Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI, March 16, 2016, Page 11

This week, H. C. Clark received a letter from Pres. Molhenrich of the furniture factory company, stating that the company has definitely decided not to rebuild the factory in Neillsville. The letter was written in reply to one from Mr. Clark on behalf of the committee here, stating that the entire bond issue could not be floated, but making the company a flat offer of the $20,000 bonus, which had been signed. This probably ends the matter. The committee and the entire community have shown a brave and enterprising spirit and have done all that could be done.

A few of the farmers around here attended the auction sale at Albert Latamore’s near Heathville last Thursday.

Quite a number of Lois VandeBerg’s friends went to her home Tuesday evening and reminded her that had a birthday. They came laden with baskets of refreshments so the inner man could not complain. A pleasant evening was spent.

Taking cows for pasture for the season at $5 each Pasture gate at bridge just north of Catholic Church. There’s room for only a few. Make a bargain now. Geo. L. Jacques

A report was received at Neillsville Wednesday that Harry Mead had died at his home near Withee, full particulars not being given. Mr. Mead was one of the oldest residents of the county and for many years was prominent as a logger, farmer and member of the county board.

Mrs. Emil Ketel was confined at bed in her home last week, with the Dutch measles.

(In later years, the Dutch measles were referred to as the “German” measles, or “three day” measles, with a lesser time of illness, compared to the “red” measles. DZ)

Roller-skating on one foot or both, up and down the sidewalk on the North side is a popular amusement for the girls. One pair of skates often serves the purpose for two girls.

(Good idea, skating on one skate. Maybe I could have stayed upright while wearing one skate, as I sure couldn’t while on two skates. DZ)

Thorp is to have a $25,000 schoolhouse. Good for Thorp. A good up-to-date schoolhouse is worth all it costs, and more.

Do not forget the W.R.C. “apron and quilt sale” and big supper Friday night. Come everybody and bring your wives, mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, and sweethearts and get a good square meal for 25¢, a quarter of a dollar. Think of it, do not forget the date; St. Patrick’s Day in the evening. Supper served from 6 p.m. until all are fed. Menu: Scalloped Potatoes, Roast Hams, Brown Gravy, Deviled Eggs, Baked Beans, Pickles, Fruited Jello, Cabbage Salad, Bread & Butter, Assorted Cakes, Coffee, & Salted Peanuts.

Mrs. Sereno Wren left Friday for Helena, Mont., to visit her daughter, Mrs. Grace Locks. She took her faithful dog with her, the one that saved her life last summer by waking her in the night when the house was set on fire by lightning.

W. J. Henning of Wausau was here the first of the week and bought the remainder of the Bruley clothing stock, which is now being packed for shipment.

Sunday night after midnight two residences in Neillsville were entered by strangers and at other houses noises were heard as if someone was trying to get in. At Harry Albright’s the house was entered from the back door. Mrs. Albright who was sleeping on a couch was aroused by the slamming of an inside door from the draft, and discovered a man in one of the rooms. As soon as she gave the alarm, he beat a hasty retreat and ran rapidly away from the house. At Mrs. Minnie Steele’s home, her daughter, Emma Seif, was awakened by a man kneeling beside the bed. She called to her mother who was upstairs and the intruder leisurely went around through the rooms and out the door, stopping to strike a match to see the way; burnt matches were found in all the rooms. No pursuit was attempted in either case. What the purpose of the prowlers was can only be guessed at, as no attempt was made to steal anything.

It is reported that Ed Hoey, night agent at the train depot, saw two strangers jump the “blind baggage car” that morning when the 4 o’clock train pulled out. While the incidents were not serious they were by no means pleasant for those whose homes were disturbed.

For the next two weeks, I will sell my entire stock of shoes and slippers for 80 cents on a dollar. Don’t miss this chance, for this opportunity does not knock at your door every day. A. Schlender Columbia, Wis.

Ladies! Get a set of the latest style Curls, they look fine, also Puffs, Pompadours and Switches of fine imported human hair ready to order. Mrs. Marcus, brick house near depot.

The Neillsville basketball team goes to Tomah to play La Crosse Wednesday but they will be back for the Boy’s Contest Friday, March 24.

A pile of saw logs still looks like wealth to me, and every day I enjoy seeing that fine roll-a-way at Adolph Hemp’s sawmill.

Twenty six years ago when I first came to Clark County, the village of Thorp “lived, moved and had its being” in saw-logs; logs were the only money crop. In fact, all the north end of the county and a good part of the rest of it drew its life and sustenance from the logs. Business of all kinds was based on them. Schools, churches, civic societies, everything throve and prospered according to the size and price of the log pile. The crash of falling timber, the shouts of the ox teamsters at the skidways, the clanking of the chains at the mill yards, and the song of circle and band saws were the year-round music to which we all marched. And those old days were not so bad. There was something inspiring and hopeful in the conquest of the wilderness that has left its impress, I hope, on all who had a hand in it.

After the first great onslaught upon the timber, came the slower process of picking up and the gradual development of the farm. There was hard work and plenty of it, but all along the line the logs paved the way to prosperity.

The above 1906 photo shows the “new way” to haul logs to the saw mills. A steam engine equipped with tracks was able to pull several flat-cars at one time, a much easier method than loading horse-drawn bobsleds to haul pine logs to the roll-a-ways located on the river bank.

Monday will mark the 50th anniversary of the date on which Len H. Howard, well-known local resident, had just a $10 gold piece, although the last time it was weighed, which was about five or six years ago, it was worth slightly more than $6. One would scarcely recognize the piece as a coin of worth, for it has no “heads” or “tails.” It has been worn almost to paper thinness through constant carrying over the last half century.

A memento of his first pay check from the John Paul Lumber Company, for which he worked first for two months in the 1890-91 winter seasons, it represents all the money he had left a few hours after the check was cashed.

To get his job as a logger, Mr. Howard had bought a team of horses with the savings from five years of “hiring out.” His savings were not quite sufficient to make the capital purchase, so he borrowed $100 from his father to complete the purchase of a second horse for his team.

Two months later, when he had finished the season with the lumber company, he cashed his check, receiving $100 in paper, a gold $10 piece and the balance of a few dollars in silver. But he did not have it long.

No sooner had he stepped from the bank than he saw his father on the street, and Mr. Howard felt the urge to be free from debt. Together they walked into C.C. Sniteman’s drug store, figured the interest on the loan, and Mr. Howard cleared himself of all but a few pieces of silver and the gold piece.

The silver did not last long, only until that night, as a matter of fact; but the gold piece has lasted considerably longer. It was a matter of good fortune that the following morning Mr. Howard’s uncle needed a few days’ work done with a team of horses; for that saved the gold piece from a strange till for the first time.

Twice in the intervening years, however, Mr. Howard has had some trouble keeping the gold piece in his possession. Once, years ago, it passed through a hole in his pocket as he ran on an errand. He marked the spot in his mind and returned in the gloom of the night to search for it. Striking a match, he bent slowly over the spot where he believed the coin to be, and rested the flaming match squarely upon the lost coin.

Another time it dropped from his pocket and nestled in the upholstering of a wicker chair, unbeknown to Mr. Howard. Only a through house cleaning given by Mrs. Howard and her mother a few days later revealed the hiding place of the coin.

In the early 1930s, when the United States called in all gold, Mr. Howard made an effort to turn the coin in, but it was so worn that its value was not readily apparent. Today, the United States has approximately eight-tenths of the world’s gold buried beneath the ground at Fort Knox, Ky. So apparently Mr. Howard’s piece is a part of the two-tenths of the world’s supply still “at large.”

Miss Ruth Weiss, dental hygienist who has been working with children in the county’s rural schools for the last few months, concluded her work Tuesday. She returned to her home in Merrill and expected to take up duties as a dental hygienist in Wausau Monday.

Mr. and Mrs. Archie Van Gorden arrived here Sunday afternoon from Alexandria, LA., having started on the trip north early the previous day. A young man from Madison and two Marshfield soldiers accompanied them and assisted with the driving. Mrs. Van Gorden will remain here, her husband planning to return to Camp Livingston this week Friday.

The Neillsville golf club may get under way on April 15, if weather conditions are favorable. This date has been tentatively set, according to R. P. Munger, the secretary, but the club has not yet made full arrangements for good weather. If these arrangements turn out successful, the local golfers will be out pounding their golf balls around on that date, and the clubhouse will be open.

Two more men with the Service Company from Clark County stationed at Camp Livingston, La., Myron Zielke and Clarence Koffarnus have broken out with good old-fashioned measles. They are cooks and were working in the kitchen up until they went to the hospital. This puts the whole company more or less in quarantine again.

Many men in the Service Company have asked for Easter furloughs, and they are biting their fingernails now, hoping that no one else gets the measles so that they will be out of quarantine by the first part of next month.

The county nurse, Mrs. E. Stewart, visited our school last Thursday and gave us all a health inspection and made us all promise not to bite our fingernails and always to stand and sit straight. She told us how very important good posture is. We are going to remember all she told us about keeping strong and healthy, and then we will grow up into fine men and Women.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Anderson stopped in to see us Wednesday afternoon and brought us some new supplies.

We are busy selling Easter Seals for the crippled children. Each one is trying to win the nice pen and pencil set, given away as a gift. Thus far, Elaine Lueck leads in the sale.

We are waiting patiently for the snow to melt, as we are eager to begin our softball practice.

And now we are going to begin to thank our school board and all the people in our district who have made it possible to have electric lights and other appliances. We do appreciate it greatly and hope that you may be able to enjoy them with us. Our thanks too, to Herman Lembke and Mr. Lipkie for wiring our school and to L. Apfel for bringing out all the nice fixtures. Pupils and teacher

(Dells Dam School was located on the north side of State Hwy 95, ½ mile east of the Black River, in the Town of Levis. DZ)

Five Clark County youths were among a class of 155 who recently graduated from the farm short course at the University of Wisconsin.

The graduates: Robert Opelt, Neillsville; Raymond Schlinsog, Greenwood; Herbert Meyers, Curtiss; and Richard Herrman, Colby. They were presented for graduation by Dean Christensen and were awarded their certificates by John Callahan, state school superintendent.

Members of the class were from 51 Wisconsin counties and six other states, including Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Vermont.

Hot Cross Buns, a one-to-a-turn treat, light tasty, iced just right, doz. 24¢; Browne Bread, loaf 10¢.

Miss Minneapolis Flour, 49 lb. bag, $1.74, Sold at May & Ruchaber Store & Quality Market, in Neillsville.

Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.

Become a Clark County History Buff

Report Broken Links

A site created and maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
and supported by your generous donations.

Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke,

Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,

Crystal Wendt & Al Wessel

CLARK CO. WI HISTORY HOME PAGE