Membership timeline
The Little Eight Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Founded in 1926 and dissolved in 1937, the conference and its member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The Little Eight Conference was formed in 1926 by eight small high schools in west central Wisconsin: Altoona, Augusta, Black River Falls, Fairchild, Fall Creek, Humbird, Merrillan and Osseo. [1] Most conference members were located in Eau Claire County or in the neighboring counties of Clark, Jackson and Trempealeau. A ninth member was added to the Little Eight in 1931 when Elk Mound moved over from the Dunn-St. Croix Conference. [2] The next year, Neillsville joined as members and the conference was realigned into Northern and Southern sections: [3]
| Northern Section | Southern Section |
|---|---|
| Altoona | Black River Falls |
| Augusta | Fairchild |
| Elk Mound | Humbird |
| Fall Creek | Merrillan |
| Osseo | Neillsville |
This alignment lasted for three seasons before four members left the Little Eight Conference in 1935: Augusta, Black River Falls, Neillsville and Osseo. [4] Augusta left for membership in the Mississippi Valley Conference [5] along with Osseo, who relinquished dual membership in the Little Eight to join the MVC on a full-time basis. Black River Falls and Neillsville both became independents before forming the Mississippi Valley Triangular League with Augusta in 1936. [6] The six remaining members carried on for two more seasons before the Little Eight Conference ceased operations in 1937. [7] Elk Mound returned to the Dunn-St. Croix Conference [8] and Merrillan became members of the Trempealeau Valley Conference. [9] The other four schools (Altoona, Fairchild, Fall Creek and Humbird) became independents until joining new conferences after World War II.
| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona | Altoona, WI | Public | 560 | Railroaders | 1926 [1] | 1937 [7] | Independent | Middle Border | |
| Augusta | Augusta, WI | Public | 226 | Beavers | 1926 [1] | 1935 [4] | Mississippi Valley | Dairyland | |
| Black River Falls | Black River Falls, WI | Public | 481 | Tigers | 1926 [1] | 1935 [4] | Independent | Coulee | |
| Fairchild | Fairchild, WI | Public | N/A | Purple Dragons | 1926 [1] | 1937 [7] | Independent | Closed in 1968 (merged into Osseo-Fairchild) | |
| Fall Creek | Fall Creek, WI | Public | 243 | Crickets | 1926 [1] | 1937 [7] | Independent | Cloverbelt | |
| Humbird | Humbird, WI | Public | N/A | Game Birds | Unknown | 1926 [1] | 1937 [7] | Independent | Closed in 1949 (merged into Alma Center Lincoln) |
| Merrillan | Merrillan, WI | Public | N/A | Yellow Jackets | 1926 [1] | 1937 [7] | Trempealeau Valley | Closed in 1949 (merged into Alma Center Lincoln) | |
| Osseo | Osseo, WI | Public | 255 | Chieftains | 1926 [1] | 1935 [4] | Mississippi Valley | Cloverbelt | |
| Elk Mound | Elk Mound, WI | Public | 344 | Mounders | 1931 [2] | 1937 [7] | Dunn-St. Croix | ||
| Neillsville | Neillsville, WI | Public | 269 | Warriors | 1932 [3] | 1935 [4] | Independent | Cloverbelt | |
None
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Creek | 1937 | Class C |
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Altoona | 1934 | Class C |