Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

March 28, 2001, Page 28

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

The Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

March 1881

 

Dan Riedel has the contract for building the German Lutheran Church in the Town of Grant.  He informs us that the work will be commenced as soon as the ground settles in the spring.

 

J. H. Cook, C. H. Burgess, F. H. Darling, Rev. C. Barker, W. M. Crawford, John C. Burg, G. W. Peterson and A. Petrie came down to Neillsville from Unity on last Wednesday.  The latter four took the Encampment degrees of Odd Fellowship.  The others, having passed through the ordeal, came down to guide their brothers through safely.

 

When the cares, trials and perplexities of life weigh down upon you heavily and when everything looks blue, there is some-thing you can do.  Go straight away and invest a nickel in one of those New York Belle cigars. Then, light it, sit down, put your feet up on a heater stove, a dry goods box or anything higher than your head and draw at the small end of that cigar, gently.  I tell you friend, it will take care of your woes – you will feel that you are tolerably “well fixed.”  You will even have money left over to bet on horse races, or anything else. These solace-giving articles can be found at the following places: S. F. Jaseph’s, James Hewett’s, W. C. Crandall’s, Charley Pond’s or H. J. Youmans’.

 

The Wood County Herald, formerly published at Marshfield, has been consolidated with the Deutsch-Amerikaner published here in Neillsville.  The circulation of the new publication, by this consolidation, is greatly augmented.  It is one of the best advertising mediums to be found in this locality.

 

H. B. Philleo, Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue, was in town again last Thursday.  We hear it intimated that lumbermen who have been handling and selling tobacco in their logging camps will save money by taking out a license.

 

The latest Greenwood news states that a new bridge, once the property of Clark County and an expensive bit of woodwork, will be set up in that area.  The bridge will accommodate the travel across the Black River on the road between the Town of Eaton and the Town of Warner.

 

Last Sunday, Rev. W. Kalander was assisted in the dedication of his new church in the Town of Grant.  Rev. A Tarnutzer, Presiding Elder of the Evangelical Association, preached in the German language, morning and evening. The Rev. W. T. Hendren, of the Presbyterian Church, preached at the afternoon service.  This was a day of great rejoicing on the part of Rev. Kalander and the congregation, who have worked hard to build this neat house of worship.

 

A shingle-mill is being built about four miles northwest of Longwood.  It is located in C. C. Washburn’s logging camp and will soon be running full blast.

 

A meeting of area loggers operating on the Popple River was held at Greenwood Friday night.  H. A. Bright was elected log-driving master, Daniel Kennedy, treasurer, with Levi Withee, Al Bass and Cullen Ayers on the executive committee.

 

An assessment of three cents per thousand on the estimated cut of logs for the winter must be paid by March 15.  This will be for log driving purposes; the association will control the stream from the inlet forks to the mouth of the Popple River.

 

Letters have been received by friends residing in Dakota and Western Minnesota, giving accounts of a deplorable winter.  At Gary, Dakota and elsewhere, there have been no trains for a month or two due to the deep drifts.  No train service means no mail or supplies being delivered.  People are using candles for lights. They are burning hay, straw, railroad ties, bridges and anything else made of wood, for fuel.  They have no tea, coffee, sugar and other groceries.  There is no flour to be had in that region, so people are living on wheat and corn being ground in small coffee mills; along with some potatoes and meat they may have on hand. That country is covered with snow two feet deep on the level and many snow drifts in places are measuring from 10 to 20 feet deep.  Consequently, with such deep drifts, supplies cannot be hauled by teams of horses.  Destitution prevails there and we expect to hear of some deaths by starvation and freezing.  (At that time, Gary, South Dakota, located about 10 miles of the Minnesota border, was the end of the railroad line going west.)

 

The chicken hens around here have commenced their spring’s work in laying eggs.  As a result, eggs and ham is a very ordinary morning dish at our hotels and boarding houses.

 

Benjamin Tragsdorf, salesman at C. Blakeslee’s business, was married to Miss Bertha Wagner last Sunday, March 27.

 

Last Saturday was one of the liveliest days Neillsville has seen for years with Saturday evening being one of the wildest nights. The boys were celebrating their return from the woods in accordance with the ancient customs, minus all the fighting demonstrations this year.

 

March 1946

 

Harry Schlinsog has sold his cheese factory located in the Town of Eaton, north of Globe.  Known as the Cloverbelt Dairy, Schlinsog has sold the factory to the Dairybelt Co.  His son, William, and Harry Dux will continue to work in the factory.  Schlinsog said he will take a rest before finding something else to do.

 

An old book of records was recently found in an office formerly occupied by C. R. Sturdevant, being cleaned out in a change of occupancy.

 

Various incidents came to light in reviewing the old records.  A petition was circulated in Neillsville in 1878, requesting the high school department of the Neillsville Public Schools be discontinued.  This petition was signed by B. F. French and George Lloyd.  In response to this petition, a special school meeting was called for March 16, 1878 and there was considerable discussion.  Thereafter a vote was taken and it was unanimously decided to keep the high school going.

 

The old book of school minutes dated back to 1886.  Among other early happenings of interest recorded were these:

 

Of the school buildings now in use, the South Side School building is the oldest, being constructed in 1874.  The successful bidders originally were Bacon & Bradshaw, but they wanted $500 down before they started work. This precaution was not well received by the school board and the school electors.  They were receptive when James Hewett came forward with an offer to take over the contract at the offer of Bacon and Bradshaw with a building cost totaling $7,000. The contract specified what the contractor should do, but the building committee of the school board had to do certain things, also, including the furnishing of the lumber.  The South Side School is revealed by this record as being just a little more than 70 years old – the Biblical three score and ten.

 

The old book shows that the North Side School was of a later vintage.  It was authorized Jan. 15, 1886, and minutes show that the plan was to be the same as that of a school building just erected at Alma Center.

 

The entire receipts of the school district in the year of 1886 were $1,544.60, out of which $312.50 was paid to the one teacher then employed.  For the following year the amount raised for the teacher was $400.

 

In 1887-88, the district received from non-resident students a total of $242.30 for tuition.  This item is now running a little more than $13,000.

 

In the early days there could be heat in the school affairs.  For instance, a petition was addressed to one of the early school clerks.  It was telling him in no uncertain terms that he lacked interest in the school and that it would be a public service for him to quit. The petition was signed by only two men, so far as the minutes show, but one of the two was Richard Dewhurst. So the clerk pulled out immediately, or sooner, and a new clerk was selected for the job.

 

Miss Constance Truax, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James McConnell, Sr., of Greenwood, and Joseph Bizjak, of Willard, exchanged marriage vows on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 1946, at the Presbyterian manse in Marshfield.  The Rev. Arthur R. Oates officiated at the double ring ceremony.

 

The bride was attired in an aqua wool princess style dress and a small, veiled, brown hat.  Her corsage was composed of red roses and foxglove on a background of ostrich feathers.  She also wore a gold locket as an accent to her attire.

 

Miss Mae Johnson of Greenwood was maid of honor. The groom was attended by Allen Truax, brother of the bride.

 

A wedding dinner was served at the home of the bride’s grandmother, Mrs. T. E. McCoy of Marshfield.  After the dinner, the young couple left on a wedding trip to Appleton and Milwaukee.

 

They will reside on the groom’s farm near Willard.

 

Plans have been approved by the state, so B & F Machine shop may now construct an addition, a grey cast iron foundry to their present business.  Work on the building will start as soon as the weather permits.

 

The announcement was made this week by Earl Bruhn and Max Feuerstein, partners in the business.  The new addition will be located at the rear of the present building on East Sixth Street.  It will be 50 feet wide and extend 84 feet in length.  An excavation of from 1,000 to 1,200 yards of dirt will be required, they said.

 

Half of the new addition will be used to house the grey iron foundry, the equipment and furnace which will be made by the machine shop. Thus equipped, the machine shop will be in a position to turn out castings, machine them and turn out complete jobs.

 

The remaining half of the new addition will be turned into space needed in the return of their making commercial truck bodies.  They had previously built truck bodies until they became engaged in war-related work for a period of time.

 

The new addition will be of fire proof construction, made of brick and insulated block.

 

Present plans of the machine shop include a substantial increase in employment and payroll, Bruhn stated. The firm now has a backlog of work which will carry it for six months, he revealed.

 

The machine shop was established in 1928 and the present building was erected in 1936 after fire destroyed the old building.

 

Before the war, the shop had achieved a wide reputation in Central Wisconsin for its commercial truck bodies.  Following the cancellation of its war contracts after the surrender of Japan, the shop will return to making the commercial truck bodies along with their general work.

 

Some of Clark County’s returning servicemen are as follows: S/Sgt. Ernest R. Schwellenbach, who has received his discharge from the U S Army after three years of service.  He took part in the campaign on Luzon.  He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the American Theater ribbon, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater ribbon, the Philippine liberation ribbon with one bronze star and one overseas service bar.

 

Pfc. Harold Stowe served three years in the army before receiving his discharge. He served in the Hawaiian Islands and Australia.  He is entitled to wear the Good Conduct medal, the American Theater ribbon and one overseas stripe.  He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Stowe of Greenwood.

 

T/3 Norman E. Reineking, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Reineking, Greenwood, has received his discharge from the armed services after almost three years of service.  He participated in the battles of the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe.  He was awarded the American Theater ribbon, the Good Conduct medal and the Victory ribbon.

 

Ivan and Raymond Durst, two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Durst, of the Town of Foster, have received their discharge from the U S Navy.

 

Ivan served as radioman aboard the U. S. S. Kailua.  He was awarded the American Theater ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific ribbon with one star, the Good Conduct medal and Victory ribbon.

 

Raymond served as a motor machinists mate aboard the U. S. S. Snowden, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets.  His awards include the American Theater medal with two stars, the European-African medal with one star, the Asiatic-Pacific medal and the Victory medal.

 

The youngest son, Pvt. Neil Durst, is serving with the 15th Marines, Sixth Marine Division in China.

 

Leo P. Neville Sm. 2/c, and Marion Kuhl, WR, of Neillsville and Donald Hoffman, MOMM 2/c, Thorp, have received their discharges from the U S Navy.

 

Cm. 1/c Joseph Schiller, son of Mrs. Rose Schiller, Neillsville, has received his discharge from the U S Coast Guard after four years of service.  He was awarded the Good Conduct medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign medal with one bronze star, the Philippine Liberation ribbon with four bronze stars, the American Area Campaign medal and the World War II Victory medal.

 

Enjoy the Friday Night Fish Fry at John Lato’s Tavern in Neillsville.

 

Make your Ford car new with a rebuilt motor.  The war has taught us how to prolong the effective life of a Ford.  It is done by rebuilding the motor.  We have rebuilt more than 800 motors and we know how it works.  Bring your Ford back home – see Svetlik Motor Co. in Neillsville.

 

Attend the St. Patrick’s Dance at the Silver Dome Ballroom on Sunday, March 17.  Music will be provided by Bill Uthmeier and his Swingsters Orchestra.  Admission is 62c plus 13c tax.

 

Make a bid on the Dudley House at 113 East First Street, Neillsville.  Built in 1921, it is a six room frame house with a full basement, 5 clothes closets and a full bath.  It has a hot water heating system, one car garage, composition shingle roof on the house and garage.

 

Property will be sold to the highest bidder; Any and all bids subject to rejection or approval by Judge O. W. Schoengarth, County Probate Judge.

 

 The South Side School was built in 1874, located in the 200 block of East 4th Street and west side of State Street.  The building accommodated elementary and high school grades.  (Photo courtesy of Strebing Family Collection)

 

The photo above was provided by "The Jailhouse Museum".

 

 


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