Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

September 10, 1997, Page 15

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

IN THE Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News of 1877

 

A genuine “hop dance” was the way they celebrated the winding up of hop picking for the season at Geo. McAdam’s, last Wednesday night.

 

Mrs. James O’Neill, Sr. has made arrangements for giving a dance at Floral Hall, on the Fair Grounds.  It will be on the evening of the last day of the fair, Sept. 20 and the public is invited.  Good music will be in attendance and a fun time may be depended upon.  Tickets, including supper, $1.50

 

Several of the prominent lumbermen of La Crosse, operating upon Black River, have been in town this past week.

 

The Methodist Church at Greenwood is completed and furnished ready to be dedicated on Sunday, Sept. 23, Rev. Bert E. Wheeler, of Chippewa Falls; also Rev. J. A. Davis of Augusta and Rev. W. H. Chynoweth of Neillsville, will all be speakers.

 

John S. Dore, of Clark County, was elected Vice President of the State Agricultural Society for this congressional district.  The election of officers was held during the recent fair at Janesville.  Dore is well known by those who seek to advance the agricultural interests of our state.

 

An excursion train will leave Merrillan for Minneapolis, next Sept. 25, returning Sept. 28.  Excursionists will have an abundance of time to view the city and its surroundings.  Tickets for the trip are $3.00 each, for sale by E. S. Mitchell, at the O’Neill House.

 

The exhibition of trained oxen made by Geo. W. Grousbeck, for the Town of Levis, on the Fair Grounds last Wednesday, was most interesting.  Grousbeck is an accomplished “ox tamer” and anyone having cattle to train could not trust them to better hands.

 

Last Wednesday, Ernest Eilert, the Humbird brewer, had an accident at the railroad crossing of Green Bay and Minnesota railroad near Alma Center.  Eilert sustained bodily injuries and his team of horses was killed in the accident.

 

The biggest thunderstorm of the season passed over our town last Monday evening.  It was a terror to nervous people and even to those not classed as such.  However, it did a vast amount of good as the foliage is lovely again.

 

September 1907

 

Last week a deal was closed in which Carl Rabenstein purchased an interest in the Neillsville Overall Mfg. Co.  This should be an excellent industry for the city, with Mr. Rabenstein’s marked business abilities and the experience of Mr. Horn in the overall manufacturing business.

 

The old wash-board factory near the Omaha Hotel (7th Street) has been purchased by the overall-company.  The building is being enlarged and remodeled for the overall factory occupancy.  About a dozen sewing machines are being installed, making 24 in all.  Employment will be given to 20 or 25 girls.  It is estimated the new factory will produce about 225 dozen pairs of overalls per week.

 

Tragsdorf, Zimmerman & Co. has received a very large stock of fall and winter millinery.  In a few days they will be able to show the ladies hats in the right styles and prices.

 

Sam C. Smith of Sparta was in the city this week making arrangements with the Luethe Co. by which that company will buy green pine cones of the white pine trees.  They will pay $1 per 100 lbs.  Persons interested can talk with Oscar Weinberger at Luethe Co.

 

Paul Walk has been shipping county grown apples to the Chicago market.  Walk has developed a market for the Duchess and crabapples grown here.

 

This week, a very pretty home wedding occurred at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. West, on Pleasant Ridge.  Their daughter, Miss Mayme, was married to Albert Shulz.

 

The last state legislature passed a law organizing each county into a road district and providing for a county commissioner of highways.

 

1.  The county board shall elect a county commissioner of highways who shall be a competent engineer or an experienced road building.

 

2.  The term of office of such commission shall be three years, but the county board may remove him for cause at anytime.

 

3.  The county board shall fix an annual salary at not less than $1,000.

 

Every boy in this county can earn enough money to buy a suit of clothes and an overcoat for winter wear if he will go picking green pine cones from the white pine tree.  The cones bring one cent a pound and each tree has from 50 to 250 pounds of cones on it.  A long stick with prongs on the end, bent like a rake, will catch the cones and a sudden jerk downward will remove the cone.  Care must be taken not to disturb the blossom on the branch, just above the cone, which will furnish no cones next year if destroyed.

 

Last Thursday was pay day on the dam building works at Hatfield.  All the men working there were paid off on that day.  The money was given to them in the form of checks.  A number of the Italians, who had checks and were unable to come to Neillsville to get them cashed, gave their checks to one of their countrymen, Nicole Simpoli.  On previous occasions, Simpoli had cashed checks for the men.  Simpoli cashed between $450 to $500 worth of his friends checks, but forgot to return to Hatfield with their money.  Simpoli was seen leaving here on the eleven o’clock train.  Justice Reichenbach swore out a warrant for the arrest of Simpoli. 

 

A. Dixon of the Town of Sherwood brought a sample of his tobacco plants into the Times office last week.  The seedling is 7 ft. 3 in. high from where it was cut off the stalk near the ground.  Dixon’s three acres of tobacco was cut a week ago and is now drying in the sheds.  The plants were set out on July 2nd.  This year, Clark County’s tobacco crop is superior in comparison to that raised farther south.  At 15¢ per lb. Dixon’s crop will average $300 per acre.

 

September 1937

 

The Neillsville hospital which has been closed for some time will be reopened about September 15, by Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Martin of Nekoosa.  Martin’s have leased the building and the adjourning nurses’ home from Mrs. Naomi Stampler.  A new sterilizer is being added in the operating room, new beds installed and rooms being redecorated.

 

Black River is nearly dry as so little rain has fallen to feed the upper waters of the river.  One can easily walk across the river-bed on the rocks in most places.  Everett Hart recalls the summer of 1886 when the river was almost dry.  The same year, the dry conditions contributed to the big fire in the fall which swept across the southern part of the county burning Hewettville and area.  Also, it was at that time the city of Marshfield burned.

 

O. L. McDaniel of Wisconsin Rapids is opening a Sears Roebuck store in the building across the street from the post office on Hewett Street, owned by Mrs. Adelaide Lowe.

 

The new Art Carl building at Sixth and South Grand Avenue will be completed this week.  It will be occupied by Art Carl’s office and workshop for his carpentry and contracting, the Welsh Chevrolet and Oldsmobile showroom, M. E. Bennett veterinary offices, insurance and real estate office of Joe Krause.

 

Marriage Licenses issued in Clark County this month were: Gilbert C. Rohde of Eaton and Lucille Schwarze of Warner, John Bryan of Levis and Cecelia Smitke of Thorp, Frank J. Ligenza of Colburn and Emilee P. Florkowski of Worden.

 

In order to accommodate the large crowds expected to take in the showing of the Joe Louis and Tommy Farr fight pictures, the two shows for Friday night have been moved from the Adler Theatre to the Armory.

 

Physically fit young men between 17 and 23 in need of jobs are eligible at this time for enrollment in CCC.  Clark County has 137 men in state CCC camps, but because of rulings limiting the individual to two years and a maximum of 23 years old many will leave during the next period.  More information can be secured from Trewartha at the relief office in Neillsville.  Registrations are now being taken.

 

F. L. Reinhard and Ira Davis announced this week that they are taking over the Lewerenz repair and car sale department located on Armory Avenue and Hewett Street.

 

The annual dinner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church drew a large crowd again this year, 550 attended the dinner and approximately 200 guests for supper.

 

A total of 38,000 cases of peas were packed at the Neillsville Inderrieden Canning Co. plant during its 30 days of operation which started June 11 this year.  The crop was taken from 1,324 acres of fields planted in this area.  For the first time in the cannery’s business the local plant canned a peas and carrots combination, with nearly 1,200 cases packed.

 

Work has been started at the site of the new village hall at Loyal with J. M. Philpot, Loyal, as contractor.  Fred Lakoskey, president of the village of Loyal, along with architect Johnson of O & N Lumber Co. was at Madison last week.  The plans and specifications for the new building were approved by the Wis. Industrial Commission.

 

Tuesday of this week was a big shipping day at Neillsville depot, 10 full cars going out on the railway.  There were four cars of stock – car of butter to New York, car of peas to Camden, N.J., car of condensed milk to Philadelphia, two cars of logs to Wausau, a car of lumber to Scofield, and small lot shipments.

 

Art Tangen, pro in charge of the Neillsville Country Club Tournament announces the completed tournament results.  Quarter finals winner was Johnson over Campman, Dr. Lee over Dr. Peterson, Skroch over Welsh, Juvrud over Schmedel, Perkins over G. Zimmerman, Haight over Graves and Andrejeski over Roehrborn.  In consolation flight, Wm. Campman over Dr. Peterson, Welsh over Schmedel, Zimmerman over Graves and Crow over Roehrborn.

 

Women’s tourney winners were Mrs. Sturdevant over Mrs. Andrejeski and Mrs. Listeman over Mrs. Edna Barton with the unusually low score of 52.

 

The caddies’ first round winner was Darwin Gubells beating Kenneth Dux.  Art Murphy won over Bob True and Henry Naedler had a bye.

 

Sam Snead made the rounds at the Eau Claire course last week in 72 under handicaps.  Some Neillsville men were present to see him play.

 

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To know where a thing is we must have found it. – Goethe

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Restaurant at 614 Hewett Street

Johnny Dwyer operated a restaurant at 614 Hewett Street in early 1900.  Mrs. Maxwell was an employee, shown at the right.  Dwyer, at the left, was the father of Mrs. Ernie Snyder.  (Photo courtesy of Clark County Jail Museum)

 

 


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