Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

March 17, 1999, Page 18

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

The Good Old Days 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

March 1869

 

A disastrous fire visited Hixton last Thursday evening, destroying the large flouring mill owned by Mr. Sechler.  The mill was entirely consumed and none of its contents were saved.  Sechler’s loss is estimated at $8,000.

 

On the night of the 16th, the stable in Capt. Thomas LaFlesh’s camp on the East Fork came very near being destroyed by fire.  The origin of the fire was caused by a candle, which had been carelessly left burning, falling into the hay in one of the stalls.  The stable is constructed with stalls on each side fronting a gangway running through the center.  The fire occurred about twelve o’clock, and before it was discovered it had destroyed about two tons of hay, burned off the halter straps and ropes that fastened the animals and started burning the bedding under the horses.  The snow from the shakes on the roof helped extinguish the flames.

 

It may seem incredible but it is nevertheless a fact that only one horse was injured, so that he couldn’t work the next day.  LaFlesh feels fortunate over such a miraculous escape from a severe loss.

 

The Banner Journal write that they heard many Clark County residents are busy with making maple sugar this spring.  They would like to get one hundred new Clark County subscribers and take their pay in maple sugar.

 

Proceedings of the Clark County Board of Supervisors included some of the following payments: D. H. Robinson for potatoes furnished to the Poor Farm, $27; Geo. Lloyd, for hauling lumber to the poor farm, $19.25; Orin Wilson, for constable fees, $2.42; Asel Webster, Justice Court fees, $1.96.

 

March 1934

 

The new golf course, the Hawthorne Hills Country Club, owned by F. J. Baer of Neillsville, is planning to open in June.  The course is rapidly taking shape with finishing touches being added.  The fairways will be seeded in March and the club house is being worked on with a large porch being added,

 

The course is beautifully laid out over a terrain adapted to golf and will offer a testing of skill for the players.  The greens are large, well-banked areas covered with Old Orchard bent, a grass said to be superior for golf purposes.  A variety of sand traps have been provided.

 

Nearly 300 Hawthorne, basswood and pine trees have been planted on the course.  The work has been done under the direction of C. E. Huyssen, former Marshfield greens keeper and professional.

 

Three power mowers have been ordered, one a five-gang mower cutting a 15 foot-wide swath, a greens mower and a bunker mower.  A machinery shed, 24’ by 36’, will house the tractor and equipment and will be built in a few weeks.  Water mains will be laid as soon as the frost is out of the ground.

 

A drive for memberships will get under way soon.

 

March 1939

 

Emma Roessler moved her printing equipment and business from her residence to the brick building on Seventh Street, near Grand Avenue.

 

Pete Warlum and his crew moved the newspaper press about 34 inches north of its former position in the Clark County Press building.  The press, weighing eight or more tons, is a major project when it has to be moved.  Two large job presses were brought to the Press from the former location in the Journal building.

 

Attend the big balloon dance Sunday, Mar. 5th at the Stables, 6 miles west of Neillsville.  There will be a prize in every balloon.

 

Dickie and Pattie Tibbett entertained 25 of their little friends and schoolmates Saturday afternoon by taking them for a sleigh ride in the “Klondike,” returning to the Tibbett home for games and lunch.

 

Miss Stella Davis and Mrs. Richard Becker chaperoned the group, and thus the birthdays of Pat and Dick, occurring only a few weeks part (apart), were jointly observed.

 

Mr. and Mrs. George Shaw were surprised by a group of friends who gave them a dancing party in observance of their Silver Wedding Anniversary at the Moose Hall, Sunday evening.  There were about 125 guests who attended, presenting the “bride and groom” with a collection of silver coins.  One of the entertaining features was a waltz played by Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, their sons, Clarence, Robert and George, Jr. and daughter, Edna, comprising the orchestra.  Their son, Louis, of Milwaukee, was unable to attend.

 

Nearly 400 cords of pine in eight-foot lengths is piled in the railroad yards in Neillsville, awaiting transportation to the Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Co.  The pine is being first freed of bark by local men, who strip it off by hand labor, mostly with axes.  The work is being done by Otto Kutchera, John and Ernest Gaden, Otto May and Walter Zank.

 

Members of St. Mary’s Catholic Congregation have started razing the old school building to make way for a new parochial school structure located on the north side of their church.

 

Last week, when the cornerstone of the old school was removed, many mementos were found; among the articles which had been sealed in the cornerstone since the dedication of the two-story building, on May 5, 1887.

 

There were five coins, a copy of the Republican-Press, published preceding the dedication ceremonies, containing a notice of the dedication, and a manuscript written in Latin and preserved in a bottle.

 

Translated, the manuscript revealed the date, May 5, 1887, as the tenth year of the Pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, Supreme pontiff, while that Most Rev. Michael was reigning as Archbishop of the Metropolitan of Milwaukee; Rt. Rev. Kilian Casper Flash, D. D. as Bishop of our Diocese of La Crosse; Grover Cleveland as president of the United States of America; Jeremia Rusk, governor of Wisconsin; James Hewett as mayor of the City of Neillsville, county seat of Clark County.

 

Most interesting of the coins uncovered in the cornerstone was a three-cent piece, dated 1868.  Other coins found were an 1887 10-cent coin, and three pennies, dated 1880, 1881 and 1886.

 

Rates to the World’s Fair have been set by the Omaha railroad, according to A. H. Hoepner, local agent.

 

The all tours will be conducted weekly throughout the summer, starting June 3.  The tour to New York, which will give two days of sight-seeing in New York City, will cost $74.90, while the tour to San Francisco fare will be $93.  Round trip rates of $90 in coaches, and $135 in sleepers to both World’s Fairs also has been announced. 

 

The Eagle 4-H Club of Stanley enrolled for the ensuing season’s club work last week.  The club’s enrollment listed 15

members present.  Mrs. Paul Hassing is the leader, and Ed Sloviak is the assistant leader.  Officers are: Alice Symbol, President; Donald Hassing, Sec.-Treas., and Esella Muszinski, club reporter.

 

An estimated 1,000 children and adults attended the 10th annual rural grain judging contest held in Neillsville last Monday and Tuesday. 

 

Tours wee conducted in local businesses and industrial institutions as well as the Clark County courthouse, after the children finished their judging competition.

 

The Kurth school team, of Grant Township won, compiling a score of 288.1 out of a possible 300 for the county title.  Members of the county championship team are:  Shirley Magnuson, Shirley Lautenbach and Elsie Aberle.  Their teacher is Miss Dorothy Mott.

 

Clark County road allotments share of $80,309 has been announced as state highway aids for the year.

 

These allotments must be used by the towns, villages, and cities for the improvement of specified public roads and street and removal of snow.

 

This is one of the several “splits” of funds derived from the state gasoline tax, turned back to local governing units for roads.

 

Johann Beyer, age 85, Town of Weston, passed away March 17 at his farm home.

 

Born May 21, 1853, to Johann and Caroline (Harmann) Beyer in Germany, his parents passed away when he was a small boy.  He married Fredericke Boeder.  Accompanied by a baby and a sister, they made their home in the Town of Pine Valley.  Later, after arriving in America, he purchased land in the Town of Weston, where he lived the balance of his life.

 

Three children born to the Beyer’s – Amelia, Richard and William – are deceased.  Mrs. Beyer passed away in 1884.  Later, he married Wilhelmina Merlock and to this union five children were born.

 

While clearing his land, Beyer worked during the winter months in logging camps, and thus over a period of time, carved a home for his family out of the vast wilderness.  He was a member of Pine Valley Lutheran Church, serving as its secretary for nearly 30 years.

 

He is survived by his children: Richard, Mrs. Fred Glasgow, Mrs. Albert Wulff, Mrs. Ewald Worchel, Ida and Margaret.

 

Easter fashions sale is on now at McCain’s in Neillsville; Dresses in vivid prints, high pastel, navy and black, in misses and women’s sizes, $4.95 to $7.95.  Also, there are swing-back and boxy swagger coats, variety in styles and colors, priced at $10.95, $12.00, $16.95 and $19.75.

 

A new spring hat will lift your spirits, available in new spring colors, the right hat at only $1.95 -$2.95.

 

Colorful accessories for your spring outfits are on display – Spring purses $1 each; new costume jewelry, 50¢ to $1.00; new costume flowers, 50¢ each.  New, novelty suit blouses are only a dollar each.

 

For Quality Meat Cuts, stop at Bollom’s Market on West 7th Street. 

 

H. H. Van Gorden & Sons Mill Specials are U. S. No. 1 Potatoes, 100 lbs for $1.20; Dairy Queen flour, 49 lb bag $1.49 and a free silver spoon with each sack purchased.  They are selling 63 sacks of eh flour at a 15 cent discount because they were slightly damaged with the railroad car had some roof leakage.

 

The burning desire of some Clark County residents to become American citizens can scarcely be realized by those who have been born under the flag.

 

This fact was brought out last Thursday when Joe Slachetka of rural Thorp, was seen plodding through six miles of ankle-deep mud toward the naturalization school meeting in the Withee High School.

 

Joe tramped through six long miles of mud to reach the school and undertake his studies along with 12 others who attended the first of the naturalization schools in the county.  And, after the school adjourned until the next week, he was seen slowly plodding through the mud toward his farm, six miles away.

 

One of the impressive things about Joe’s insistence on attending classes is that his final papers for citizenship have been refused twice.  But Joe – and others of Clark County’s foreign population – is seriously intent on becoming American citizens.

 

George Herbert Crothers entertained 12 friends Wednesday in observance of his ninth birthday.  They visited Maple Glen’s sugar bush and explored the entire 125-acre farm in a treasure hunt.  They returned to the Crothers’ home with “Tarzan” appetites, where a birthday supper awaited them.

 

Mrs. Paul O’Hara, Misses Luella Berrett, Marjorie McIntyre and Minnie Bauman were in Owen Wednesday evening.  They attended a surprise party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wendt for Miss Viola Gotter.  The evening was spent playing Chinese checkers, followed by the serving of a lunch.

 

Mrs. J. F. Schuster and Mrs. F. D. Caloway entertained three tables at a St. Patrick’s Day bridge party and six o’clock dinner at the home of Mrs. Schuster.  Mesdames O. W. Schoengarth, F. O. Balch and Frank Brown had honor scores.

 

…..And we thought the first trailer camping units came out in the early 50’s!  It was circa 1920 when the above portable sleeping cot was set up for each evening’s rest as a Neillsville traveler made his way to California.  (Photo from Lowe Family’s Collection)

 

A circa 1930 scene of a prosperous Neillsville, as the cars were line up on both sides of Hewett Street, indicating a busy day for visiting shoppers.  The view was taken northward from the Fourth Street intersection.

 

 


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