‘Welcome to Colfax’ signs finally a reality

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — They’ve been a long time coming.

About six years, in fact.

But the brand new “Welcome to Colfax” signs have now been installed at all three major entry points into the village, one each on the south and east side on state Highway 40, and one sign on the west side on state Highway 170.

Rand Bates, director of public works; Don Logslett, street supervisor; and Keinn Steffe, public works employee, installed the signs on May 27.

The signs have actually been in Colfax and ready to go up for four years now, said Ron Peterson, a Colfax resident who helped design the signs.

Peterson and former village president, Jean Olson, had hoped to have the signs installed in time for the Colfax High School All School Reunion in 2010.

The signs were painted by DJ Signs & Arts out of Menomonie.

Unfortunately, state regulations about how and where the signs could be erected along Highway 40 and Highway 170 prevented the signs from being installed right away.

Peterson said the idea for the signs came about during the commemoration event for the June 4, 1958, tornado that was held in 2008.

A small amount of money that remained from contributions given for the tornado commemoration was used as seed money for the signs, Peterson said.

All together, the signs cost $3,000, and Peterson said he was able to raise the rest of the money by approaching various businesses and individuals in Colfax as well as people who were once associated with Colfax.

When Bates started his position as director of public works in 2012, he noticed the signs in the cold storage area of the department of public works building.

“I wondered why they were there, and why weren’t they put up yet,” he said.

This past winter, the subject of the signs came up for discussion at a Colfax Village Board meeting.

Beverly Schauer, village trustee, said she would ask Anderson Bridges if they could make a frame to hold the signs.

As it turned out, Anderson Bridges could, indeed, make frames and sign posts.

And not only did Anderson Bridges make the frames and sign posts, but the company also donated them to the village.

“They are up. They are really finally up,” Peterson said, as he watched Bates, Logslett, and Steffe put up the third sign on Highway 170 across from Tom Prince Memorial Park.

In addition to “Welcome to Colfax,” the signs say across the bottom, “The Friendliest Little Town in Wisconsin.”

Colfax resident Sam Iverson coined the “friendliest town” motto decades ago.

The motto first appeared on a sign eight miles south of town near the junction of state Highways 12, 29 and 40.

When Lyle and Inez Christianson bought the Colfax Messenger in 1968, “Published in the Friendliest Little Town in Wisconsin” was first printed across the top of the newspaper on August 15, 1968.

The motto remained across the top of the newspaper for the next 40 years — until it was removed in July of 2009 to make room for the newspaper’s website address.