Yesterday in La Crosse
We set our clocks to Central War Time, 76 years ago
In the spring of 1942, clocks all over the U.S. were running an hour ahead of Standard Time to save energy during World War II. It was called “War Time,” and it remained in effect year-round until the Japanese surrender in August of 1945. WKBH Radio, now WIZM, had 15-minute programs of only war news. One was at 7 a.m., and the other at 12:45 p.m.
Talk of victory was everywhere in ’42. Westby High School had graduation two weeks early, so young people could put in more work time on farms, with so many men fighting the war. The Westby commencement speaker was Rexford Mitchell, president of the La Crosse Teachers College. Mitchell’s name is now on the athletic building at UW-La Crosse.
A band called the “Hawaiian Victory Band” performed at La Crosse’s Trocadero Night Club, in the 100 block of N. 3rd St. The Cavalier bar was in the same place you’d find in now, 5th Avenue North. You could see Wisconsin native Liberace perform at the Cavalier, yesterday in La Crosse.