and field league by four small high schools in Crawford County and Vernon County in southwestern Wisconsin: La Farge, Seneca, Soldiers Grove and Viola.[1] The original members were all located along the Kickapoo River, a tributary of the Wisconsin River that the conference derives its name from. Membership experienced some minor changes in the early years, but the original group remained together for nearly a decade. Wauzeka joined in 1916[2] and Gays Mills joined in 1923 to bring membership to six schools.[3] In 1931, West Lima joined the Kickapoo Valley League, replacing the exiting Seneca.[4] They would rejoin the league along with newcomers Readstown in 1934.[5] This eight member group would be in place when basketball was first sponsored by the Kickapoo Valley League in 1936[6] and maintained stability into the early 1950s, when De Soto High School (who had opened the year before)[7] joined the conference in 1953 as its ninth member.[8]
1953-1971
[edit]
The Kickapoo Valley League maintained a steady roster for the next decade, sponsoring eight-player football for the first time in 1963 with six participating members (Gays Mills, La Farge, Seneca, Soldiers Grove, Viola and Wauzeka).[9][10] By the mid-1960s, conference membership began to change due to rural school district consolidation. The first of these changes occurred in 1964, when conference members Readstown, Viola and West Lima merged to form Kickapoo High School.[11] The new school played for one more year in the league before joining the Scenic Central Conference in 1965. Blue River and Ithaca joined the conference after being displaced by the dissolution of the I-W League 1964 to replace the schools that were lost.[12] In 1965, Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove combined to create the new North Crawford High School. They inherited the two predecessor schools' place in the league and were joined by two more schools left without conference affiliation after the I-W League's closing: Barneveld and Hollandale.[13] North Crawford's stay in the Kickapoo Valley League would be brief, as they and De Soto left in 1966 to join the Scenic Central Conference.[14] Blue River High School was lost to consolidation in 1967 when they joined with the Riverdale School District.[15] That same year, the Kickapoo Valley League transitioned to eleven-player football along with several other leagues in southern Wisconsin.[16] La Farge's exit from the Kickapoo Valley League to join the Scenic Central Conference in 1968 left the loop with just five schools.[17] The Kickapoo Valley League lost Hollandale to consolidation with Blanchardville in 1971, and the new Pecatonica High School inherited Blanchardville's State Line League membership.[18] The remaining four schools dissolved the conference that same year, with Barneveld joining the State Line League[19] and the other three schools (Ithaca, Seneca and Wauzeka) taking up residence in the Scenic Central Conference.[20]
Conference membership history
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Farge | La Farge, WI | Public | 66 | Wildcats | 1907[1] | 1968[17] | Scenic Central | Ridge & Valley | |
| Seneca | Seneca, WI | Public | 102 | Indians | 1907,[1] 1914,
1934[5] |
1912,[21] 1931,[4]
1971[20] |
Independent, | Ridge & Valley | |
| Soldiers Grove | Soldiers Grove, WI | Public | N/A | Cardinals | 1907[1] | 1965[13] | Closed (merged into North Crawford) | ||
| Viola | Viola, WI | Public | N/A | Blue Jackets | 1907[1] | 1964[11] | Closed (merged into Kickapoo) | ||
| Ontario | Ontario, WI | Public | N/A | Wildcats | 1912[21] | 1913[22] | Independent | Closed (merged into Brookwood) | |
| Wauzeka | Wauzeka, WI | Public | 78 | Hornets | 1916[2] | 1971[20] | Scenic Central | Ridge & Valley | |
| Gays Mills | Gays Mills, WI | Public | N/A | Tigers | 1923[3] | 1965[13] | Closed (merged into North Crawford) | ||
| West Lima | West Lima, WI | Public | N/A | Bulldogs | 1931[4] | 1964[11] | Closed (merged into Kickapoo) | ||
| Readstown | Readstown, WI | Public | N/A | Eagles | 1934[5] | 1964[11] | Closed (merged into Kickapoo) | ||
| De Soto | De Soto, WI | Public | 127 | Pirates | 1953[8] | 1966[14] | Scenic Central | Ridge & Valley | |
| Blue River | Blue River, WI | Public | N/A | Tigers | 1964[12] | 1967[15] | Closed (merged into Riverdale) | ||
| Kickapoo | Viola, WI | Public | 157 | Panthers | 1964[11] | 1965[13] | Scenic Central | Ridge & Valley | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca, WI | Public | 133 | Bulldogs | 1964[12] | 1971[20] | Scenic Central | Ridge & Valley | |
| Barneveld | Barneveld, WI | Public | 128 | Golden Eagles | 1965[13] | 1971[19] | State Line | Six Rivers | |
| Hollandale | Hollandale, WI | Public | N/A | Panthers | 1965[13] | 1971[18] | Closed (merged into Pecatonica) | ||
| North Crawford | Soldiers Grove, WI | Public | 124 | Trojans | 1965[13] | 1966[14] | Scenic Central | Ridge & Valley | |
Membership timeline
[edit]Full members
[edit]
Football members
[edit]
List of state champions
[edit]Fall sports
[edit]None
Winter sports
[edit]None
Spring sports
[edit]| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Wauzeka | 1927 | Single Division |
| Viola | 1932 | Class C |
| Viola | 1935 | Class C |
| Viola | 1936 | Class C |
| Soldiers Grove | 1940 | Class C |
| Soldiers Grove | 1941 | Class C |
List of conference champions
[edit]Boys Basketball
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Soldiers Grove | 11 | 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1963 |
| Gays Mills | 10 | 1943, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962 |
| Seneca | 6 | 1957, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967 |
| La Farge | 5 | 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956 |
| Barneveld | 2 | 1968, 1970 |
| Wauzeka | 2 | 1955, 1969 |
| West Lima | 2 | 1941, 1949 |
| Ithaca | 1 | 1971 |
| Kickapoo | 1 | 1965 |
| Readstown | 1 | 1958 |
| Blue River | 0 | |
| De Soto | 0 | |
| Hollandale | 0 | |
| North Crawford | 0 | |
| Viola | 0 |
Football
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ithaca | 3 | 1965, 1969, 1970 |
| Barneveld | 2 | 1966, 1967 |
| Kickapoo | 1 | 1964 |
| Seneca | 1 | 1963 |
| Wauzeka | 1 | 1968 |
| Blue River | 0 | |
| Gays Mills | 0 | |
| Hollandale | 0 | |
| La Farge | 0 | |
| North Crawford | 0 | |
| Soldiers Grove | 0 | |
| Viola | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Southern Kickapoo Valley League". La Farge Enterprise. April 24, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Let Us Have an Association to Boost for Viola". The Viola News. April 12, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Annual Track and Field Meet is Best in Years". The Kickapoo Scout. May 8, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Viola Leads Kickapoo Valley Loop". Wisconsin State Journal. January 31, 1932. p. 21. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Wauzeka, La Farge Top Kickapoo Valley". Wisconsin State Journal. January 29, 1935. p. 14. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "Soldiers Grove, On Crest of 18-Game Win Streak, Viola Tourney Favorite". La Crosse Tribune. February 28, 1940. p. 9. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "New De Soto HS Enrolls 191 Students". Kickapoo Scout. September 18, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "Area Prep Basketball Standings (see Kickapoo Valley League)". Wisconsin State Journal. November 29, 1953. p. 54. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "Lodi to Play at Waunakee". Wisconsin State Journal. September 27, 1963. p. 17. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Kickapoo Opens Play". The Capital Times. September 28, 1963. p. 15. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Kickapoo Area To Operate 2 High Schools". La Crosse Tribune. June 11, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Basketball Standings (see Kickapoo Valley League)". Wisconsin State Journal. January 10, 1965. p. 40. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Seneca Cops By 86 to 58". The Capital Times. January 22, 1966. p. 13. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Prep Standings (see Kickapoo Valley)". Wisconsin State Journal. January 8, 1967. p. 23. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Riverdale School Dist. Meets Monday; Will Elect Nine-Member Board". The Boscobel Dial. August 17, 1967. p. 6. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Dommershausen, Joe (August 31, 1967). "Area Preps Kick Off Friday". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. 2, Section 2. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "Wauzeka is Winner to Break Tie". The Capital Times. January 18, 1969. p. 15. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b Hillstrom, Eric (June 4, 1971). "City, Area Prep Hi-Notes". The Capital Times. p. 26. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Heisz Captures Scoring Crown". La Crosse Tribune. March 1, 1971. p. 13. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Scenic Central Conference Adds Three Schools, Splits". La Crosse Tribune. May 6, 1971. p. 19. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Local News". La Farge Enterprise. April 24, 1913. p. 5. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "High School Contest". The Viola News. April 30, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2025.