December 1903

Gustav and Willie North are at home from college.

C. B. Dresden has leased the Hotel Wiesner from Fred Seif. 

Fred Hemp now owns the brick two-story building, built by Schroeder for a saloon, on the Boardman corner of West and 7^th Streets.

Tuesday was the shortest day of the year, with but eight hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds from sunrise to sunset; hardly time for a hen to lay an egg, cackle about it and go to roost again.

From the Christie correspondent: John Richardson is having the interior of his house remodeled.  Ed Schwellenbach of Globe is doing the carpenter work.

George W. Trogner has been finishing the inside of the J. R. Sturdevant house here in Neillsville.

Last Sunday, the old creamery, engine house and windmill were burned to the ground.  The fire was set no doubt by a spark blown from the chimney of the house a few rods away.

From the Columbia correspondent: A wolf was seen on main Street Saturday evening.

From the Sherwood correspondent: The boys killed two wildcats last week, one of them tipping the scales at 31 ½ pounds.

Joe Cardarelli of West Pine Valley was having a little frolic Monday on a straw pile with a pet dog and slid off of the straw to the frozen ground, which he struck in such a way that his left leg was broken a few inches below the hip.  He is 10 years old.

December 1918

The Wisconsin Cheese Factory Supply Co., of Marshfield, filed articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State.  The capital is $10,000.  The company will manufacture and sell supplies for cheese factories.

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Plans have been formed for home study for Neillsville High School students during the time school is closed for influenza.  Students whose names begin with letters A to M are requested to come to the high school Monday forenoon, Dec. 16^th, enter assembly room from the rear door, a few at a time, take their text books from their desks and pass out the front door, as rapidly as possible.  Students whose surnames begin with N to Z will come in the afternoon of the same day and secure their text books in the same manner.  Assignment of homework will be handed out and other assignments made from time to time by mail or phone.  The high school faculty will be in the city and on duty, each in his or her recitation room to plan and send out work and give such individual help as may be possible.  Later, this work may be extended to the grades.

By order of the School Board

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Mr. Guy Oakley, of Milwaukee, came here to do some special work at the Condensery and was taken sick with the flu at the Hamilton Hotel.  His wife came to take care of him and it seemed as if he was recovering, when a sudden relapse set in and he died Dec. 19^th.  He was 43 years of age and had made friends here with all whom he met.  The remains were taken to his home in Milwaukee for burial.

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Men and teams of horses are wanted at once to work in the county granite and gravel pits.  For further information, see or phone W. C. Thoma, Highway Commissioner, office phone 180, house phone 145.

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Fred Williams has opened a livery at Jerome Shaw’s barn on Court Street, the first barn south of the high school.  He is prepared to give the public good service.  He will have single and double-rigs, three hacks that are well equipped for funeral occasions; in fact it is an up-to-date livery with good teams and careful drivers.  A feed stable is in connection to the barn.

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The Globe Cheese Company held their annual meeting Dec. 4 for the purpose of electing their officers and conducting other business.  The officers elected were: F. Hatton, Pres.; Bruno Henchen, Vice Pres.; Errich Schoenherr, Sec.; Otto Steinberg, Treas.; S. B. Flagg, Salesman.  The Cheese Company shows a good report and all shareholders and patrons are well pleased.

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A sleigh load of Tioga people went to Butlerville Saturday night, Dec. 7, to attend the dance in Cap Collins new house.  Everyone had a fun time.

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Dick Van Essen, of the Town of Hewett area, stirred up some excitement Sunday evening.  Right after noon dinner, he went down to the spruce swamp to get a Christmas tree and lost his way.  He wandered around all afternoon in the water, knee deep.  He had just gotten over the flu.  We hope he suffers no bad results from his experience.

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The following telegram was received December 14 by the State Council of Defense:

“Returning soldiers will be given one month’s pay plus transportation allowance of three and one-half cents a mile from point of demobilization to home town.  Their railroad tickets will cost two cents a mile by direct route.  Demobilization will be from nearest army camp to home section, with a majority of men in each unit.”

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A special session of circuit court was held Tuesday to receive the applications for citizenship of eight aliens of German birth.  This is the last that can be naturalized under present laws. 

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Under a government ruling no buildings can be erected, except farm buildings costing less than $1,000, unless a license is first secured as a Sub-Non-War Construction Committee and anyone wishing a permit to build can get blanks from the chairman of his town, city or village.

Committee: J. J. Irvine, Chairman; A. B. Marsh; Robert Kurth     

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Three young men in the army from near Dorchester are numbered among the victims of Influenza.  They are Gustav Strassburger, who died at Quantico, VA., Guy E. Peckman, at Camp Grant, and Albert Knaack in Virginia.

(The flu epidemic of 1918, which was referred to as the “Spanish Influenza,” claimed the lives of many through out Clark County and the entire country. D.Z.)

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On a Saturday and Sunday, in mid-October, forest fires swept over Northern Minnesota, destroying a vast amount of property and the lives of about 1,000 people.  It is estimated fully 12,000 people are homeless.

A letter received by Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Snyder from their son Loren, who had a home a few miles from Duluth, stated that he lost everything he had in the fire.  He and his family were able to escape with only their lives.

December 1953

Walter Klann and James Vincent, Neillsville youths who went off to the Orient together and came back together, and did not see one another during the 10 months they were stationed there, are spending 30-day furloughs among familiar haunts and friends.

Vincent and Walter’s brother Marvin enlisted together in the Air Corps at Milwaukee.  They were high school pals, having played football together and they wanted to be together in the service.  But at Milwaukee they were split up, Marvin eventually to be sent to the European Theater.

A year later, as Vincent learned he was headed for the Orient, he found that Marvin’s younger brother also was headed there.  They left together from Camp Stoneman, Calif., and landed in Japan on New Year’s Eve 1952.  There Vincent was assigned with the Air Force police squadron to a base a few miles above Pusan; Klann to Taegu, where they moved about a little.

Ten months later, with service in Korea completed, the two Neillsville boys found themselves together once again on a boat headed for the United States and furloughs at home.  They arrived here together.

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The voice over the telephone was urgent: “There has been an awful bad accident…”

Sheriff Frank Dobes gathered up Undersheriff Ray Kutsche and struck out in a rush for Highway 12, about 2 ½ miles north of Humbird.  Any “bad accident” is tough enough for two men to work; but one on busy Highway 12, that can really be a major mess in a hurry, especially on a weekend night like it was Sunday.

When they arrived where they were told the accident occurred they found nothing but darkness.  Thinking they had been misinformed, or mistaken, they drove slowly southward to the Jackson County line.

No sign of any accident at all and certainly one of an “awful bad” one.

They met Jackson County officers returning from another mishap on Highway 12, which they had to cross the southwest corner of Clark County to get to it.  The Jackson County officers had seen the one that Clark County officers were looking for.  The officers from the two counties returned to that spot, on a curve 2 ½ miles north of Humbird.

Examination revealed that there certainly had been an accident.  Marks indicated that a lone car had left the icy highway on the curve.  A field beyond the ditch showed evidence of having been “plowed up” by car wheels.  Other marks in the field indicated that the car had overturned.  And near the spot where these marks ended were three empty quart-oil cans.

The officers began tracking down information.  They found that a Twin City driver in a light Henry J. had skidded from Highway 12 crossed the ditch and went into the field.  A few people saw the accident and stopped.  A truck driver stopped and sent a dispatch to Humbird to pass on the information.

And while that was going on, a few spectators and the owner turned the car up on its wheels.  The driver poured in some oil and started the motor.  The car was still in traveling shape, although minus a windshield, which didn’t seem to bother the driver as he drove away.  No one knew his name or anything much about him.

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Mr. and Mrs. Chris Olsen have sold their home on Thomas Street, in Loyal, to Mr. and Mrs. Perry Volk.  They are now visiting their son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. John Olsen.  They will leave Monday for Milwaukee, where they will make their home.

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Mr. and Mrs. Gerald T. Bredlau, newlyweds, are making their home in Janesville, where he is employed. 

Mrs. Bredlau is the former Janet Carol Haupt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Haupt of Rt. 1, Loyal; and he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Bredlau of Rt. 2, Spencer.  Both attended Loyal High School.

They were married Saturday, December 5, at the home of the bride’s parents, with the Rev. M. S. Egge, pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Greenwood, performing the double ring ceremony.

The maid-of-honor was Darlene Haupt, a sister of the bride.

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A Christmas party was held last Sunday afternoon at the West Side Hall for all the little kids to see Santa and get packages of good things to eat.  A free movie was also shown.  There was a large crowd, of which many were from the Gorman community, in spite of the icy roads, which made it look like a skating pond in most places.

Three Willard youths left last Sunday for Milwaukee by car, namely Donald Kirn, Joseph O’Black and Louis Landini, Jr.  They expect to enlist in the Army Air Corps.

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A list of 280 names of heads of families and other persons once residing in, or near, Columbia has been supplied The Clark County Press by Mrs. Mabel Jonkel of Chicago.  The list has been furnished at the request of The Press, supplementing the article, which Mrs. Jonkel had earlier prepared.

Many of the persons listed by Mrs. Jonkel are dead.  Nearly all of them had moved out of the Columbia area as the place gradually slipped back into the status from which the promoters boomed it.

Columbia, stripped in 1953 of its last public building, is the great “Ghost Town” of Clark County.  It was touted as the coming “Great City,” but it was never more than a hamlet.  The nature of its boom is illustrated by a story told by Mrs. Jonkel, who names the first child born in Columbia, to whom a promoter promised to lots in Columbia.  What the gal got, Mrs. Jonkel said, was 12 yards of cheap dress material.

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Winner of Van Gorden’s Annual Big Buck Contest and the $10 Prize this year is: Louis Meinholdt whose 9-point buck had a 23-inch spread and weighed 180 ½ pounds.

Honorable mention buck winners are: Alfred Ebert, 22 ¾” spread; John Bryan, 22 ½ inch spread; Henry Schutte, 22 ¼ inch spread; John Kaczor, Jr., 20 inch spread.

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A veritable mountain of candy, peanuts and apples melted as snow before the blast of a blow torch Saturday as hundreds of children greeted Santa Claus on his annual visit to the city of Neillsville.

More than one-third of a ton of goodies were handed out in 1,200 sacks by Santa and his helpers as children milled close to Santa and his helpers who rode upon the trailer St. Nick had pressed into service to haul his tremendous quantity of sweets.

There were 476 pounds of candy, 300 pounds of peanuts, six and one-half bushels of apples and 48 candy bars.

And still a few children were turned away without a gift.

Sad, but true, is the fact that several youngsters passed through the lineup to get three and four bags of candy, while others went without.  This happened, in spite of a determined effort on the part of Santa’s helpers to prevent it.

Santa said he was determined to devise a way, another year, so that the gifts would be limited to one for each child.

A big job of sacking the candy, peanuts and apples were carried out by helpers from the Neilslville High School, John R. Bergemann, Mrs. Art Gress and Mrs. William Erpenbach.

Santa’s visit to Neillsville on a mid-December Saturday in the early 1950s was a big event for local children.  Hundreds of bags filled with candy, peanuts and apples were given away.

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