Good Old Days

By Dee Zimmerman

Clark County News

March 1892

Tom Kerns broke camp last week and let his men go.  He has completed his contract with the La Crosse Lumber Co., which has been on for four years.  C. Lowe acted as foreman.  Tom is an old and experienced logger and his work has always given entire satisfaction.  He will either have to take another contract next winter or feel like a needle in a hay stack – lost.

March came in with the gentleness of Mary’s little lamb, but, watch her smoke when she goes out.  You’ll think the whole pen of sheep is loose.

Hank Meyers came home, to spend Sunday, from Chili, where he is stationed to buy logs for the furniture factory and reports that the concern is getting lots of logs on their landing at their station.  The military party or ball will be held on the 18^th of this month.  The invitations are out with Lt. Hank Klopf twirling away vigorously at his mustache. Tickets, including refreshments, are only one dollar – a silver one will do.

Marsh Bros. will move into their new store the first of next week.  Moving will be best next to a fire, and so watch and see if we don’t come out with something new to wear.  Their new store is going to present metropolitan airs to extreme when completed and have nearly all the modern improvements to be found in a similar store in the large cities.  They just had an arc light placed over the doorway, which is metropolitan indeed.

Cheap residence lots are getting scarce in Neillsville, that is, good ones, and if you intend ever to own a home, now is the time to buy a lot and begin.  M. C. Ring has some nice lots near the center of the city and near enough to the furniture factory for homes for men who work there.  He will sell them so you can pay on the installment plan and anybody can get one who wishes.  Call and see him about it.  The lots are in the Bacon addition, where most of the fine houses were built last year.  (The Bacon addition is south of West 5^th, Grand Ave. West.)

Johnnie Servaty has moved his livery business from the old barn back of the O’Neill house to the barn formerly occupied by Jack Stone, corner of Fifth Street and Grand Ave.  Now all the livery stables are located within a block of each other.

H. J. Brooks has purchased and shipped here from New York, a fine blooded colt, cousin to the celebrated trotting stallion, Sunol.  The consideration was $300, and the colt one of the finest in this county.

E. W. Sawyer was in the city a short time ago on business connected with his store in Chili, which he recently started in that place.  It is the only store there at present.  Sawyer carries a stock of general merchandise, from a tooth pick to a garden rake or a dress pattern.  From all reports we hear that he is doing a nice business already.

Sam M. Crandall and Miss Maud Perry, both of this city were married Sunday, Mar. 27, by Rev. T. G. Owens at the residence of George Trogner. 

Crandall was employed for some time by A. S. Leason in the pump factory, afterward by the Farm Implement Co.

Miss Perry is a step-daughter of George Trogner, and he’s lived in this city since childhood.

Monday, they started for Heintown where Sam is employed in the stave mill.  They will make their home there.

The Upham Manufacturing Co. of Marshfield paid out $10,000 in cash last week to farmers for logs.

L. Mack, at Wilcox, has sold his blacksmith shop and tools to H. W. Visgar and it looks as though we are going to lose our much needed shop.

March 1917

Worst Storm of the Season – Friday and Saturday (March 15 and 16) Clark County was visited by the most severe storm of the winter when railroads and highways were drifted to the impossible point.  The Omaha line was completely blocked for almost two days and it was not until Sunday afternoon that the train due here Saturday afternoon at 1:35 got stuck in the snow at Ebbe and was not dug out until Sunday afternoon.  James White, the brakeman was the greatest sufferer from the blockage.  When the train got stuck in the snow, Jim knew that there was liable to be a train behind them very soon and he started back on the dead-run to flag it.  He ran so fast, he scorched his feet and was compelled to lay off for a few days to doctor up the blisters.  Otherwise there were no casualties as a result of the storm.  (Anxious for spring weather, we tend to forget March snowstorms are a normal occurrence.  Neillsville had a record snowfall of 24 inches in March, 1904 coming in second, as another city topped that amount with 26 inches.)

J. R. Sturdevant to Quit Active Practice

J. R. Sturdevant, who shares with R. J. MacBride the honor of the greatest number of years of law practice in Clark County is preparing to quit active work and retire form his practice.  As soon as law matters with which he is connected have been terminated, he will retire and spend his declining years in rest.  He has many active years ahead of him yet, but he prefers to have a whole lot of fun and pleasure out of them instead of spending them in an office, which is a might sensible way to look at it.  Sturdevant came to Clark County when he was a boy nine years old and received his early education in the public schools.  He served in the Civil War as a member of Co. I, 14^th Wisconsin enlisting in 1863 and serving until the close of the war.  After the war he read law with his brother, R. F. Sturdevant, and was elected district attorney of Clark County in 1873.  He was also County Judge for eight years.  He has practiced law ever since he took up his profession and his long association with the Clark County bar has given him a wide acquaintance all over the country.  The law business of J. R. Sturdevant and C. R. Sturdevant will be contributed by the latter. 

The home of John R. Sturdevant, 18 Hewett Street, on Neillsville’s south side was built in 1898.  Sturdevant came to Clark County in 1854 with his parents who settled in the Town of Pine Valley.  Sturdevant was an attorney, counselor at law and served as County Judge for eight years.  (Photo courtesy of Clark County Historical Society, Jail Museum)

March 1942

The death knell of WPA in Clark County was sounded officially for last remaining project Monday.  Word that the tax description project, incomplete after two years of work; will be discontinued on or before April 1 was received officially by County Clerk Calvin Mills.  Formal notice of the closing of the only other WPA – operated projects in the county – a sewer construction project in Neillsville, and a birth record project in the register of deeds office – was received earlier.

Teachers in Clark County’s rural and state graded schools will receive the highest salaries in several years when the 1942-43 school opens next August.

County Supt. Louis E. Slock met with the educational committee of the county board of supervisors giving a statement on returns of a survey of approximately 60 schools.  The survey showed 60 teachers will receive an average salary of $104.25 per month.  This is an increase of about $13 per month over the average salary of the present year.

The latest word received here on the registration for sugar rationing is that tentative dates set earlier have been postponed for “from 10 days to two weeks.”  This would place the registration dates near the end of March.  The word is that 38,000 copies of “War Ration Book I” have been shipped for Clark County, as well as 40,000 consumer application forms, 40,000 copies of “How to Use Your War Rationing book,” and 500 sheets of instructions to rationing personnel.  Registrations will be carried on in the rural and town schools throughout the county.  (Various items were under rationing during World War II, such as gasoline, tires, shoes, meat and sugar; all requiring registration for allotment of rationing stamps.)

Twenty-five men left the county on March 19^th for Army Service: Neillsville – Oscar Stelter, Chas. Rossow, August Finder and Geo. Schecklman; Greenwood – John Lewis, Kenneth Duell, Wendell Landberg, August Franz, Herman Walles and Otto Windom; Granton – Joe Kremer, David Anderson, and Cyril Fordner; Willard – Victor Zupanc, and Roland Hintz; Loyal – Herman Schultz and Ervin Heun; Withee – Walter Dresdow; Thorp – William Keller, John Silva and George Cukla; Curtiss – Cecil Durbin; Stanley – John Szczech; Spencer – Louis Vanderhood.

Neillsville’s indebtedness totaled $23,000 at the close of 1941 - the lowest point in many years.

Women of Clark County will have an opportunity to learn how to run tractors and allied farm machinery.  A series of lessons is being provided for them locally, as part of a national program of war assistance.

The lessons will be given locally at the instance of the International Harvester Co., which is conducting a nationwide campaign of instruction for women.  The course here will be under the management of C. E. Seif & Son.

A Civilian Forest Fire Volunteers group is to be organized with Clark County.  The organization will be part of a state-wide program to furnish volunteer fire fighting manpower during times ahead when such groups as the WPA and CCC, which have provided considerable manpower for forestry protection in the past, will not be available.  County Forester A. C. Covell is hoping for at least 500 volunteers, an amount needed if a large forest fire should occur.

(A January issue of this year’s Press ran photos of the Raymond and Frances Strebing business, “Ray’s Southside Market.”  Frances sent us a correction on that article telling us that they had purchased the business from Harry Van Gorden.)

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A bird in the hand is worth what it will bring. – Ambrose Bierce

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The J. R. Luis Sales & Stable is believed to have been in Clark County, was it in Loyal?

If anyone knows, please give us a call!