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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

Founding and Early Years (1907-1953)

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. Membership experienced some minor changes in the early years, but the original group remained together for nearly a decade. Wauzeka joined in 1916 and Gays Mills joined in 1923 to bring membership to six schools. In 1931, West Lima joined the Kickapoo Valley League, replacing the exiting Seneca. They would rejoin the league along with newcomers Readstown in 1934. The group of eight member schools stayed stable into the early 1950s, when De Soto High School joined the conference in 1953.

Consolidated Into Oblivion (1953-1971)

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. 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. 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. 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. Blue River High School was lost to consolidation in 1967 when they joined with the Riverdale School District. La Farge's exit from the Kickapoo Valley League to join the Scenic Central Conference in 1968 left the loop with just five schools. 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. The remaining four schools dissolved the conference that same year, with Barneveld joining the State Line League and the other three schools (Ithaca, Seneca and Wauzeka) taking up residence in the Scenic Central Conference.

Conference Membership History

List of State Champions

Fall Sports

None

Winter Sports

None

Spring Sports

References

1. ^ "Southern Kickapoo Valley League". La Farge Enterprise. 24 April 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
2. ^ "Let Us Have an Association to Boost for Viola". The Viola News. 12 April 1917. p. 1. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
3. ^ "Annual Track and Field Meet is Best in Years". The Kickapoo Scout. 8 May 1924. p. 1. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
4. ^ "Viola Leads Kickapoo Valley Loop". Wisconsin State Journal. 31 January 1932. p. 21. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
5. ^ "Wauzeka, La Farge Top Kickapoo Valley". Wisconsin State Journal. 29 January 1935. p. 14. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
6. ^ "Area Prep Basketball Standings (see Kickapoo Valley League)". Wisconsin State Journal. 29 November 1953. p. 54. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
7. ^ "Kickapoo Area To Operate 2 High Schools". La Crosse Tribune. 11 June 1964. p. 1. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
8. ^ "Basketball Standings (see Kickapoo Valley League)". Wisconsin State Journal. 10 January 1965. p. 40. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
9. ^ "Seneca Cops By 86 to 58". The Capital Times. 22 January 1966. p. 13. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
10. ^ "Prep Standings (see Kickapoo Valley)". Wisconsin State Journal. 8 January 1967. p. 23. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
11. ^ "Riverdale School Dist. Meets Monday; Will Elect Nine-Member Board". The Boscobel Dial. 17 August 1967. p. 6. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
12. ^ "Wauzeka is Winner to Break Tie". The Capital Times. 18 January 1969. p. 15. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
13. ^ Hillstrom, Eric (4 June 1971). "City, Area Prep Hi-Notes". The Capital Times. p. 26. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
14. ^ "Heisz Captures Scoring Crown". La Crosse Tribune. 1 March 1971. p. 13. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
15. ^ "Scenic Central Conference Adds Three Schools, Splits". La Crosse Tribune. 6 May 1971. p. 19. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
16. ^ "Local News". La Farge Enterprise. 24 April 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
17. "High School Contest". The Viola News. 30 April 1914. p. 1. Retrieved 10 January 2025.

• Wisconsin high school sports conferences
• Sports organizations established in 1907
• 1907 establishments in Wisconsin
• 1971 disestablishments in Wisconsin