Northwest Border Conference
The Northwest Border Conference is a former high school athletic conference comprising small public high schools along the St. Croix River in northwestern Wisconsin. The conference existed from 1940 to 1955, and all member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]The Northwest Border Conference was founded in 1940 from a split of the ten-member Upper St. Croix Valley Conference.[1] The five smallest schools in that conference (Balsam Lake, Centuria, Luck, Milltown and Webster), joined with Siren (previously an independent) to form the original six-member roster.[2] After only two seasons in the conference, Milltown returned to the Upper St. Croix Valley Conference in 1942,[3] leaving the conference with five members. Luck followed Milltown back to the Upper St. Croix Valley in 1946[4] and were replaced by Somerset in 1947.[5] The Northwest Border Conference competed as a five-member loop until Webster rejoined the Upper St. Croix Valley in 1953.[6] The conference continued with four members until its dissolution in 1955. Somerset immediately joined the Dunn-St. Croix Conference upon their exit,[7] while Balsam Lake, Centuria and Siren became independents. All three schools eventually joined the Lakeland Conference: Balsam Lake and Centuria in 1956[8] and Siren in 1959.[9]
Conference membership history
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balsam Lake | Balsam Lake, WI | Public | N/A | Warriors | 1940[1] | 1955[8] | Independent | Closed in 1957 (merged into Unity) | |
| Centuria | Centuria, WI | Public | N/A | Raiders | 1940[1] | 1955[8] | Independent | Closed in 1957 (merged into Unity) | |
| Luck | Luck, WI | Public | 118 | Cardinals | 1940[1] | 1946[4] | Upper St. Croix Valley | Lakeland | |
| Milltown | Milltown, WI | Public | N/A | Wildcats | 1940[1] | 1942[3] | Upper St. Croix Valley | Closed in 1957 (merged into Unity) | |
| Siren | Siren, WI | Public | 145 | Dragons | 1940[1] | 1955[9] | Independent | Lakeland | |
| Webster | Webster, WI | Public | 295 | Tigers | 1940[1] | 1953[6] | Upper St. Croix Valley | Lakeland | |
| Somerset | Somerset, WI | Public | 470 | Spartans | 1947[5] | 1955[7] | Dunn-St. Croix | Middle Border |
Membership timeline
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Random Sports Bits". Dunn County News. 15 May 1940. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Teams to Play in Class B and Class C Basketball Tournament Picked; Three to be Held in Eau Claire". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 19 February 1939. p. 7. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Suburban Cage Standings (see St. Croix Valley)". The Capital Times. 22 December 1942. p. 20. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b The Amerian. 1949. p. 57.
- ^ a b Randolph, Jim (2 May 1947). "Badger Baseball "Hot"". Minneapolis Star Tribune. p. 38. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b The Amerian. 1954. p. 56.
- ^ a b "The Records (see Dunn-St. Croix standings)". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 29 November 1955. p. 14. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Northwest Area Prep Teams Have Full Schedules for Tonight". Eau Claire Daily Telegram. 20 November 1956. p. 10. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Area Prep Teams Play Tonight". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 8 December 1959. p. 12. Retrieved 18 April 2025.