Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

March 14, 2012, Page 9

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

February 1937

 

History of Logging in Clark County

By Fred Draper

Chapter VI

 

After the camps and roads were built, the actual cutting of logs began.  In the early days and until the late 1870’s, only the very best of the timber was cut, the contracts where the logs were sold to the mills or where the logs were put in contract, called for an average of 2 ˝ logs to the thousand feet for the season’s cut, no hollow logs were taken, no matter how small the hollow.  The reason given that in driving the logs down the river, sand and gravel was apt to get into the hollow and injure the saws in sawing them into lumber.  The logs also had to be rid free from punk knots, ring rot and shake. Consequently there was an immense amount of timber left on the ground.  Some of it to rot; and some of it to be picked up later and sawed in the local mills.

 

Besides this waste where the larger trees were cut out, it let the sun in to exposed roots of the standing trees and this together with destructive fires started in the slashings ruined thousands of acres, and millions of feet of standing timber.

 

From the commencement of logging up to about 1880, the trees were all felled with an ax, and then most of the hardwood and the last of the pine were cut down with a saw.

 

The ax man, or chopper as he was called, had to be a man of judgment as well as experienced in the use of an ax.

 

He must judge the way a tree would fall to the best advantage of it being hauled to the skidway, butt first. The tree was fallen directly away from the skidway or else at right angles to the skidway, care too had to be exercised not to fall it across a stump or log so that it would break and spoil a log; then too at times the direction that the wind was blowing was a factor to be taken in consideration. A good chopper also judged the width of his scarf so he could fall his tree with the least amount of chipping possible, cutting the stump square across and the upper cut smooth enough to write on with a pencil.

 

The chopper was followed by the swamper, who trimmed off the limbs close to the log and threw those on one side of the log far enough away so the skidding crew could skid out the logs. It was also his duty to do the measuring of the tree and making it for the sawyers.

 

The sawyers followed and cut the tree into logs, if the weather was mild it was necessary for the sawyers to carry a bottle of kerosene with them to sprinkle on the saw occasionally as the pitch in the sap would start, on a mild day, to gum up on the saw.

 

The sawyers were followed by a skidding crew, consisting of a yoke of oxen, the driver and a crotch tender. The crotch tender was usually a husky young fellow able to pick up the tree crotch, which sometimes had added weight of snow and ice, which was then placed beside the log in readiness to roll the log on the bunk of the crotch.

 

The end of the chain with the hook was placed over and under the log, then hooked to the bunk of the crotch, enabling the log to then be rolled on the bunk with the team of horses, with care taken to balance the log exactly in the middle of the bunk or else the unlucky bull puncher very likely had to reload his log before he reached the skidway. As soon as the log was balanced across the skids, it was rolled in place and if it was a small log it was more than likely rolled on top of the other logs by means of cant hooks and spiked skid, which bit the bark and prevented the log from slipping.

 

Sometimes the log was so large that the team was unable to haul it to the skidway as it was, so the log was then roust or peeled of its bark about one half the way from the top to the butt and one-third the way around, which greatly lessened the resistance and one team was usually then able to haul it.

 

Snow usually fell in quantities sometime about January first to tenth and the ground ordinarily was frozen hard before the snow fell, if there were still soft places on the marshes or spring holes, men were sent out to tramp a track for the horses to follow. After the track was tramped, the frost went down and the next day those spots were usually frozen hard enough to hold up the horses.  A huge snowplow was made of three-inch or four-inch planks about 16 or 18 inches in height and from 20 to 24 feet in length, well braced and V-shaped with an 18 or 20 foot spread.  This was drawn the length of the logging road usually by four horses, the plow threw back most of the snow, then four horses were hitched to a logging sleigh with a gouger or rutter behind, following exactly in the sleigh tracks, which was some eight or ten feet in length, made of wood with heavy steel blades 4 or 5 inches in width, set at about the same angle as the blades in a carpenter’s plane. At the back end was placed a set of handles similar to those on a breaking plow for the purpose of keeping a gouger in an upright position and also to steady it.  This gouged a rut from three to five inches in the frozen soil, and it was necessary for men to follow it to dig up any small stones that might be in the rut and take out any other obstructions that would interfere with the free flow of water in the trench.

 

The road was then left until the whole road was frozen solid. Then began the task of filling the ruts with water, this was done by filling an immense wooden tank with water. The tank was placed upon sleights made especially for this purpose. The runners curved at both ends to that when the tank was emptied of water, instead of having to turn around, they unhitched the horses and fastened them to the other end of the sleigh for the return trip.  In the old days, the water was hauled and dumped from a trap door in the top of the tank by means of a good sized barrel with a heavy bale, pulled from the water where it was filled.  In later years, the tank was filled with a gasoline pump and five inch hose in a small fraction of the time it took to fill it the old way.  After the road was completely iced it was ready for the hauling to commence. After the first icing, the water tank was run nights when the road was free from traffic.

 

Up to sometime in the late 1870s, the loads were built to a peak and bound with chains and a binding pole, this wasn’t a very satisfactory way as the binding pole sometimes worked loose and accidents occurred; then some one discovered corner binds, which securely held the outside logs so that it was impossible for the bottom tier of logs to slide out as they sometimes did with the old method.  Then too the sides of the load could be built up almost perpendicular, which was a decided advantage.

(To be continued)

 

March 1957

 

The City of Neillsville last week purchased land for the extension of Second Street from Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Stelloh, the purchase price being $600.

 

The land involved is 30 feet wide and extending 1,250 feet east and west, starting at Oak Street.

 

The intention of the city is to construct an extension of Second Street to provide quicker access to Memorial Hospital from the east and south.  At present the first east-west street available for such travel is Fourth, which has developed a heavy traffic count, and which delays progress to the hospital for emergency vehicles.  In addition, as Fourth Street lies at the bottom of a hill, several bad crossing situations have developed there because of increased Fourth Street traffic.

•••••••••

Dan J. Patey of Neillsville became a full-fledged state highway patrol officer Saturday night in graduation exercises at Camp McCoy, which brought the state patrol to its full strength of 250 officers.

•••••••••

Elmer Horn of Spencer, Albert Haas, George Schmitz and George Wagner, Lynn area residents, took a trip to Fountain City to see about getting fish to be planted in the Sherwood dammed-up lake.  This is a southern Clark County Conservation project.                                                                       

•••••••••

The newly formed Calvary Lutheran Church will have its first service Sunday, March 10, at 10:30 a.m. in the Adler Theater.  The Adler will continue to be the temporary place of Sunday worship for the new congregation until the new church is completed, sometime this fall.

 

Plans for the new church have been approved.  It will be built on the four-acre plot owned by the church and situated near Memorial Hospital.

 

Sunday school will begin March 17 and will also meet in the Adler Theater with classes beginning at 9:15 a.m.

 

Calvary will hold Lenten service this Thursday evening at 8 p.m. in the Congregational Church, announced by Rev. Idar J. Tanner.                                                                                           

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Smith, who presently are living in Granton, are purchasing the Sam Ray home on Hill Street. The time of the transfer has not been determined.  The Rays plan to build another house adjoining the one they are selling.

•••••••••

Pee Wee Hunt, for 16 years featured trombonist and singer with the famed Casa Loma Orchestra of Glen Gray, will play a dance engagement at the Silver Dome, five miles west of Neillsville Saturday night.

 

Pee Wee, so named because of his 235 pounds, had his popular band experience, after leaving Ohio State University, with Jean Goldkette’s band, which formed the nucleus of the later and more-widely known Casa Loma gang. A radio “ham,” Hunt earns close to $150,000 per year as the leader of his “Twelfth Street Rag” Dixieland band.

•••••••••

The Schultz Bros. variety store was being moved into temporary quarters here this week in preparation for the construction by them of a new and modern variety store on the present down-town location.

 

The merchandise was being moved into the former Skelgas & Appliance store, about a half block north on Hewett Street from the location of the present Schultz building. Retail operations will be conducted from this site until the new building is available for occupancy.  The old building will be mostly razed for the new facility.

•••••••••

Leon Kapfer, Monday, was appointed the fourth member of the Neillsville city police force.  His part-time employment was authorized last week by the city council.  Kapfer, who is married, is a milk hauler and school bus driver.  He had been observing the work of city police officers for a week or two prior to starting work as an officer.  He will act principally as relief help for the three regular members of the force.                     

•••••••••

Two Neillsville women bowlers splattered the hard maples all over the alleys at the annual Wisconsin State women’s bowling tournament now in progress at Beloit and are leading the doubles in that event.

 

Scoring a high and hard-to-beat 1,014, were Florence “Flossie” Carl and Mrs. Lawrence “Buddy” Langreck. The tournament continues through May 12, and there is plenty of time for them to be knocked off; but as of the moment, theirs is the top doubles try.                                                                       

                                                                                             •••••••••

Miss Linda Suckow, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Suckow, started four weeks of practice teaching in the third and fourth grade room of the North Side School in Neillsville this week.         

•••••••••

A new “skyline” is rising rapidly on the east edge of the city of Neillsville these days. There is a framework of the new 1200 by 200-feet factory being built by the Neillsville Industrial Corporation and which will house the enlarged operations of the nelson Muffler Corporation, which has operated here for 12 years.

 

Approximately 150 people of Neillsville and the surrounding area have invested in the Neillsville Industrial Corporation to date in this effort of the community to improve its own situation.

 

To date they have invested a total of $70,000 of the $115,000 needed to complete the project.  More is forthcoming; and one of the problems of the Industrial group’s board of directors now is to revitalize the investment drive to complete the financing with local money entirely.

 

The target date for opening of the new factory building is June 1.   

•••••••••

A total of 17 farm auctions are listed in the “Auction calendar” of this week’s Clark County Press, a record total for any issue of the newspaper in the last 20 years.

 

What is behind the apparent unusual number of auction this season?  The Press asked that question of one person connected with securing auctions and got this answer:

 

“Probably comparatively low prices have something to do with it,” said this person; “but probably more responsible is the fact that for the first time social security is becoming available to many farmers.

•••••••••

Four young men have been selected to enter the army, reporting to Fort Chaffee, Ark.

 

They are: David L. Pietenpol, Granton; William H. Rau, Dorchester; Glenn A. Fischer, Owen; and Andrew J. Johnson, Humbird.

 

The county’s April quota calls for four men for induction and 24 pre-induction physical examinations. They will leave Neillsville April 3.                                                                                       

•••••••••

Meat specials from Schaefer’s Sausage Co., Inc. of Oshkosh, Wis.:

 

Farm Style Brand Sausages: Skinless Wieners 3 lbs. 99˘; Big Bologna lb. 33˘; Ring Bologna lb. 37˘; Polish Sausage lb. 37˘; and Bacon Squares lb. 25˘; available at Farmers Store in Neillsville.

•••••••••

The Loyal Auto Wrecking Yard has been sold to Paul Degenhardt & Rueben Gotter.  They will continue to handle all Auto Parts, Pipe, Channel Iron, Angle Iron, I-Beam, Sheet Iron, Plate, Barn Parts and Lumber.

 

Open for business – Mondays thru Saturdays – E. P. Milton

•••••••••

Now you can own an all new Ford Row Crop Tractor for as little as $959 down cash and take up to 36 months or 3 crop years to pay the balance, at Svetlik Motor Co.                                 

•••••••••

Dolly Madison Milk or Neillsville Dairy Milk in Glass bottles delivered to your door by your Neillsville Dairy.  H. H. Quicker, owner                                                                                       

•••••••••

You are invited to the Grand opening of the Arbutus Café, Friday, March 15.  It is the most modern and up-to-date restaurant in Neillsville.

 

 

The Sweet Shop was located in the 500 block of Hewett Street in the late 1800s – early 1900s

(Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ collection)

 

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