Clark County Press, Neillsville,

May 17, 2006, Page 12

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

May 1901

 

Monday evening, the Woodman Camp took action to purchase the Schultz building on the corner of Court and Sixth Streets.  The upper part will be used for lodge purposes, and the lower part rented out.  Consideration, $800

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Withee has been incorporated as a village.  It is a bright hustling little town and is in the midst of a most excellent farming region.  We prophesy a steady and healthy growth for the village.

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Last week, John Welsh sold eighty acres of land near Chili for Wm. Young to Nick Hubing, of Grant.  Consideration was $1,200.  Mr. Welsh states that he has for sale several more eighties at the same price and one for $1,000.  Also there are several farms three to five miles from Neillsville, at the right figures.

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Work has begun on Gus Hoesly’s new residence on the North Side.  H. W. Brown laid out the foundation Monday, and the work is in progress.  Geo. Turner has the contract and the specifications call for some excellent work.  Mr. Trogner is the man to see it done right.

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Pat Kelly’s buggy rigs are always found at the head of the procession.  He has fast horses at the lowest rates.  Rent a rig and be in line.  Kelly’s stables can be found at the corner of Sixth and West Streets.

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This week, W. W. Taplin sold a half interest in his foundry and machine shop to Oscar Eisentraut.  It is reported that later, the plant will be moved to their lot near the mill warehouse by O’Neill Creek and its size in capacity will be enlarged.

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W. G. Hyslop shipped 114 tons (tubs?) of butter from his creamery at Pleasant Ridge on Tuesday.  The tubs averaged about 65 pounds each, or in round numbers, the shipment amounted to 7,000 pounds.  This is the product of the factory for one week.  The daily receipts of the creamery and skimming stations are in the neighborhood of 25,000 lbs. of milk.

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The Blue Rock Gun Club got up an interesting meet among their members, Sunday.  Robert Boullion and H. J. Brooks chose sides.  The shooting was exceedingly interesting.  Mr. Brooks’ squad came out victorious by a margin of three targets.

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It is reported that Dick Kountz will some day get title to the several U. S. forties, a number of churches, schoolhouses and town halls.  Also he will possibly get the Central depot at Abbotsford on the strength of some tax-certificates he purchased, Tuesday.

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A number of trout have been caught in the creek located back of the Mound, during the past week.

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Dr. W. A. Leason has moved one of the houses on the property he recently purchased on the North Side.  He moved the house to his lot north of G. W. Smith’s store and will fit it up for a tenement.

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August Pierrele was arraigned, last week, before Justice Stockwell.  It was on a complaint of Nancy Johnson of York, charging Pierrele with “lifting” two chickens.  The case was adjourned until Monday of this week.  On trial, the court found the defendant guilty and imposed a fine of $5 and costs.  The defendant appealed to circuit court.

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May 18, William Oldham and Miss Emma Boll, of Neillsville, were married by Rev. Longenecker, who officiated at the ceremony.  The couple will go to housekeeping in F. C. Wage’s house on State Street.

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B. Tragsdorf met with quite a severe accident Sunday evening.  While running a buggy into his barn, he slipped and fell striking his chin on a sharp iron, inflicting a considerable cut.

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M. C. Ring is building a fine barn on his stock farm, east of the city.  It will be 144 feet in length and as good a barn as there is in the county.

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Denis Tourigny is moving his old hardware store closer to the one recently purchased from H. A. North.  He will use the former store building for a warehouse.

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Robert Garvin has an old-timer in the form of a silver coin, or medal of the year 1726.  It is well preserved and the Latin inscription is still plain.

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H. Parker, in Levis, has built a new boarding house and has it in good running order.

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The boys of St. Mary’s School have organized a military company.  Major Glass is drilling them and they are making great progress under his instruction.  He is also drilling the girls in physical culture exercises.

 

May 1936

 

The Arbutus Lake CCC Camp at Merrillan, Wisconsin, is entering its seventh work period with an enviable record of work accomplishments for the time the camp has been in existence.  The camp was established June 16, 1933, on Arbutus Lake and has been at the same location ever since.  The working territory includes southern Clark County and practically all of Jackson County, east of Black River Falls.

 

The camp is a State Forestry Camp under the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Conservation Department.  It has been really loaded to the State of Wisconsin by the Federal Government for work in Fires Protection District 10 of the Conservation Department. 

 

It was established primarily for fire protection purposes, and secondarily or the improvement of the communication and transportation facilities in the District.  Besides these two main purposes, there are numerous others for establishment such as: improvement of forest stands, reduction of fire hazards, and construction of fire breaks, plantation, planting, blister rust control, stream improvement, lake improvement, dam construction and mapping.  All of these purposes revert back indirectly to fire protection.

 

The following is a summary of some of the major accomplishments which make the boys down here “swell with pride”: 28 bridges, 5 concrete dams, 133 miles of telephone lines, 50 miles of fire breaks, 55 miles of roadside clearing, 216 miles of trailside clearing, 6,583 man-days of fire suppression, 5,028 man days of fire pre-suppression, 1,252 acres of fire hazard reduction, 760 acres of forest stand improvement, 111 miles of truck trails, 1,185 acres of Norway, Jack and White Pine in plantations, or equaling 1,500,000 trees planted.

 

The 133 miles of telephone lines constructed has connected all the lookout towers with the Dispatcher’s office in the Ranger Station in Black River Falls.  The new lines are all metallic circuits, and they have made the fire detection system more efficient in both observing and reporting fires.

 

The 111 miles of truck trails constructed has made inaccessible country south of Pray and north of Merrillan and Humbird, accessible to fire fighters in the suppressions of fires.  This country has burned repeatedly, due to the fact that the fires fighters were unable to get into the vicinity of the fires when they are small and controllable.  Now the crews can drive directly within two or three miles of a blaze, and they can use the road as a fire break in checking the progress of the firework.

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Sparks from the chimney are believed to have started a shingle fire at the city hall early Sunday morning, which resulted in heavy damage to the upper part of the building.  The blaze, which was first noticed by Mrs. Albert Hemp, who lives nearby on West Street, spread rapidly and covered a large section of the attic before the fire department was able to turn on the water.

 

Mayor Fred Stelloh, the aldermen and city clerk took part with other volunteers in carrying city records and furniture out of the building and no loss, except to the building, resulted.

 

Temporary city headquarters were established in the Lowe building over the Coast-to-Coast store.

 

Whether to repair the old building or build a new city hall and fire department quarters are questions being considered by the Council.  Public sentiment is said to be favorable to building a new structure.  At a meeting Monday night, the council conferred with Gust Krassin, Marshfield architect, who will submit a sketch and estimate of the cost of a new building.

 

The old city hall structure was built about 60 years ago, by D. Dickenson to be used as a general store.  Along in 1901, the city took over the building and maintained it as a municipal building.  The public library also was housed upstairs until 1907 when it was moved to the high school building.

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Carl Roder’s car, which was stolen from in front of John Hauser’s home on North Hewett Street last week, was found parked in front of the Neillsville Hospital.  A fishing reel had been stolen, but the car was undamaged.  Kaiser Grap noticed the car and reported to Mr. Roder.  No clues as to the thief have been found.

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The city has eight requests from needy people for garden plots, ranging from small plots to eight acres.  The Neillsville aldermen will make the assignments, Sunday.

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Seven years ago after completing the Neillsville High School course, Everett Skroch, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Skroch of this city, announced he was going to be a lawyer, and what’s more, he declared he was going to earn the cost of his education himself.  It was a rather extravagant boast for a young man just out of school to make, but he had far more than the average share of determination and confidence, and the possibility that he might fail never entered his head.

 

When the university term started that year, Everett was at Madison, “all set to go.”  He had obtained a job in a restaurant to earn his meals, had lined up a job in a butcher shop for Saturdays to pay for his room rent and had borrowed most of the books he needed from his brother, Ernest, also a student at the University.

 

From that day until he completed his law course, last September, he faced a hard battle.  It was difficult enough in the prosperous times of 1928, but it became increasingly hard after the Depression set in the latter part of 1929.  Thousands of men throughout the country were thrown out of employment and thousands went on relief.  Against these odds, Everett managed to continue earning enough to stay in school, although at one time when he was taken ill, and was forced to withdraw from school for a time.  As soon as his health permitted, he was back at the university, working harder than ever.  He accepted any kind of a job that came his way and was glad to get it.  During the last two years of his schooling, he acted as a night watchman at the State Capitol.  And it may be said, that tramping the dimly lighted, echoing corridors of the state house through the night is about the drabbest sort of way in which a young man might earn a living; a night life greatly divergent to the night life led by a large section of the student body.

 

Everett, however, takes no credit for putting himself through school, and brushes aside any praise by saying that what luck he had in that respect was due to the kindness of friends who helped him obtain the jobs that made it possible for him to earn his own way.

 

Following the completion of his course in September, Mr. Skroch, like all other law students, had to serve six months in an established law office before being admitted to the bar.  On Oct. 9, he was given employment in the well-known firm of Rush & Devos of this city.  In April, this phase of his training was completed and he became eligible to practice law after appearing before the Supreme Court for final recognition.  A week ago, Mr. Skroch went to Madison and received all the “rights and benefits” of the profession and the authority to hang up his own shingle.  For the present, he is continuing with Rush and Devos.

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Rev. E. H. Vornholt, pastor of Zion Reformed Church, preached his farewell sermon Sunday morning for a large congregation.  In the audience were a number of Kiwanis members who came in a body, to join in farewell good wishes to Rev. and Mrs. Vornholt.  During their eight years residence here, both within and without their own church organization, the pastor and his wife had fine influence for good in the life of this community.  The good wishes of all their many friends go with them to Berne, Minn.

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Lloyd Burt, star mail route driver from Marshfield to Merrillan, announces he is taking passengers to Merrillan and Marshfield.  Information can be obtained from the post office.

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C. S. Gassen has bought, from Judge O. W. Schoengarth, the corner lot on Grand Avenue and Seventh Street, with the old building thereon, formerly known as the Ruddock blacksmith shop.

 

The buildings are now being torn down and will be replaced by a modern structure 26x62 feet, all of fire-resistant material and will be used by Mr. Gassen to carry on his welding and allied businesses.

 

The new building will face Seventh Street, and will be set back 34 feet from the street line, making a good working space in front.

 

The old blacksmith shop marks one of the many trials and failures in establishing a milk plant in or near Neillsville.  According to Judge Schoengarth, it was built nearly 50 years ago, on or close to the southwest corner of what is now the Fullerton Lumber Co.  For years, it was a cheese factory.  After many efforts to keep it going the enterprise was abandoned, later sold and moved to its present site, where it was used as a blacksmith shop.

 

For many years, L. D. Ruddock carried on his business in this shop, in the days when there was a great deal of teaming.  Mr. Ruddock, who was a noted horse-shoer, had a big line of customers, and after his death his son, Frank, who had long assisted in the shop, carried on the work until the growth of the automobile industry made horse shoes almost a thing of the past.

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Wisconsin Trivia

Q. Where does Wisconsin rank nationally in number of golf courses?

A. Tenth.

€€€€€€€€€€€

 

 

A Neillsville Musical Saxophone Quartet of the 1920s: (Front row, left to right) Bob Lee and Tubby Lowe, (back row, left to right) Leo Miller and Matt Scherer.  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ Collection)

 

 


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