IN THE Good Old Days

“Oldies”

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

Clark County News

June 1882

The frame of Huntzicker’s Hotel on the north side has been raised.  (The Huntzicker Hotel was later moved south, across O’Neill Creek and the name was changed to Merchant’s Hotel, still standing on the corner of Hewett & Seventh Streets.)

The city fathers contemplated the purchase of the old county jail for use as a city lock-up, commonly known as the “cooler”.  At the last city council meeting, a resolution offering was made to pay $50 and passed for purchasing the jail.  B. F. French was appointed city attorney at the meeting of the council last Saturday evening, the salary being placed a $25 per year.

F. Lindsay’s summer logging operation on Wedges’ Creek is proving quite successful, 400,000 feet of logs having already been put in.

Work in King’s brickyard, in this city has increased, as there is a great demand for brick to be used for building purposes.  Schoengarth’s brick yard is also a very busy place. 

George Trogner is preparing to erect a building on the corner of Second Street and Grand Avenue to be used for a wagon shop.  As George always does his work well, this new building will without doubt, be a credit to our city.

Loyal News

G.W. Allen and wife have gone to Canada, visiting friends, to be gone about two months.  Their hotel is left in charge of Norman Hallock who is always on hand to attend to the wants of his customers.  There have been several jobs let for turnpiking on the highways in town, and also for building a bridge across Rock Creek in place of the milk and water business built there about two years ago.

Yesterday, Henry Myers sold his interest in the popular drug and variety store of Myers Bros., of this city, to C. C. Sniteman who has been managing the business for the past years.  Isaiah Myers still retains his interest in the business, which is to be continued under the new dual partnership formed when Sniteman bought his brother Henry’s interest.  Our city is to be congratulated that Sniteman, the incoming partner, well and favorably known, is now a business partner instead of a temporary sojourner and will be a permanent resident. 

The foundation wall of the building being put up on Main Street by Rossman and Gates if now well underway and will be completed by the time the brick and other materials for the building can be procured.

There were two barn raisings in the Town of Sherman, last week, one at Herman Ebs’ (Ebbs’), a large double log barn, at which two men were injured.  Deitsche was struck on the knee by a skid, which kept him from work for several days and C. C. Miles fell from the joist to the sleepers below, knocking the wind out of him, and fractured a couple of his ribs.  Ed Kayhart raised a frame stable, 20X80 feet, which went up in good shape without accident.

Orson Bacon, one of the oldest residents of this city, died while working to help build a sidewalk on Third Street, on the property of his son, E. H. Bacon.  The deceased was born at Burlington, Vt., July 8, 1810, and had been a resident here since 1856, settling on the place owned and occupied by him at the time of his death.

The M. E. Church at Greenwood has just undergone a thorough cleaning and been re-carpeted.  Also, new curtains of the most improved style have been put up on the windows.  The Ladies Aide paid all the expenses.  The church looks neat and clean, and should be kept so.  The first man or boy who spits tobacco juice on the floor should be compelled to swallow a whole plug of Spotted Fawn Tobacco, even if it chokes him to death.

An extensive fire raged on Wedge’s Creek last Sunday and Monday, doing great damage to timber and destroying F. D. Lindsay’s camp and outfit.  The tram-way and tolling stock, used for putting logs in the creek, were also destroyed. The fire came upon them so rapidly that there was barely time to save the stock, everything else having been burned.  The stables in one of Wm. H. Polley’s camps were also destroyed, and it required great exertion to save Hewettville from destruction.  A back-fire was set to save Hewettville with many of the town’s citizens joining to render assistance.  Wednesday’s rain helped assure the extinguished flames wouldn’t start up again.

June 1902

Work has begun by the A. M. Penney Co. on excavating for the new potato warehouse.  It will be 40 by 80 feet and a very substantial building.  The company bought the old Luethe warehouse next to the stockyards in Neillsville, but on looking over the grounds they decided it would be better to build anew over on the side track that goes into the old furniture factory grounds.  An acre of land was secured there, giving plenty of room.

Al Marsh and Chas. Cornelius are sitting up nights and getting up early in the morning with a lantern to study up on potato culture.  They know when to dip for the scab, when to spray for the blight, how to spray for the blight, how to snare the wild potato bug as he skips over the snow, and when the quack grass quacketh.  They have about fifty acres of potatoes planted on their Hewettville farm. 

Court Reporter F. D. Calway is also posted on potatoes and is making a nice start in producing the tubers on his farm back of the mound.  He has ten acres of old clearing on his place, besides some coarse clearing work done by the cyclone of 1907.  This week he has been seated on a stump, in a corner of the field, cutting up seed potatoes with an old case knife and as soon as the moon gets into the right quarter, the potatoes will be planted.

Quality Ice Cream at Woelffer’s Drug Store, Hewett Street Neillsville: in making Woelffer’s Ice Cream, we use 20% butter fat test cream.  As the state law requires only 14% cream, you can readily understand our claim for a Superior Quality Ice Cream!  It cost you no more than the others who manufacture ice cream of 14% butter fat cream.  Vanilla Ice Cream, $1 per gallon; 25 cents per quart; 15¢ a pint

The Thos. Lowe building is well on the way of construction, basement has been completed.  The 26 by 70 feet solid brick structure will be one of the finest on Main Street.  Geo. W. Trogner has entire charge of its construction, and with his judgments every detail to plans, materials, work, etc., will be of the best.

The annual Children’s Day Picnic will be held at the Beyer’s church in Pine Valley, northwest of Neillsville next Sunday.  A fine program will be given and dinner served at the usual price to all.

Henry Wilke and wife went fishing below Hatfield Dam last Saturday, left at 3 a.m. and returned at disk, but were well rewarded for their tiresome day, as they returned with a large string of fish.

A car load of wheel scrapers for country road work arrived this week.

The farm wagons sold at Luethes have hickory axles, black, oak hubs, and alternate hickory and oak spokes.  Hickory axles will carry 2,000 lbs. more than maple axles.  It pays to get a good wagon at Luethes.

H. J. Brooks sold thirty small light Brahma chicks for $15 to a party in Marshfield.

June 1932

The “Ure Eat Shoppe” at the corner of Hewett and Fifth Streets opened Saturday with a free lunch from 11:30 a.m. ‘til 8 p.m.  Nearly 2,000 people were served during that time.  Tuesday noon the Kiwanis members were treated to a free chicken dinner.

Jack Kearns knocked all Pinecrest Golf Course records into a cocked hat Sunday when he cantered around the field in 36.  Fred Balch who accompanied him came in with a 40.  Jack does all his shooting with irons, which other members of the course declare is an unfair practice and unlawful under the seizure and foreclosure act of 1492.  The former record was 39, jointly earned by Ernest Snyder, F. O. Balch and Kearns.

Much to the surprise of friends and relatives, it has been learned that Hilda Garbisch and Frederick Marg were quietly married in the parsonage of Rev. A. W. Sauer at Winona, Minn., Dec. 5, 1931.  They will reside near Superior after the first of this month.

About a dozen different parties are shipping live frogs out of Neillsville to the Chicago market.  A number of crates go out each day by express.  For several years past, the frog industry has netted quite a sum of money for those engaged in it.

About the usual amount of acreage for peas has been sown this season by J. B. Inderrieden Co. plant in Neillsville about 700 acres.  The first sowings were badly washed out and beaten down by a heavy rain; later sowings have faired better.  Other plantings have been 275 acres of beans, nearly 100 acres less than last year.

Clark County Museums

Clark County’s Jail Museum members coordinated and presented an attractive Fashion Show last Saturday during Heritage Days.  Styles of turn of the century put on parade within the museum blended in with the 1890’s décor.  How appropriate to have the event during “Heritage Days.”  Many came to view the fashions, greatly enjoying “a step back in time.”

Some of us women wondered if our waists were ever small enough to have fit in those beautiful dresses.

Once again, we were reminded of the importance in saving the jail as a museum.  Our county has so few stately buildings left.  The northern part of our county has the Depot Museum at Colby which also has a great display of local historical collections.

Family History Day

Presently, we are on such a fast track of living, taking time to record family data isn’t done.

There is a growing interest in family history, people wanting to know more about family roots.  Families have scattered to all parts of the country, not living within a small community as years ago.  Inquiries, at the rate of two or three per week, come in, with someone seeking information on a relative who was a Clark County resident of late 1800s or early 1900s.

One of the greatest legacy’s we can leave our children and grandchildren are recorded memories of our and their lives.

Give it some thought!

Jackson County History Room

One of our neighbors, Black River Falls, is celebrating the 125^th Anniversary of their Public Library and the distinction of being the first public library in the state of Wisconsin.

In observance of Family History Day, Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Jackson County History Room, located in the Black River Falls Public Library, will be open for researchers.  Normal hours for the History Room are Monday, 1 to 8 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Entrance to the Riverside Country Club, circa 1930; located on the west side of the Black River, along Highway 95 and near Dells Dam.

Golfers’ putting on Riverside Country Club’s ninth green, with the clubhouse visible in the background (Photo courtesy of Clark County Jail Museum)