Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

September 2, 1998, Page 32

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

The Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

 September 1873

 

John S. Dore measured off an acre of his wheat, then cut and threshed it separately.  The purpose was to compete for the premium of the best acre of wheat at the coming Clark County Fair.  The acre yielded 26 ½ bushels.

 

Dore’s whole crop of 38 ½ acres yielded 1,122 bushels of as fine of white winter wheat that was ever raised in the county or in the state.  It will be given the “Number one Milwaukee,” the highest reputation of any wheat in the world.  The grain was carefully threshed by the Gray Brothers, who now have an enviable reputation in their work.  Dore plans to sell the wheat for seed.

 

Mr. Furlong has been showing everyone what he can do in the line of desk making.  He has some of the finest office desks and secretaries, ranging from $30 to $75, which we have ever seen.

 

A very large kiln of brick is about ready to be burned at the brick yard.  A bulk of the brick will be used for the new school house to be built here in the spring.

 

The frame for James Hewett’s new residence was raised this week.

 

The first frost of the season arrived here on Sept. 15.  It was more than a frost, a regular freeze-up that took the life out of the vegetable world and put the brown of the autumn in the tree leaves.  Before sunrise, ice was found one-eighth of an inch thick.

 

Mr. Evert’s, of Monroe, has rented E. M. Bayer’s building and will open an extensive boat (boot) and shoe shop there as soon as repairs are finished in the building.

 

L. L. Ayers has platted off a block of ten very beautiful lots directly west of his dwelling, extending to the crest of the hill.  In our opinion, they are the best lots for residences to be found in our city.  We propose to erect a “household alter” in the midst of three front lots, next season.

 

Hon. James O’Neill, who has watched over the growing town that bears his name until he thinks it is about large enough to take care of itself, will soon leave on a trip.  He plans to return to his former residences in Ohio, New York and Canada.  We do not know of any one man that has better right to the enjoyment of such a tour and we wish him “bon voyage” and a safe return.

 

Hewett & Woods’ rafting shanty, at La Crosse, was broken into one night last week and robbed of over $100 worth of provisions.  If the thief did it because he was hungry, he probably made a good strike.  But, if he did it simply to hurt their feelings, he made a failure of it.  Hewett & Woods will put in just as many logs next winter and sell as many goods as though it had not happened.

 

James and George Delaine have formed a partnership under the name of James Delaine & Bro.  They propose to do an extensive business in blacksmithing, wagon and carriage making.  They have just completed a good two-story shop next to James’ residence.  The lower story of the shop will be devoted to blacksmithing and the upper portion to be used for the other branch of their business.  They are both good workmen and very industrious.

 

Dewhurst and Hutchinson offer to help anyone wanting to buy or sell real estate in Clark County.  They also are agents for the Anchor Line of steamships.  Tickets are on sale to and from all parts in England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and all parts on the Mediterranean.  Tickets can be bought from us at reduced rates by those wishing to send for their families or friends.

 

This line has 36 first-class steamships and can not be surpassed for elegance and comfort.

 

James O’Neill, of Cleveland, Ohio, a nephew and namesake of the Hon. James O’Neill is a graduate of Albany Law School.  Young O’Neill is making plans to start his law profession here in our city.

 

Trains of the West Wisconsin Line have ceased to stop at Humbird, due to the cases of small pox there.  The stages, leaving Neillsville run to Merrillan, making the same connections with West Wis. trains.

 

Mrs. Stafford still has accommodations for several more boarders.  Single gentlemen cannot find a pleasanter home unless they get married and keep their hair shingled.

 

Cranberries of the finest quality have been selling in town the past week at two dollars a bushel.  That is very cheap considering the havoc played by the heavy frost.  There were very few gathered in this vicinity as most of the crop was destroyed by frost before the state law had expired on preventing the berries being picked. 

 

In consequence of the continued wet weather, which has prevented the fitting up of the fairgrounds, the Clark County Fair has been postponed until Oct. 14, 15 and 16.  By that time the track, buildings and accessories will be in complete readiness for a successful exhibition.

 

September 1913

 

What is known as the Burpee Farm at Christie, owned by August Meske was sold last week to Chas. Runge of Fond du Lac County.  The farm consists of 144 acres, about 130 under cultivation and the balance in timber.  All personal property including this year’s crops and over 40 head of stock went with the farm, for a consideration of $16,150.

 

Runge, who is a nephew of Henry Schultz, is said to be an excellent farmer.

 

Raymond A. Clemens, cashier of the First National Bank of Neillsville, would like to know if there are any chess players here.  If so, stop at the bank, get acquainted and maybe a game of chess can be planned.

 

The cannery will receive beans Friday and Saturday until noon.  That will close the bean season.  Next week, beets will be taken in for canning, starting Monday.

 

A fine time was reported at the Old Settlers picnic at Loyal on Tuesday.  Among those who went from Neillsville were Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Hemphill, Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Alexander and Mr. and Mrs. August Snyder.  Rev. Geo. N. Foster was one of the speakers.

 

August Schoengarth just finished burning a kiln of 150,000 bricks which are now ready for sale.

 

County Superintendent Elizabeth Kennedy has purchased an automobile.  It will save much time and enable her to get from school to school, make long trips much easier than before.

 

L. B. Lowe bought a new Overland automobile last week and is getting it pretty trained for service.

 

Persons who can take in a high school boy to work for his board while attending school, please leave your name at the Press office.

 

Jacob Miller has a ten-acre farm for sale.  The farm is located in the Neillsville city limits.  It has a good house, barn and well.  Miller will sell it cheap if it’s taken soon.

 

Last week a deal was completed by which Youmans farm on the Ridge Road was sold to C. S. Altemus of Evansville.  Youmans has taken a smaller farm near the city on the deal.  Altemus is in charge of the farm and stock of which he bought.  He is said to be a progressive farmer and has purchased one of the finest farms in Clark County.  His son-in-law, Casper Marty, will be with him on the farm.

 

The firm of Rossman-Steiger Co. dissolved their partnership the end of this month.  Their holdings have been taken over by the Greenwood Cooperative Mercantile and Shipping Co.  The new company is composed of nearly 160 stockholders, nearly all farmers of the Greenwood area.  A meeting of directors was held this Monday, at which officers for the ensuing year were elected.  The object of the company is to market all farm produce through their manager and commissions.  They should net larger revenue for their produce.  A. Schuermann will be the manager.

 

September 1933

 

Owing to the Depression and seeking a way to lower their expenses, the proprietors of three barber shops have consolidated their businesses.  E. W. Alden, Edward Francis and H. P. Pischer will be moving into the new shop formerly occupied by Alden where he previously worked alone.

 

The new shop has five barber chairs and has updated in first class condition.  Being centrally located it will appeal to many and it seems that the move was a good for everyone, the three partners and the customers.

 

The Clark County Board will be asked to petition the Conservation Commission to take over tracts of land.  There will be an effort to derive some revenue from the 1,900 forties lying in the delinquent drainage district now owned by the county and 2,100 parcels outside of the district to which the county is going to take tax deeds.  James H. Fradette, county treasurer, will ask the county board at its fall session to petition the state Conservation Commission to accept this land as a forest preserve.

 

Under Fradette’s plan, this area which at present now only does not yield any income for the county, but actually results in a loss.  It would, in 1935, provide revenue of 80 cents per forty to the county, $1.60 per forty to the town in which it is located and $1.60 to the school district in which it lies.  On the total 4,000 forties which could be placed in the preserve this would amount to $3,200 per year for the county’s share, $6,400 for the townships and $6,400 for the school districts.  In addition to this income, Clark County would be the owner of timber to be sold in later years.  (Our Clark County Forest area of today is a result of the initiated program. D. Z.)

 

Clark County’s treasury, which ran dry last November, is again approaching the end of its available supply of money.  Out of the $329,000 levy imposed by the Clark County Board, only $125,000 has been paid in this year, leaving a delinquency of $205,000 or approximately 66 percent.

 

The total tax levied in Clark County, including county’s, town, cities and villages, amounts to $600,000, the delinquency being one-third of this figure.

 

This situation arises from the fact that townships have first chance at the money collected as taxes, taking what they need to meet expenses of local government and school maintenance.  In recent years the amounts required for town affairs have exhausted their cash income form taxes, so they had nothing to turn over to the county for its apportionment except the delinquent tax rolls.  The practice has been for the county to accept these delinquencies in lieu of cash.  In normal times the county lost little or nothing by this method, there being a ready sale for the tax certificates.  However, during the Depression the demand for this property had almost vanished and in consequence the county finds itself loaded up with delinquencies from which it can realize no income.

 

Unless the delinquents pay up it will be necessary for the county to borrow another $50,000 to meet its obligations before the year is over.

 

Swiss cheese made at Ernest Herman’s Cheese factory on Highway 10 in the Town of Grant, took first prize at the Wisconsin State Fair.  This is highly creditable to Herman who had to compete with the Swiss cheese factories in Green County and localities long established as Swiss cheese centers.

 

A new city hall for Neillsville loomed as a possibility at Tuesday night’s council meeting.  The council discussed the question of taking advantage of an offer of federal funds to provide much-needed employment relief.

 

Under the plan, as outlined by H. L. Brown, clerk, the federal government will donate as an outright grant 30 percent of cost of construction, the balance to be raised by bonds upon which there would be no interest for the first five years.

 

The council was informed that a new two-story building, of 60-foot frontage, replacing the three old wooden structures, could be built at a total cost of approximately $16,000 according to estimates furnished by August F. Arndt, street commissioner, who is an expert in the building trades.

 

(Often, we hear new ideas start in the eastern states and move westward.  Having recently traveled to western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, I was surprised to see how much those areas have done in historical preservation.  Small towns have restored main street buildings, repainted the Victorian or Romanesque style, structures in appropriate colors.  The area counties have museums such as, “Sherburne County Museum & Historical Information Center” housed in a new large brick structure, located along a well traveled highway.  In some museums the historical information is available in computers, easily accessible for those searching data.

 

What those areas have done in making their local history available to historical searchers was very impressive.)  (In that idea, the “West has won” D. Z.)

 

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You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. – Golda Meir

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There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.

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Four young ladies enjoyed the Black River’s view along the Dell’s Dam area, circa 1900

(Photo of the Schultz Family Collection)

 

 


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