About
My name is Brett Bakkum. I am a 2008 graduate of River Valley. History and sports have long been passions of mine, which made the idea for this website a natural fit.
RV Blackhawks Archive is a near-comprehensive collection of the history of River Valley School District. While the majority of the site focuses on athletics, my hope is that the variety of content will allow anyone visiting the site to come away with a positive experience, and at the very least, more knowledgeable about the district’s history.
My earliest memories of Blackhawks athletics are during the 1998-99 school year. This was a memorable year for RV, both on and off the field. Expansion that would nearly double the size of the high school was just beginning. (the gym would soon be renamed the “old gym”) That year also featured one of RV’s most successful sports seasons. Volleyball returned to State, bringing home their second consecutive silver ball. Football made the playoffs for only the 2nd time in school history. (the ’98 team remains my pick for Valley’s best ever gridiron team, but that’s for another article). Girls basketball won its most recent conference championship; and in the spring the Golf team qualified for state. But, as a multi-sport athlete, I can attest to the fact that the team’s position in the standings is only a small part of what makes the high school athletics experience memorable.
Acknowledgments
A lot of work went into making this website, and it would have been much more difficult, if not impossible, had I not had excellent primary sources to work from. The microfilm process was made possible by three organizations. The Wisconsin Historical Society Library provided all of the microfilm. My local library system (Winding Rivers) made the process of ordering and transporting the microfilm to me quick and accurate. And finally, the Vernon County Museum provided perhaps the most important aspect, a microfilm reader. (a rare device in the 21st Century)
But, microfilm is only as valuable as its contents. Going through dozens of local newspapers in southwest Wisconsin has given me an appreciation for The Home News. Their decades-long excellence in near-comprehensive reporting on RV school events and athletics is admirable. I must single out Bob Nachreiner and Dave Pronold; their 30-plus years of reporting made my task much more manageable.