April 1901

Henry Schroeder has severed connection with the Warehouse Co.   He and Frank Marth, who recently sold his farm in Pine Valley, will put in a new hardware store in the Ring & Youmans building, next to the Express office.

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The Anthony Gress residence across the Black River, on North Grand Ave., was destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon.  Engineer Cannon turned in an alarm from the pumping station but the fire department was useless.  The building was about 4,000 feet from the nearest hydrant and there was not enough hose to reach the blaze.  A number of citizens formed a bucket brigade and did effective work, but the flames were beyond control, and all that could be done was to save the out buildings.  All of the contents were removed from the house except from the upper story where the fire originated.  Mrs. Gress was at home alone at the time of the fire.  Her husband and sons were away at the time.  The loss is estimated at $1,000, with $500 insurance on the building and contents.

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About 25 head of heavy draft horses were driven through here on Monday, on their way to La Crosse.  They had been at the Colman farm, in Green Grove where they were wintered.  The animals were fine looking, weighing in the neighbor-hood of 1,800 lbs. each.

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Drs. T. F. Conroy, John M. Conroy and Viola French performed a difficult surgical operation upon Geo. Jones, who is a young man living a few miles north of the city.  He is the son of Henry Jones.  The patient is being cared for at L. Ayers’ and is doing very well.

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Marriage licenses issued: Benjamin Babbitt, Boyd, and Mabel Phillips, Thorp; Wm. F. Seelow and Eda Dux of Pine Valley.

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Chas Servaty is working on a new house being built by E. C. Dodge, the creamery man, on the farm purchased last summer from Balch and Tragsdorf.  It will be a fine residence when completed.

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The Wisconsin Buttermakers Association is an organization, which has met with favor since it started last winter.  A meeting of the executive committee was recently held at the Dairy School in Madison and plans are laid for the first annual meeting to be held early in January 1902.

A new feature at this meeting will be introduced in the butter exhibit to be held at that time, and this together with the program and discussions will be profitable to all persons interested in this important industry of the state.  There are now nearly 100 members in the organization and others are continually being added to it.

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The Free Methodists at Humbird are preparing to build a new church in the place of one burned last week.

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On the Neillsville market: shelled corn, 38c; Oats, 23c; rye, 43c; hay, $8 to $10; butter, 14c to 18c; eggs, 10c; new peas, 50c bushel.

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James Foote has sold his 80 acres, south of town, to John Welsh for $1,600.  Most of the land hasn’t been cleared.

Adam Lauber has sold the Ez Thompkins farm, south of the city, to a newcomer for $5,500.  This is a rise of $2,000 over the price paid for the place two years ago.

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Ross Paulson has been a frequent Greenwood visitor during the past weeks, while making final preparations for the starting of his creamery interests in Longwood and Greenwood with Frank Zetsche.

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Dr. W. A. Leason has bought the Geo. Huntzicker property on the North Side, occupied for some years by C. M. Bradford.  Leason will take possession of the property as soon as possible with the consideration of $1,900.  The purchase includes the two buildings at the north side of the residence lot and a good barn.  It is a good bargain.

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Billy Mundt, of the O’Neill store, became dissatisfied with a thermometer Tuesday which persisted in registering the wrong temperature.  He took a shot at Guy Youmans who was across the street, throwing the thermometer.  He missed guy as he was standing sideways, but a plate window in the Kapellen shoe store was behind Guy.  The damage will amount to about $40.

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Drs. Conroy and French operated on the removal of crushed bone from Herman Ketel’s leg, this week.  Mr. Ketel has been at Ayers’ hospital since his accident several weeks ago.

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The farmers around our vicinity are all so busy planting their crops, they do not have time to quarrel, or get up a dance.  So the country news will be scarce for a week or two.

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A quartet of fishermen and their ladies were left with the buggy near the iron bridge.  Their horses left for Neillsville and arrived in time for bedding.

Have you ever been left?

April 1951

Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Tuesday, April 3, in the Pentagon at Washington D. C.  Dying as a hero, he is the eighth soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor for participation in the Korean campaign.  The presentation of the medal was made to his mother, Mrs. Nellie Red Cloud.  The ceremonies took place in the Pentagon at Washington D. C.  The medal, presented to the mother, was made by Gen. Omar N. Bradley, chairman of the joint chiefs-of-staff.

The Red Cloud family comes from Hatfield.  The family home is on the Winneshiek place, just south of the Clark County line.  Mitchell attended the Indian school at Neillsville; was one of Rev. Ben Stucki’s boys, and is remembered by him as clean and honorable, a splendid representative of his race and a worthy member of the upright family.

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Marriage licenses issued in Clark County: Wallace Erickson, Neillsville and Norma Jane Lueck, Greenwood, to be married at Christie on April 7; Lillian Ystad, Town of Beaver, and Ervin Rosso, Town of Warner, to be married at Green-wood; Casimer Kowalczyk, Taylor County, and Delores Marie Kroll, Town of Withee, to be married at Withee April 7; Gene Alan Stigen, Town of Withee, Patricia Lorraine Kolodziej, Town of Worden, to be married at Thorp on April 14.

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The will be a wedding dance Saturday, April 7, in honor of Merlon Schoengarth and Ruby Homan at the Neillsville American Legion hall.  The Marden band will be playing.

A wedding dance will be held at the Silver Dome Ballroom Saturday, April 14 for Eileen Kroll and Arnold Buchholz.  Johnny Check and his recording orchestra will play.

On Saturday, April 28, a free wedding dance will be held for Frank Klinke and Hedwig Francel, at the Silver Dome Ball-room with music by the Howie Sturtz Orchestra.

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Approximately $10,000 in labor and materials washed down the swollen Black River Monday morning as rising water and battering ice-flows hammered through the 12-foot dam at the county park, one mile north and one-quarter mile west of Greenwood.

The dam, which was about 200 feet across, consisted of a 100-foot concrete spillway and powerhouse extending to the middle of the river and a 100-foot earth and stone dike connecting the power house to the west bank.

Rumors were circulating late last week that the dam was nearing the bursting point as the river neared flood stage for the first time since 1942.  By early Monday morning, the water was surging about five feet over the top of the dam, gouging and washing through the park, located on the east bank.  At that point, the dike gave away and sent water cascading through the nearby bottomlands and taking out the park roads.

The 100-foot dike at the dam had been constructed by the county, last summer with some aid from the Conservation League of Greenwood, at a cost of $10,000.  Tons of gravel and dirt were carried in to build the dam.  It all went down the river, Monday morning.

The Greenwood dam has a long-time jinx attached to it.  At least four dams have gone out at the site since a dam was first built there for power about 25 years ago.

The first dam, a part of the original power dam, went out at the west bank about 1914.  It was subsequently replaced with a brush dam, which was carried away about 1930.  Another concrete dam followed and that one too was washed out about 10 years ago.

The dam was abandoned by the original builders about 25 years ago.  For a long time it was the property of Greenwood, which in turn gave it to the county, five years ago.

This fourth misfortune, with the dam, will cast large loads of gloom all around in the central part of the county.  The prospect of a pleasant body of water, near at hand, had been promoted earnestly by the public-spirited people of Green-wood.  They saw the county park as becoming a favored spot for outings.

The wreck of the dam, after an expenditure on it of some $10,000 is certain to raise a question for the future.  That question is whether the county board will help to finance another such effort.  Perhaps the disaster will be so disheartening that even those most interested in the project may not have the heart to try further.

The level of the Black River dropped rapidly here after reaching a peak of 16.43 feet at the Indian School at 9 p.m. Sunday.  The Greenwood dam break came at a time when the water was already falling at Neillsville and it produced no perceptible rise in the river, here.  Flood stage for the river is 18 feet, at Neillsville.

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The Prochazka family has sold its food store to Neil Tallefson, of Marshfield.  The transfer will take place April 30, ending a business life of almost a quarter of a century in Neillsville.  For the elder Robert Prochazka, it marks the end of a merchandising career of some 57 years.

The Prochazkas have varying plans. The father of the family, in trade since 1894, has had enough of it and will retire.  George, the older son, will enjoy a period of rest and recreation; and will then make some new connection.  The son, Robert, has no immediate plans, but will later make a new connection.  The grandson Richard, son of George, proposes to go to California and hopes to send down roots there.  He spent some time there during his military experience, has friends there and is encouraged to believe that he will find a good opportunity on the coast.

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With spring work starting, 12 farms aggregating 850 acres are included in a week’s budget of realty transfers, as recorded by Henry Rahn in the Register of Deeds.

Harold E. Heck and wife, Vera have purchased as joint tenants, 40 acres in section 3 of the Town of Weston and 120 acres in section 34 of the Town of Eaton from F. D. Potts and his wife, Lela, for approximately $11,000.

Roy Kilgrain and wife, Belle have purchased as joint tenants, 890 acres in section 12 of the Town of Grant from Hollie Moffatt and wife, Lillian, for $11,000.

Theodore R. Grammer and wife, Margaret, of Milwaukee have purchased as joint tenants, 80 acres in section 31 of the Town of Mayville from Phillip Syputa and wife, Stella, for between $6,500 and $7,000.

Ulysses Cain and Elsie Cain, husband and wife, have purchased as joint tenants, approximately 120 acres in sections 13 and 18 of the Town of Unity from George Foelsch and wife, Margaret, for between $7,500 and $8,000.

Jesse H. Offord and wife, Selma, have purchased as joint tenants, 40 acres in section 13 of the Town of Reseburg from Joseph J. Melbinger and wife, Anna, for $5,500.

F. W. Buker has purchased 40 acres in section 14 of the Town of Mead, from A. C. Buker and wife, Mae, for between $1,000 and $1,500.

Alvin A. Miller and wife, Sadie of Milwaukee have purchased as joint tenants, 120 acres in section 16 or (of) the Town of York from Phillip Syputa and wife, Stella, for between $2,500 and $3,000.

Curtiss E. Blodgett and wife, Irma have purchased as joint tenants, 40 acres in section 28 of the Town of Reseburg from Jesse H. Offord and wife, Selma, for $2,000.

Mike Rizner and wife, Rose have purchased as joint tenants, 80 acres in section 19 of the Town of Washburn from Walter E. L. Loeck and wife, Violet, for between $4,500 and $5,000.

Adolph Aslakson and wife, Olga have purchased as joint tenants, 80 acres in section 12 of the Town of Butler from John Hazugo and wife, Catherine for $550.

H. K. Christensen has purchased approximately 80 acres in the section 36 of the Town of Butler from John Hazugo and wife, Catherine, for $550.

Ernest Vollrath has purchased 40 acres in section 29 of the Town of Warner, from H. K. Christensen and wife, Audrey for $4,300.

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The Svetlik Motor Co.; Neillsville’s Ford Sales & Service will install an authorized reconditioned Ford V-8 engine for as low as $105.90, in just 8 hours.  It comes with a new engine guarantee, for 4,000 miles, or 90 days, whichever comes first.

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Stop in at Thompson’s Kaiser-Frazer Automobiles and Service on East Neillsville city limits.  Used cars for sale: 1941 Chevrolet couple, new motor, radio & air cond.; 1948 Kaiser 4-dr sedan w/air cond.; 1946 Nash “600” 4-dr sedan, new motor, air cond. unit; 1946 Dodge 1 ½ ton truck; 2 ‘clunkers’, set your price.

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Urban Sales & Service the local Chrysler & Plymouth Cars and International Trucks dealer is at West 7^th Street.  They have top-notch used cars and trucks, stored inside, out of the weather and guaranteed.  At this time they have six used cars and one truck.  This week’s special is a 1934 Chevrolet, 2-dr, clean and in good shape for only $100!

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Wisconsin Trivia

Q. What future U. S. President turned down an offer to play for the Green Bay Packers?

A. Gerald Ford.

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Al Cowles Saloon was a Neillsville business in the early 1900s.  Standing in back of the bar, left to right: Al Cowles and Frank Lange.  Seward Way is the middle man standing at the front of the bar.  The other two men at the bar are unidentified (as are two men at a table to the left rear).  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts)