After the merger with the Nordness Telephone Company in January of 1925. the combined firms operated under the name of Pleasant Ridge & Nordness Telephone Company. Later they were joined by the Clermont exchange and adopted the name, "The Scenic Ridge Telephone Company".

The stock of Scenic Ridge was purchased by the Ace Telephone Association of Houston, Minn., on Oct. 25, 1972. The company continued as the Scenic Ridge Telephone Company until September of 1975> when it became a part of the Ace Telephone Association.

The Ace Association modernized its Ossian facility in 1977, when all lines in the area were buried, and party lines discontinued. A relay station was built on Dessel Avenue at this time. A modern dialing system now allows Ossian residents to direct dial any phone in the United States and several foreign countries.

In the elections of 1886, the officials elected for Military twonship were: James Malloy and I. H. DeGraff—justices of the peace; J. E. Boyle and 0. G. Gleisner—constables; F. W. Dessel—assessor; James Malloy--clerk; and John Webster—trustee. The party vote was Democrats--!78 and Republicans—129.

An item in the Republican states that Dr. Austin Pegg of Ossian is one of only seven duly accredited physicians in Winneshiek county. This brought an angry blast from Dr. Jewell and Dr. Gregory of Castalia. They took the editor to task for labeling uncertified physicians as: "No better than traveling quacks." The editor responded that his statement was qualified by the preface: "In the eyes of the law".

1887

THE CLARK PROHIBITION LAW & OSSIAN SALOONS

The Ossian Bee as quoted in the Republican reports that the Clark bill has had a salutary effect on the liquor violations in Ossian. Here is the Bee article:

"The action on the part of the saloon keepers of Ossian is commendable. They propose to obey the law. If it is a good law, good results will soon be had; if an unwise law the people of Iowa will demand its repeal in tones not to be misunderstood at the next election. One argument, of the prohibitionists engaged in business, was that the money spent for liquor was diverted from legitimate trade. If the traffic ceased, their business would thereby increase. The saloon keepers here will engage in other pursuits. One has commenced fanning. John Wershing has opened a meat market; F. Dessel will, as soon as the machine season closes, put in a $6000 stock of merchandise, and another one has nearly completed arrangements to start a harness shop. A certain class of business men will be disappointed. These men have property, and if their business is destroyed by legislative enactment, they will not be idle, but will commence other business."

However, a letter to the editor, in a following edition, suggests that liquor sales have not slackened in Ossian. The writer states that only one saloon has closed. This is followed by another letter, dated April 21, 1887. We record it as written:

"Will you, through the columns of your valuable paper, give to the people of Winneshiek county a few facts concerning the whisky element of Ossian? After all that has been done in this county for the suppression of the illegal traffic, it still holds its hydra-head above it all and defies law, injunctions and all restraint whatever. In less than ten days, two debauches of the lowest order have occurred in as many places, to say nothing of the drunkenness that is seen every day on our streets.

The first drunken brawl mentioned took place in John McLane's saloon on Sunday night. A townsman, one Sullivan, had the facial part of the man badly mutilated, we should judge, by the way he went around town afterward—something after the manner of the quadruped you perhaps have seen, but instead of the customary board it was a cloth over the eyes. The last riot took place in John Groff's saloon last Saturday night. A man by the name of Logue was struck in