Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

August 6, 2014, Page 11

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

August 1869

 

We could not resist the many temptations placed before us the other day to join a party on a huckleberry excursion.  So many had gone and returned with glowing accounts of a happy trip that we wanted to share in the fun.

 

Our part consisted of four couples and returned home on the fourth day, having experienced one of the most pleasant and jolly times of the season.

 

As for the huckleberries, suffice it to say we found them as plenty as pebbles upon the beach, and the quantity we brought home numbered a plurality of bushels.

 

We left the Black River road about a mile beyond Visnow’s passing by Wright’s mills and then over the ridge, we entered upon the prairie and soon reached Alma Center.  Stopping there but a few moments we went on to Houghtonburg and from there to the site of the new town on the railroad and pitched tent for dinner.  As it was our first visit to Alma Center and Houghtonburg we were very much surprised at finding so rich and beautiful a farming country in that section.  We noticed particularly the nice schoolhouses, comfortable dwellings, good barns and fine herds of cattle, an unmistakable evidence of an intelligent, thrifty and prosperous people.  Small grains looked very promising and nearly ready for the reaper, but corn was everywhere backward.

 

Houghtonburg is a small place pleasantly situated just within the limits of our county, has two stores and a hotel called the Mentor House.  The landlord, Capt. C. P. Sloggy keeps the house in the very best of style.

 

One and a-half mile above there is the depot on the West Wisconsin Railroad and a new town recently laid out and named, Rocky Mound, on account of a high, rocky bluff on the north side of the town.  Mr. G. W. King suddenly appeared, as he was there on business and decided to try fishing for speckled trout in a nearby stream.

 

A depot will soon be erected. M. Bump and J. V. Wells of Black River Falls who are putting up warehouses, a fine hotel for Horace Stiles is going up, a brewery has been started and many other buildings will soon be underway.

 

(It is believed the name Rocky Mound was later changed to Humbird)

 

Upon seeing us, G. W. King invited us to visit his embryo city, “Kingston,” the distance to King’s mill was four and one-half miles.  We spent one night there, very pleasantly dancing until midnight.  King is driving a heavy business.  His steam sawmill is kept constantly running and the demand for lumber is rushing upon him at such rates as to keep things moving pretty lively.

 

The next day we were on the road again, going back to Neillsville.

 

(King’s mill was located south of Hwy 10, east along what is not Hickman Rd.)

•••••••••

Mr. Dan Gates, one of Clark County’s old, reliable men, has opened a store in the old Union House to sell flour, feed, etc.

•••••••••

The action of the Town Board in changing the location of the cemetery will receive commendation.  The ground of the new cemetery is situated eighty rods east of the road between here and Staffordville, just back to the road at the point where it first turns after passing John Walter’s residence.  The lot comprises of ten acres, which belonged to James O’Neill, who very generously donated two acres and is selling the rest for small sum of $5 per acre.  The land is beautifully situated and reflects credit upon the Board for its selection.                                              

•••••••••

The agent of the American Bible Society for this State will be at this place in a few days.  A meeting will be held in the new Methodist Church here at half-past seven o’clock on Sunday evening, Sept. 2nd for upon which the agent will deliver an address.                                                                                                      

•••••••••

Milwaukee claims 90,000 people, of whom, it is said 89,998 drink Lager Beer.

•••••••••

Tomorrow may never come to us.  We cannot find it in any of our title deeds.  The man, who owns whole blocks of real estate and great ships on the seas, does not hold a single minute of morrow.  It is a mysterious possibility, not yet born.  It lies under the seal of midnight behind a veil of glistening constellations.

•••••••••

We are requested to state that there will be a donation party at the Methodist Church in this place on Thursday evening, Sept. 2nd, for the benefit of the pastor.  A general invitation is extended, and we hope the attendance will be large and the donations liberal, for Mr. Walker needs assistance and is deserving of it.

•••••••••

If you want a good custom-made boot or shoe, call at the shop of Carl Peterson.  He is one of our most steady and industrious mechanics and by close application to business he has accumulated in his store a nice stock of boots of his own make.  His place is one door east of the post office.                                     

•••••••••

Strayed from my property, one yoke of oxen, both red in color of average size, one having a bell on, for when lost.  The finder will be suitably rewarded by informing R. W. Jenkins, Mentor in Clark County, Wis.

 

August 1949

 

One of the results of the polio worry is to occasion as orderly handling of the city dump.  The dump is now attended from 6 in the morning until 8 at night.  The first truck from 6 to 1, is taken by the regular dump attendant, Carl Zschernitz, the second turn, from 1 to 8 is taken by Michael O’Leary.

 

Upon arrival of a load of garbage or trash, the attendant directs the driver to the proper location.  The garbage is dumped in one place and dry refuse in another.

 

The plan is that the dry, inflammable material shall be used to burn the garbage. This works out fairly well, though there is a scarcity of inflammable material. Some help is given by crankcase oil, which is brought down by the various garages.  This is held aside in containers and is used as needed to help with the fire.  The garbage is burned on the ground, an incinerator not being available.

 

Liberal use has been made of fencing on the dump.  Access has thus been cut off from the edges and the temptation has been removed to throw garbage over the edges.  A gateway has been left at the point where dumping is desired.

 

During the past week, only one polio case originated in Clark County.  The patient is Ervin Weister, 8, of Sherman Township.  He was taken to the Marshfield hospital Saturday, and the case was confirmed as polio on Monday.

 

This additional case brings the total to 20 for the present endemic.     

•••••••••

Pederson Electric now has on its floor the greatest refrigerators General Electric ever built, priced as low as $189.75.

•••••••••

One of Clark County’s largest real estate sales recorded in recent days was that of the Stables Night Club, in the Town of Hewett, by Mr. and Mrs. Peter Pawelko.  They purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Alvin H. Ziegler and Mr. and Mrs. Harold T. Ziegler.  Revenue stamps indicated a purchase price of from $8,000 to $8,500.

 

The trade made by Mr. and Mrs. Glenn A. Ketchum of their property in the city to Louis Haumschild of Greenwood, for the old Gus Kaddatz farm in the Town of Levis.  Mr. Ketchum is the veterans’ on the farm training instructor.  They are now living on the farm in the Town of Levis.                                               

•••••••••

 

Free Dance, at Marty and Louie’s Tavern, formerly Fred Wallmuth’s.  Saturday, Aug. 6.  Music will be furnished by Marden’s Orchestra.  Tavern is located on County Trunk J.                                                                                  

•••••••••

 A testimonial program in recognition of 44 years’ service as a rural mail carrier will be given in the Municipal building at Loyal this evening for Fred Church; in the point of service, Mr. Church is the oldest rural mail carrier in Clark County.

•••••••••

A hearing to determine the amount of clearing to be done in the Mead Dam flowage area is to be held in the courthouse here next Monday, at 1 p.m., by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

•••••••••

Harold Grandt is still improving the grounds around his cheese plant in the Janesville Settlement.  Black dirt has been hauled in to finish the yard.  He has built up a prosperous business in making Swiss cheese.

•••••••••

Auction Sale of Corn & Oats, between 9 and 10 acres of Fine Standing Corn and about 300 bushels of Choice Oats will be sold at Auction Sale on the former Douglas Behrens Farm, located 4 miles south of Neillsville on Highway 95, Saturday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m.                                                                                    

•••••••••

The Neillsville Women’s Golf Team is winner in the Tri-County Trophy Test on the local golf course.

 

Shooting 185 holes of golf in a total of 1,065 strokes, Neillsville’s 10-woman golf team handily walked away with the Tri-County Club course.  They smothered all opposition, defeating the second-place Galesville team by 94 strokes, the third-place Whitehall team by 159, and the last place Mondovi team by 246.

 

It was truly a team event, for the winner was based on the low total number of strokes for the 18-hole round.

•••••••••

Harland (Hy) Carl, outstanding Greenwood high School athlete, is now under-going two weeks of training in preparation for the annual North-South Wisconsin high school football classic.

 

The game will be played in the City stadium at Green Bay Saturday, August 27.  Carl, named to a backfield position, will be a member of the north squad, under the tutelage of F. L. (Frosty) Ferzacca, head football coach of Green Bay West High School.

 

Hy will attend the University of Wisconsin this fall, where his many local followers expect that he will be a shining light on the freshman squad.                                                                            

•••••••••

The Neillsville city’s big quarter-million gallon standpipe emptied 230,000 gallons of water in 42 minutes Tuesday morning when the jute and lead packing around a reducer elbow let loose.

 

According to the pressure gauge at the water pumping station, the elbow let loose at 10:20 a.m.  By 11:02 the entire reserve supple had drained from the tank.

 

But it did not go quietly.  It caused its share of excitement, particularly in that neighborhood on the hospital hill, where but a couple of decades ago the old city standpipe burst at its seams.

 

Falling from the big tank in the top of the tower, the water rose to about five feet inside the concrete wall of the standpipe. It bulged the door, which opens inward, and water swished through cracks and crannies.

 

When William Wilsmann, water department superintendent, gave the door the final jerk, the water gushed forth through the doorway.  The loosened door was carried by the stream of water down to the Fourth Street roadway.  Boxes and sawhorses, which had been stored inside the big concrete walls, rode the tide out.

 

Wading in water up to his chest, Wilsmann entered the base of the tower with a key and groped into a pit to find the shut-off valve which kept the water from pumping further into the standpipe.

 

It had not been planned that the standpipe would receive a cleaning inside this year.  It had a thorough cleaning and renovating three years ago at a considerable cost to the utility.  But Alderman J. H. Hoesly, chairman of the water utility, indicated Tuesday night the intention of the department to take advantage of the incident to clean the inside of the tank.

 

In the meantime, the city water users will be served by water pumped directly from the pumping station through the network of mains.  This will mean that water department employees will be required to maintain a 24-hour vigil over the pumping apparatus at the pumping station.  They plan to maintain a pressure of 75 to 80 pounds, as nearly as possible.

 

A half-ton pickup truck has been recently purchased by the city water department for $1,160, less federal taxes, which are expected to amount to about $25.                                                         

•••••••••

Herbert Wagner is the new manager of the Grand View baseball team.  He succeeds Arthur Ackerman, who has resigned after guiding the team since its inception last year.                           

•••••••••

Three top farmers of the Clark County Soil Conservation district, selected in the 1948-49 soil conservation away program of a rubber company are:

 

Elmer Duerkop of Humbird, R. 1; Hubert Horn of Greenwood, R. 1; and Wilber Sanger of Granton;  each was awarded $50 in cash.

 

The Clark County district was awarded second place among districts of the state, receiving $200 and a bronze plaque.

•••••••••

An old landmark at Shortville is gone.

 

The church which was built in 1893 as a Presbyterian Church by the old settlers has been entirely torn down.  The building was purchased last winter by Mr. and Mrs. Art Drescher, Jr.  The material will be used for building Dreschers a new home in Neillsville.  T. M. Winters remembered the year is was built, as it was the year he and Mrs. Winters were married.  He helped build the church, which was 56 years ago, making that 1893.

•••••••••

It’s Penney’s Back to School Sale in Neillsville.  “Jim Penney” Pastel Sport Shirts, $1.79; Boy’s Whipcord Trousers, $2.29; Boys’ “Bib Mac” Overalls, $1.49; Girls’ Anklets, 29’; Girls’ Cotton Slips, sizes 4-14, 59’.

•••••••••

Zimmerman Brothers Back-to-school Sale!  Boys’ Slacks, $1.98; Black with Grey Tip and Foxing Tennis Shoes, $1.79; Boys’ White T-Shirts 59’; Boys’ Dressy Oxford Shoes, black and brown, $2.90.

•••••••••

Boys! Girls! Attend the WDLB’s Back to School Theatre Party” at the Adler Theatre Saturday, August 27: 2 Free Shows, 1 & 3 p.m.  Go with Mom or Dad to any of these cooperating merchants and Get Your Free Ticket: The Hinshaw Shoe Co., Coast-to-Coast, H. H. Van Gorden & Sons, The Sniteman Drug Co.

•••••••••

Notice!  Free Transportation!  Students enrolling in Granton High School for the 1949-50 Term will be transported to and from Said School without cost to the student.  School will start September 6th.

 

 

Women who attended “Ladies Guest Day” held every July at the Neillsville Country Club in the 1940s experienced a unique service provided for them.  The Schiller Funeral Home still owned a 1800s horse-drawn hearse, which was stored in the old barn behind the Armory, along the alley.  Schillers granted permission for the hearse to be used on that golfing day to haul the ladies’ golf bags to designated tee-boxes, starting points for the game.  The hearse was pulled by the golf course tractor, which with some modified changes through the years, pulled mowing equipment about the course for 60-plus years.

 

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