Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

January 1, 2014, Page 12

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

January1904

 

Fred Bullard went to Rib Lake Monday to take up his work as manager and superintendent of the electric light plant there. Fred is an expert electrician, a fine mechanic and a most reliable and steady workman. Rib Lake was fortunate in securing his services. His wife will join him in the spring.  W. C. Bullard takes Fred’s place at the local power plant and Marion Conlin takes Mr. Bullard’s place.                                                        

•••••••••

Wm. Mundt went back to Hatfield to take up his post-graduate course in mule-pounding.  He reports that the Hatfield crew and machinery is being moved to Dells Dam and work on the dam there will commence shortly.

•••••••••

Herman Yankee caught his axe on a clothesline the other night while splitting wood and the clothesline rubbed across Herman’s nose with sufficient force to denude it of considerable skin.

•••••••••

Marriage Licenses have been issued to: Horace E. Rodman of Pine Valley and Mildred Wheelock of York; Charles Buddinger and Minnie Cresset of York.                                            

•••••••••

You can buy No. 1 Rock Salt for salting meat at only 1 cent a pound at Tragsdorf, Zimmerman & Co., Lump Rock Salt for cattle, 100 lbs. for 75 cents.                                                              

•••••••••

Ice is being cut, packed and stored at the North Grant Creamery this week. The ice is being cut and hauled from Gottleib Pischer’s pond.                                                                                    

•••••••••

You all understand the warm weather conditions, the Heavy Goods has gone begging with not much sales for them.  Now I will give a liberal Discount on Over Coats, Fur Coats and all heavy winter goods, thru January 16, and Cash Only; at A. F. Snyder, Clothier & Furnisher, Neillsville.                                           

•••••••••

Last Tuesday evening the M. W. A. had a big time. They had arranged to install officers, initiate candidates, entertained the Royal Neighbors at an oyster supper and wound up the evening with a dance.  The program was carried out with the exception of the installation and one of most pleasant gatherings in the history of the camp was the result.  Between 400 and 500 people were present, with both floors of the lodge building being crowded with a happy throng.  The evening will long be remembered by the Woodmen and their guests.                          

•••••••••

The State Game Warden said that 6,208 deer were shipped during the recent open season in Wisconsin.  In all, about 11,000 deer were killed by licensed hunters in this state.                          

•••••••••

Take your green and dry Hides and Furs down to M. Marcus, the place where you always get the highest prices paid for them.  His residence is the brick house near the depot.                    

•••••••••

The meeting of the Pleasant Ridge Creamery Co. lasted so long Wednesday night that tall the wives became frightened and phoned to O. E. Counsell to see what happened.  But everything was all right; they paid the patrons 32½ cents for December butter.  Phones are handy, even when ladies tip over and ponies go home without a driver.

•••••••••

Wm. Goldhamer, who lives in Pine Valley, was driven home by a wolf on his way to town last Friday night.  The wolves are thick around there.  He said it was a big one.                                   

•••••••••

Carol Haberland’s shoe shop is now located just east of Hemp’s grocery store.  He very cordially solicits his old customers to bring their shoe repairing to him and he will be pleased to see any new customers who desire their work done in a prompt and satisfactory manner.  His prices are always reasonable.  Call on him, one door east of Hemp’s grocery.

 

(Hemp’s Grocery was on the southeast corner of Hewett & Fifth Street. DZ)

•••••••••

J. P. Hansen, assistant superintendent of the Orphan’s Home-Finding Association of Wis., was in the city of Neillsville this week on his annual visit.  He said that he would be glad to find some good homes where a baby would be welcomed.  So if there are any good families around Neillsville who would like to adopt a baby boy or girl, they should write to Rev. P. Petersen, Green Bay, Wis.                                                                 

•••••••••

Tuesday night a bat flew into the Pure Food Grocery store when a customer opened the door.  It circled about the store until Ed Suckow killed it with a broom. The robins and blue birds will be here in a few days if this weather keeps up.

•••••••••

Monday, Paul Walk sold his interest in the Walk & Kutchera store to Harry Albright. Mr. Albright has been in the grocery department of the Big Store for some time and is an accommodating gentleman.

•••••••••

Unity is to have a state bank, with the stock having already been subscribed by local businessmen and farmers. The charter will be taken out as soon as a cashier can be engaged. The capital stock will be $10,000.

 

January 1949

 

Shown above are four of the six founders of Bruce Mound Winter Sports Area and members of the “Half Moon Ski Club” (left to right) Jim Hauge, Cal Swenson, Dick Van Gorden and Pink Van Gorden.  John Peterson and Dr. Milton C. Rosekrans also were two of the founders, active in the beginnings of the ski club in 1946, while starting extensive work in developing the first ski slope on what is now known as Bruce Mound.  The ski club later turned over operations of the Bruce Mound ski slopes to the Clark County Forestry & Parks Dept.

 

A Ski run half a mile long was put into operation in December of 1948 on Bruce Mound, Clark County. This ski run is regarded by local enthusiasts as the equal of anything in Wisconsin. The first use, at year end, followed extensive work on the site, done largely by volunteer labor.  Some of the run was naturally clear; the remainder of it had to be brushed and prepared for use.

 

The ski run is fitted out with two tows, each consisting of a rope running through pulleys and operated by gas motors. One of the tows is 1,000 feet long. The other, which is the upper, is 300 feet long.

 

The run starts at the foot of the fire tower and follows a general easterly direction.

 

The ski run has been installed and will be operated by a local organization known as Half Moon Ski Club. The officers are: James Hauge, President; Dick Van Gorden, vice-president; John Peterson, secretary; Calvin Swenson, treasurer.  Membership is open to all interested in skiing.                                       

•••••••••

Herbert Keller of Neillsville was appointed courthouse janitor by the public property committee of the county board at its meeting last Friday.  He assumed the duties the following day.  His compensation will be $1,950 per year.  Mr. Keller was selected from among 14 applicants for the position held during the last 34 years by Oluf Olson.  Mr. Olson will stay on the job for the next month or two while Mr. Keller is familiarizing himself with the work.

•••••••••

Marriage Licenses:

Clarence Weichelt, Granton, and Phyllis J. Kohl, Granton

William Carl Reynolds, Phoenix, Ariz., and Elaine Ann Hass, Thorp

Clarence Frad, Thorp, and Florence M. Godfrey, Gilman

John Zimmerman, Unity, and Mrs. Edith Van Loo, Fond du Lac

John Winneshiek, Neillsville and Lorraine Suan Chicago                 

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. John Kadunc, newlyweds, are making their home in Owen. The couple was married on Christmas Day at the Clarence Markee home in the Town of Warner.  The Rev. L. J. Chapman of Neillsville was the officiating clergyman.  Miss Violet Otto and Clarence Markee were the attendants.                

•••••••••

Ed Bergstrom of Owen has donated his garage for a week for the use of veterans, who are taking part in the on-the-farm training.  The veterans are now taking a course in repairing and servicing farm machinery. Bergstrom turned away all repair work during the week.                                                                     

•••••••••

The public property committee of the county board of supervisors will meet Saturday to determine procedure on the Mead Dam project in light of new disclosures from the consulting engineers.

 

The disclosures briefly are: original estimates were based on the lake formed by the east fork of the Eau Claire River will flood portions of eight privately-owned 40s.

 

County officials interested in the creation of this recreational lake site in the Town of Mead had been aware of the need for acquiring title to two of these 40s before work on the dam could be started. This requirement is specified in the county board resolution setting up the plan. But they had not been aware that the backwater would encroach upon more than two 40s not owned by the county.

 

That the 343-acre lake formed by an 18-foot dam would be likely to cover six other privately-owned lands came as a surprise. But it was revealed through a study of elevation maps prepared for the project by consulting engineers, Mead & Hunt of Madison.

 

The engineers, in their preliminary report stated: “from the information obtained, it is quite obvious that an 18-foot dam will flood too large an area during high flow periods. The dam height should not exceed 16 feet, and possibly 14 or 12 feet would be more desirable.”

 

The 40s affected are owned by John Dobisch, the American Immigration Company, Esther E. Johnson, B. A. Johnson, Joseph Ule and V. J. Clute.

 

By lowering the height of the dam, however, the size of the lake would be restricted.  This would create other complications. For instance, the original plan was based on a lake of approximately 343 acres area and the establishment of approximately 350 lots around it. These lots, by county board resolution, must have a lake frontage of 100 feet each.

 

That point could be revised by the county board, and perhaps will. But should the amount of Lake Frontage be changed it will raise further complications.

 

Another factor, which is beginning to be examined by a few county board members, is at the present in regard to leased lots on the county-owned Rock Dam area.  These lots are leased at $10 per year, for cottage sites.  In the last year 14 persons failed to renew their leases. Whether this is the beginning of a trend will be further established shortly, inasmuch as leases for 1949 are now being prepared.                                                            

•••••••••

Alva A. Clumpner, who last week leased his Sanitary Dairy to two local youths, said he is considering positions with two state departments. One is the offer of a position in the Milwaukee office of the conservation department; the other with the state highway police.  Mr. Clumpner served for 13 years with the conservation commission as a warden before going into the dairy business.                                                                                       

•••••••••

One of the most popular spots in the city during the last half of December was the skating pond on O’Neill Creek near the Hewett Street Bridge.

 

A total of 1,683 persons used the pond for skating in the last 19 days of the month, according to figures given in the monthly report of the city engineer, James D. Hansen.

 

(How times have changed. The O’Neill pond is vacant of skaters, with a few having gone to the hockey rinks, where skaters are chosen, organized, coached and supervised by parents, adults.  The skiers now ravel to the bigger slopes, leaving Mt. Moldy to some little kids with sleds.)                                                              

•••••••••

Thirty-three rabbits that got in the way of shot from guns held by Servicemen company marksmen will form the piece de resistance at the Service company feed tonight. Guests of the local National Guardsmen will be their wives, or sweethearts, who have heard so much about culinary skills of Happy (Suicide) Mohr, Eugene Diercks, Claude Ayers and Tom Flynn.  The rabbit feed with other supplement, is scheduled to start at 9 p.m.

•••••••••

Although few of them know him, a great many people past and present, of Neillsville, Granton, Chili and vicinity have had a long interest in James Peterson of La Crosse.  And he has had a long, long interest in them.

 

Mr. Peterson is a dry goods salesman and he has been “selling” to retail merchants of this area for the last half-century.  He told of some of his early experiences in Neillsville Tuesday night when he was making his final trip, for he is retiring after 50 years on the road.

 

Meeting with the Rotary club, Mr. Peterson told of his early trips to the city.  He put up, in those days at the old O’Neill House, which stood on the present location of the post office.

 

There, with some 14 trunks loaded with samples on display, merchants of Neillsville and the towns around came in to look over the goods and to place their orders.

 

One of the old Neillsville merchants he mentioned was Ben Tragsdorf.  Another was the father of George and Joe Zimmerman.

 

“And now,” he said, “I’m selling the kids.”

 

Incidentally, the Zimmerman brothers are now numbered among the older merchants of the city in the point of service.

 

When he went on the road, Mr. Peterson recalled, he took out the first overalls ever made especially for children. They sold for $4 per dozen. Today, they are $30 per dozen.

 

But in those days, wages did not compare with present day rates. Four years before he went on the road for his firm, Mr. Peterson said he started in the factory at a weekly wage of exactly nothing.

 

After he had been there for three months he inquired about the chance of getting some money so that he could ride a streetcar home during the colder weather.  He was given a $2.50 weekly salary, which was $1 more than usually paid at the outset.

 

When the Spanish-American War came along he was offered a job in a retail store at $10 per week.  He told his boss about the opportunity that was open to him, as he was getting $6 per week. The boss gave him a raise to $10 per week.

 

At the same time, Mr. Peterson recalled, his father was earning the stupendous amount of $9 per week.

 

“When I got home,” he said, “I danced the can-can all over the kitchen, and said to my mother, “What are we going to do with all the money?”

 

Mr. Peterson didn’t say anything about subsequent income; but it appeared to those present that his income had not remained constant at $10 per week during his 50 years on the road.   

 •••••••••

The 3-Conference basketball scoring record has been shattered again and this time Everett Gorsegner, Greenwood Indian’s star forward, probably will hang up a record that will last a while.

 

At Spencer last Thursday night, Gorsegner dropped in 22 points to raise his total in eight conference games to 171. Thus, he went 12 points over the record of 159, set last year by Leonard Vandehey, Loyal Maroon Center.

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