Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

June 14, 1995, Page 32

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Good Old Days

  

By Dee Zimmerman

 

100 Years Ago:

 

Black River is as free from logs as it has ever before logging began.  It is said to be a fact the two years to come will see but scant piles of logs and those mostly of small size, and that this will end the days of this river as a logging stream.  Black River has had a notable record as a logging stream and if written up as such a wild and woolly record should be, it would make a racy reading.  Still with the unnumbered millions that have poured from its mouth every spring, it is marvelous how few large fortunes have been built from this industry.  The circumstances illustrate the great truth that is not want of opportunity so much as, want of capacity in this new country of ours which prevents all of us from acquiring wealth.

 

Now that logging is practically a closed chapter on the Black, our energies should be turned to improving its power to turn mill wheels, generate electricity, and create a hum of manufacturing industry which shall make its borders thrive as do the borders of the rivers in New York, Massachusetts and other eastern state, (Editor, L. B. Ring).

 

Geo. Hart’s express mustang lit out on his own account Tuesday forenoon while standing at the depot, George raced up to the rear of the wagon, grabbed the lines and braced his feet against the rear axletree for a long, strong pull. At the side track crossing, right in the middle of a puddle of unexplored depth and stygian proclivities, George let go.  A splash, a dash, a crash and a smash, a wheel over and a keel over, and George Hart arose – mud?  Low Harry, you couldn’t see the man for the country he represented.

 

Wm Zassenhaus, register of deeds of Clark County, called Saturday while on his way home to Neillsville from attending the funeral of a friend which occurred at Sheboygan the day previous, in order to get some rest, having lost two night’s sleep, he engaged a sleeper at Fond du Lac and for fear he would oversleep, gave a porter a quarter to call him at Marshfield.  He was soon sleeping at a rate faster than the train was going.  Unconscious of all surroundings and enjoying a hearty repose, Marshfield was reached and the dusky porter, true to his engagement attempted to awake him.  He pulled and tugged, first at his legs, then his arms and finally his nose, but there was no waking.  There was no time to spare as the train had already whistled for Marshfield.  Something had to be done.  He had strict orders to wake him at all hazards, so grabbing him by the feet, he pulled him to the edge of the bunk and let him fall to the floor.  The register weighs close to 200 pounds, and when he struck, which was in a sitting position, the sudden jar shook his eyelids apart and before he could get them together again, the porter commenced dragging him toward the door.  “I was dazed and didn’t know where I was at,” said Zassenhaus, “and when I looked up into that dusky face I thought the devil had me, but what he wanted with a Neillsville man was more than I could understand.  By the time the train came to a stop I had collected my senses and was no longer suspicious of the porter who said as I stepped from the platform, “Say man, if you sleep like that all the time, you won’t hear Gabriel when he blows the trumpet.”

 

The cellar excavation and wall work for the new C. C. Sniteman Co. building is well along, and the wall will soon be started, brick therefore having been made.

 

$10 will buy an all wool black day worsted suit at Reitz and Haugen’s; Regular $12.  Wm. Wesenberg has the job of moving the jail out of the alley, back into the city lot to the proper line.  Push the thing along!

 

75 Years Ago:

 

Neillsville High School graduates 28 students: Esther Anderson, Vivian Bartlett, Lorene Broicher, Lucille Davis, Clare Davis, Geraldine Farning, Helen Frantz, George Free, Emily Free, Pearl Harding, John Hoesly, Lenore Holverson, Marie Hubing, Louise Imig, Donald Irvine, Marvel Johnson, Erwin Kurth, Marseliette Kutchera, Lois Longenecker, Chas. Moulton, Ellen Olson, Leon Pickering, Cecelia O’Reilly, Margaret Schiller, Francis Wagner, Viola Weslosky, Gertrude Ziebell, and Sadie Hohenstein.

 

Chas Byre was at Milwaukee on Saturday and drove six new Fords home.  He took two drivers with him and the three accomplished the feat of successfully driving six cars. It was done with the use of a device made by F. W. Kinstley, the blacksmith, who made up an outfit by which two cars are fastened together and both operated from the front car.  The engine on the rear car is set at a given speed and is operated from the front car, which acts as a guide and brake for the rear car.  The device worked in great shape for Byre and the six cars were brought up on Sunday.

 

Court Rules U. S. Bone Dry.  The Supreme Court of the U. S. on Monday rendered a sweeping decision, in which it was held that the 18th constitutional amendment and Volstead enactment act, the decision was unanimous and means that the court battles over prohibition have ended in a complete victory for the dry.

 

A picnic has been scheduled for the Clark County Guernsey Breeders Assn. on June 23, 1920 at the Windale Farm, Granton.  Prominent speakers have been secured for the occasion, and a 16 piece band engaged for the day.  Arrangements have been made to furnish a dinner for those who do not carry a picnic dinner.  Come, enjoy a holiday.

 

North Pine Valley: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ayers are busy repairing Black River Bridge.

 

Tioga: There will be dance at Tioga Saturday night, June 12.  Everybody come.

 

Town of Levis: Mr. Richmond and Mr. Sonheim are building a barn for John Apfel.

 

North York: Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Vick, Mr. and Mrs. Rollie Benedict, Gerda Slai and Reno Herdrich enjoyed a wiener and marshmallow roast in Cawley Creek on Monday evening.

 

Pleasant Ridge: Arlo Huckstead and Doris, accompanied by Letta Vine and Herbert Swann, autoed to Crandon last Thursday on business.

 

The O. Slocomb family is out of quarantine now as all are feeling fine after having the small pox.

 

50 Years Ago:

 

An afternoon commencement service was held Sunday, June 10, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  For the 8 o’clock High Mass, music was furnished by the children’s choir and eighth grade graduates received Holy Communion in a body.

 

In the afternoon service, the graduates received their diplomas, and singing was done by the entire student body.  An award was made in each grade for scholastic achievement and excellence in character.  Those were as follows: first grade, James Vandehey; second grade, Carol Nauertz; third grade, Betty Trogner; fourth grade, Ruth Ann Barr; fifth grade, Audrey Wavrunek; sixth grade, Catherine Hainzlsperger; seventh grade, Arlen Kupke; and two in the eighth grade, Elaine Kessler and Jeanette Aumann.

 

Two Neillsville boys, who have spent several years in the Pacific war area, have now been discharged from the army, Clyde Schwellenbach and Donald Paulus.  Clyde went to Menomonie to arrange entrance to Stout Institute, to begin a course in manual arts.  Donald arrived here a week ago; he and his wife are living with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Horswill, presently.  Donald is working for his father, Bluecher Paulus in the bottling works.

 

Neillsville stores started their plan of being open on Friday evenings, last week, with a good start.  Loyal and Greenwood merchants indicated similar response with satisfied results.

 

Dorothy L. Kronberger became the bride of S/Sgt. Robert K. Prior at Loyal Methodist Church at 8 p.m., Sunday, June 10.  Bride’s attendants were Betty Kronberger and Nancy Thurber.  Groom’s attendants were George White and Pvt. Ivan Kronberger.  Usherettes were Gwen Tucker, LaVonne Smith, Gladys Fenner, Marie Anderegg and Betty Mathews.

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The first duty of friendship is to leave your friend his illusions. – Arthur Schnitzler

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The “Watkins Peddler” of Neillsville area was Max Neverman, on the left, being assisted by Blucher Paulus, circa 1910. (Photo courtesy of Clark County Historical Society, Jail Museum)

 

The Snyder Lake swimming area as it appeared on a warm summer day.  Kids from the area went there to swim, cool off and have fun with friends.  We don’t know when the photo was taken, possibly in the ‘30s or 40’s.

 

An early 1900s view of Granton, Methodist Church on the far right

 

 


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