Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

April 16, 2008, Page 17

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled and contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

April 1878

 

A revolution in the method of logging seems to be seriously considered in all the lumber districts of the Northwest, especially since the failure of the snow last winter. The utility of railroads or tramways is coming to be quite generally believed in and if they do not prove a success it will not be because they have not received sufficient trial.

 

A St. Croix firm, the Star and Times tells us, are constructing four cars to be used in hauling logs from skidways in the woods. Each car will have eight wheels, about 18 inches in diameter.  The cars are constructed so that they can be let out to any length desired. They are run on oak rails, four inches wide and four inches high.  The cars will cost about $150 each and the track about $500 per mile.  Hewn timber will be laid down and the rails spiked to them.

 

It is the intention of this firm, Jefferson & Jacobs to log all summer.  This new system of railroading logs to the streams, if it is found practical at all, it will be taken advantage of by the St. Croix firm.  As one season is nearly as good as another for experimenting, we suggest that some of our Black River loggers try it.

 

From Mr. H. C. Evans, of Mayville, we learn that his company is now operating about four miles of tram road, on which they use an engine.  They believe the tram system of lumbering is going to succeed and are already going forward with experiments upon their own line.

•••••••••

The Directors of the Black River Railroad Company met at the Court House, on Monday evening of this week, and after looking the ground over very carefully decided to commence the grading of the road at once.  In accordance with this decision, Mr. Hoffman, the engineer, has been sent for to commence the permanent survey.  Mr. James L. Gates has been ordered to go to the forks of Wedge’s Creek with a crew of men to put up shanties and commence the work of grading, which is to be carried on in both directions from that point.

 

It is the intention to grade in the direction of Merrillan as far as the bluffs, on this side, where the road of Wakefield and Trow will be intersected and used by consent of that firm.  This road is nearly four miles in length and though it will not give quite as good of connections as would be obtained by running to Merrillan, it will be a great saving in expense and answer every purpose.

 

The subscriptions for this project have averaged over $300 a day, the largest being that of last Monday of $475.

•••••••••

A lodge of the Sons of the Herman was organized the first of last week by the Germans of this place.  The lodge starts out with a good membership and would undoubtedly become a permanent institution.

•••••••••

The Clark County Board of Supervisors met on Wednesday and organized by the election of William Welsh, of Loyal, as chairman.

 

The selection of William Welsh for chairman of the County Board was a very wise one if the aptitude that he has long shown as a member is any indication of his fitness for the position of chairman.  Mr. Welsh has been an active member of the Board for many years and probably understands the general theory of county government and the peculiar history of our county affairs better than any other man in it.  This knowledge, coupled with his very fine executive ability will make of him a chairman that it would be hard to surpass.

 

Various questions have been up for consideration, principal among which is the re-assessment of the Fox River lands and the appropriation for building a bridge across the Black River on the Hatfield Road.

 

Nothing has been done, in regard to the Fox River lands, though a committee has been appointed to get that matter in proper shape and the sentiment of the Board is unquestionably in favor of re-assessment. The report of the committee appointed last fall to select a site for a bridge was accepted, but as the appropriation recommended $3,000, it cannot be made at a special meeting; the further consideration of the matter will lie over until the annual meeting.

•••••••••

From Ira B. Jones, who keeps the weather record for the Signal Service Department at this place, we learn that during the heavy rain of last Sunday night, two and three-tenths inches of water fell.  This is the heaviest fall of water ever recorded in this county and the records of the War Department show but few heavier falls.

•••••••••

The Episcopal Society has recently fitted up the south room in the High School Building, on the same floor with the Chapel.  Services will be held in the room on Sunday next, at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.  All are cordially invited to attend.

 

April 1958

 

Electors of the east Fremont Consolidated School District, Monday night, voted 51-5 to build a new school building, to bond the district for the expenditure and to raise taxes to pay the principal and interest.

 

The decision was the culmination of about three months’ study of the district’s needs, investigation and a number of meetings.

 

Only preliminary floor plans of the proposed new building are available at present.  They call for three classrooms and a multi-purpose room, which will be available for such things as a lunch program, a physical education program, public gatherings and the likes.  The estimated cost is $60,000.

 

The location for the new school has not been selected, although the school district has an option on a five-acre plot south of the village of Chili.

 

The decision to bond and build was quickly reached at Monday night’s special meeting.  The meeting opened at 8 o’clock and was adjourned at 8:33.  In those short 33 minutes the referendum ballots were explained and the vote was taken.

 

Members of the building committee who had done the spade work on the building are: Herbert Puscheck, Wilbur Sanger and Norman Meissner.

 

Members of the district school board are: Vernon Lindow, Harland Meissner, Marion Lee, Mrs. Rueben Wundrow and Mrs. Donald Bersell.

•••••••••

Henry Horn and Viv Carteron were re-elected directors of the 25th Annual Meeting of the Greenwood Milk Products Co-operative last week.  Other personnel are: Clarence Meinhardt, Phillip Seliskar and John D. Speich.  The manager is Ignatz Koschak and Mrs. Alice Dusso is assistant treasurer and bookkeeper.  Eight patrons who have hauled milk to the factory for 25 years were recognized.

 

Roy Olson, auditor, stated that members of the Greenwood Dairy Co-operative received $8,000 in cash at this meeting.

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Lautenbach and family moved Saturday to Granton, onto the Eugene Thiede farm, which they purchased recently.  The Heck brothers purchased the Lautenbach farm south of Greenwood.

•••••••••

Word was received here Tuesday of the death of Maj. Gen. Clarence L. Sturdevant, a native of Neillsville who was in charge of engineering for the Alcan Highway during World War II.

 

Funeral services were to be held today, according to the work received by Mrs. Claude R. Sturdevant, a relative, from Miss Rita Youmans of Madison.

 

It was not known here where General Sturdevant was at the time of his death at 8 a.m. Monday.  However, he and Mrs. Sturdevant had been making their home in Silver Springs, Md., since his retirement several years ago.

 

Gen. Sturdevant was the son of Lafayette Sturdevant, one-time Attorney General of Wisconsin.  His father built the house now occupied by the Dr. Kenneth Manz family on Clay Street and it was in that house that Gen. Sturdevant spent his boyhood.

 

He was graduated from West Point Military Academy and became a career army officer.  The high point of his career was the construction of the famous Alcan Highway, which connects the United States with Alaska by overland route through Canada.  This highway, still in use, was recognized as a tremendous feat of engineering and construction skill.

 

Gen. Sturdevant was married to Beth Youmans, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Youmans, early residents of Neillsville and Clark County and was a sister of the late Guy C. Youmans.  Their home was a landmark on Pleasant Ridge until it was razed a few years ago by C. A. Paulson and replace by a smaller, modern structure.

 

Also surviving are two children: John, and Miss Elizabeth, who is a librarian in Walter Reed Hospital at Bethesda, Md.

 

As far as is known here, General Sturdevant achieved the highest military rank of any native son of Clark County.

 

(The former Sturdevant home is located on the northwest corner of the Clay and West Second Street intersection. D.Z.)

•••••••••

The formal designation of a ballpark and playground area and the opening of a section around it on the north side for residential expansion, were voted by the city council, Tuesday evening.

 

The decision was made after five owners of property, bordering the present North Side Park made appearances before the council to inquire into plans of the council to dispose of city property and to make their objections known.

 

The decision was reached after the council heard the objections and then retired to another room of the city hall for a 10-minure private consideration.

 

When the council returned to the council room it voted on this informal question:

 

“Does the council wish to continue the project as proposed and approved, of selling city lots bordering the so-called North Side Park area; with the inclusion of a separate area to be set aside as a playground and park to include section 3, lots 17 through 36, inclusive and section 4, lots 29 through 37 inclusive?

 

The vote was unanimously in the affirmative and was formalized with a motion to sell building lots for approximately 14 homes and to reserve the remainder of the area, including the present ballpark used by the Pee Wee league, plus additional space, for park and playground purposes.  The reservation for public use will be placed on record, according to the motion.

 

The property involved is bordered by 12th and 15th streets on the south and north and by Lynch Street, (actually an extension of Willow Street as it lies south of O’Neill Creek) on the east.  Properties are fronting on Bruley Street for the western boundary of the area.

 

The objection voiced by Lee Allen, Peter Zager and Robert Azger, all owners of property, was based mainly on the premise that the city proposed to do away with the area that has been long referred to as the “North Side Park.”  They also questioned the expense, which the city might become involved in for construction of water and sewer lines in opening up the property to residential construction.

 

Early in the discussion, Mayor Herman J. Olson made a statement.  He said he had learned in talks with former council members and by intermediary with a former mayor that the area in question had been given to the city for park purposes.  However, a search of council proceedings of that period, in the 1930s, and a review of records in the office of the register of deeds did not indicate that such an intention had ever been formalized.

 

At the conclusion of the meeting, the council unanimously approved the sale of lots in the area to Mr. Marg, Ralph Bauer and T. N. Thompson.

•••••••••

The Ladies Aid hall of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Windfall Corners, Granton, was being torn down this past week.  The main portion of the building was more than 100 years old.

 

The old building, one of the historical landmarks of the Mapleworks corner, will provide form materials for the new church.  Beautiful pine lumber was taken from the structure.  All clear wood, some of the boards measured two feet and more in width; all was like nothing available today.

 

The main portion of the structure originally stood on the location of the present Hugo Trimberger home.  At that time Mapleworks was the area settlement and there was no Granton.

 

In 1890 the building was moved across the street to its later location.  For a time the Zion congregation, which is a member of the Missouri Synod, used it as a residence for the church school teacher.  In more recent years, it was used as the parish hall.

•••••••••

Tom Yndogliato of Pine Valley reported that he expected to have all grain planted by April 16.  Grain planting in Pine Valley and areas north and east in Weston, York and Grant, are expected to be finished by Saturday, April 19.  In portions of Washburn and Levis, where drainage is a bit slower, farmers expect to complete seeding by next weekend, April 26.

•••••••••

Neillsville High School forensic students were awarded three “A” and two “B” ratings at the state forensic contest at Madison, Saturday.

 

Michael Warlum, with his original oration “A Defense of Poetry,” Bruce Crockett in extemporaneous speaking and the play, “Infanta” presented by Jana Lee Marden, Sharry Briggs, Neil Warren, Karen Sue Moeller and Charles Swann, were awarded “A” ratings.  Nancy Huckstead in extemporaneous reading and “Skip” Lee in extemporaneous speaking, were awarded “B” ratings.

 

The Neillsville students were accompanied by Miss Daphne Beeckler and Mrs. Harriette Hoesly, faculty members who coached the forensic program at Neillsville High School.

•••••••••

 

The above photo of Engine 4, a 16-ton Dickson named “The Gracie May,” was taken in 1888 north of Fairchild. The engineer was W. Kuberra; the construction engineer, Robert Holmes; and the girl holding the dog was Ella Sterns (Mrs. George Purnell).  “The Gracie May” was one of N. C. Foster’s railway engines with power enough to haul four to six loads of logs over four miles of tramway used by Foster to transport logs from his land in the Town of Foster to his lumbering business site based in Fairchild.  (Photo courtesy of “Foster’s & Nobody Else’s” publication)

 

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