Juneau County League
The Juneau County League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 1926 and disbanded in 1958, all of its member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]The Juneau County League was founded in 1926 by six small high schools on the eastern edge of the Driftless Area in central Wisconsin: Elroy, Hillsboro, Mauston, Necedah, New Lisbon and Wonewoc.[1] All members were located in Juneau County with the exception of Hillsboro in neighboring Vernon County. Necedah left the conference after one season to be replaced by Camp Douglas High School in 1927.[2] The Juneau County League continued on with six members until Necedah returned to the conference and Wisconsin Dells joined in 1932, bringing the membership roster to a high of eight schools.[3] Wisconsin Dells would leave the conference to join the South Central Conference as a provisionary member in 1939[4] and were followed out two years later by Mauston, who joined the West Central Conference.[5] The six remaining schools would carry on until Westby joined the loop after the demise of the West Central Conference in 1952.[6] By the mid-1950s, rural school district consolidation and defections began to take their toll on conference membership. Camp Douglas High School was the first to go, as it closed in 1955 after their school district was folded into neighboring Tomah.[7][8] Necedah left the next year for membership in the Central Lakes Conference,[9] and by 1956, there were only five schools left in the conference.[10] The end came for the Juneau County League came in 1958, when the five remaining members merged with the five-school Monroe-Vernon Conference (Cashton, Kendall, Norwalk, Ontario and Wilton) to form the new Scenic Central Conference.[11]
Conference Membership History
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elroy | Elroy, WI | Public | N/A | Hilltoppers | 1926[1] | 1958[11] | Scenic Central | Closed in 1959 (merged into Royall) | |
| Hillsboro | Hillsboro, WI | Public | 163 | Tigers | 1926[1] | 1958[11] | Scenic Central | Scenic Bluffs | |
| Mauston | Mauston, WI | Public | 474 | Golden Eagles | 1926[1] | 1941[5] | West Central | South Central | |
| Necedah | Necedah, WI | Public | 213 | Cardinals | 1926,[1]
1932[3] |
1927,[2]
1956[9] |
Independent, | Scenic Bluffs | |
| New Lisbon | New Lisbon, WI | Public | 156 | Rockets | 1926[1] | 1958[11] | Scenic Central | Scenic Bluffs | |
| Wonewoc | Wonewoc, WI | Public | 115 | Indians | 1926[1] | 1958[11] | Scenic Central | Scenic Bluffs | |
| Camp Douglas | Camp Douglas, WI | Public | N/A | Generals | 1927[2] | 1955[7][8] | Closed (merged into Tomah) | ||
| Wisconsin Dells | Wisconsin Dells, WI | Public | 596 | Chiefs | 1932[3] | 1939[4] | South Central | ||
| Westby | Westby, WI | Public | 305 | Norsemen | 1952[6] | 1958[11] | Scenic Central | Coulee | |
Membership Timeline
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Elroy Wins Third Straight in Juneau County League". Wisconsin State Journal. January 10, 1927. p. 11. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Wonewoc Clinches New Juneau Loop Crown This Week". La Crosse Tribune. March 5, 1928. p. 7. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Camp Douglas to Play New Lisbon". The Capital Times. February 10, 1933. p. 11. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Wisconsin Dells Admitted to South Central". The Capital Times. March 25, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Middleton Coach Will Take Post at Mauston". The Capital Times. January 27, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "State Prep Cage Standings (see Juneau County League)". Wisconsin State Journal. November 30, 1952. p. 30. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Camp Douglas Area Seeks School Merger With Tomah". La Crosse Tribune. June 5, 1955. p. 18. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Area High School Basketball Standings (see Juneau County League)". Wisconsin State Journal. December 18, 1955. p. 54. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Three Area Quintets Eye Conference Titles". Oshkosh Northwestern. February 11, 1957. p. 13. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "High School Basketball Standings (see Juneau County League)". Wisconsin State Journal. December 8, 1957. p. 40. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Area Basketball Clubs See Action". La Crosse Tribune. November 17, 1958. p. 15. Retrieved January 10, 2025.