The Good Old Days 

August 1931

Slot machines have been ordered out of Clark County, by District Attorney Hugh Haight and Sheriff William Bradford.  Machines found operating in the future will be confiscated, it was stated.

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Last week, Kip Schultz who lives at Hatfield picked up what looked like a heart-shaped bronze watch charm, on which is stamped “R. B. French, B. R. Station, Wis.”  This was found near the site of the old hotel at Hatfield, carried on by the late R. B. French, Sr.  His son, R. B. French, Jr., states that he does not remember that Hatfield was ever called Black River Station, though it might have been known by that name on the railroad map.  The first post office was on Arnold Creek, half-a-mile away and was called Frankville.  This was discontinued when the Green Bay railroad was built and Hatfield was established.  In early river days, Mr. French states, the locality was called “Morman Riffles.”

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Mr. Jacob, living next to the Imig farm, came home rather late Sunday night, and he noticed his gas funnel was not where it was when he left home.  An odor of gas was everywhere, but he thought little of it until after he had been in the house a few moments and a car drove out of his yard.  Thieves, he thought.  Out (of) the house he went, after them in his new eight-cylinder Buick.  The car with the thieves turned out their lights and turned in by the gravel pit and he missed them.  Farmers, be sure and lock up everything you have on the place, we can’t afford to feed any more parasites.

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The city of Neillsville has bought the old Carlson house on the North Side.  The house is now being repaired and fitted up to house poor families who need city aid.  It will accommodate about three families.

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Banks were advised to work out some form of cooperative guarantee for deposits by Kiwanis Club’s Lieutenant Governor Arthur Dudley Gillette, from Superior, Wis.  He addressed the local Kiwanis club at its meeting, Monday.

“If individual banks are interested in keeping out the chain banking idea, they should work out a system whereby they could join in protecting the depositors’ money.  They should set aside a small part of the profits to guarantee deposits and when a bank failed this fund would prevent any loss to the public.  In this manner, they would compete with groups and chain banking institutions.”

Mr. Gillette declared that Kiwanians must take an active part in restoring public confidence in the future of American business and agriculture, pointing out that Depressions have been a part of this country’s history.  He said that while this Depression is a severe one, it is not as bad as some previous ones and that it will pass over as all former slumps have done.

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Frank Kopp narrowly escaped serious injury at midnight, Thursday, when his car smashed into a tree at the turn in Highway 95, near the G. Bryan farm.  Mr. Kopp reported to Fred Rossman, chief of police, that “three cars of Black River Falls bandits crowded him off the road and shot at least 25 shots around his car.”

“The shots were a signal to the car ahead,” said Mr. Kopp.  “The bandits all stopped and surrounded my car, then stole my wife’s suitcase.  No doubt they thought there was a large sum of money in the bag.  I stood nearby with my shot-gun, ready in case they started to get rough.”

Mr. Kopp suffered a bruise on the head in the crash.  The car was towed in and is being repaired at the Lewerenz garage.

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J. F. Zilk has started work on his new filling station at the south end of Hewett Street.  Mr. Zilk has done considerable traveling about, looking over various plans and models of filling stations and has in mind something of the latest and most convenient plans.

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Last week, a deal was closed by which Clark County acquired title to a large gravel pit, just west of Greenwood, a part of the old property owned by the old Fairchild and Northeastern Railroad.  The tract has an area of nearly 21 acres, all of which is covered with a deep deposit of the best kind of gravel.  This will furnish a supply for many years and will be available for highways 73 and 98.

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The Neillsville baseball team, after defeating Abbotsford 6 to 1, Sunday at the Fairgrounds, lost some of its speed and dropped the second stanza of the double header to the Collegians, 4 to 3.

Both games were well played, although the fans centered their interest in the last game in which the two Neillsville organizations were pitted against each other in a “grudge” duel, with two Indian brothers doing the hurling.  Wilbur Black-deer, for the city team, struck out nine men and Earl Blackdeer, for the Collegians, sent eight men to the bench.  Little George, Skroch, Hemp and Zaeske scored for the Collegians and Zank, Bush and Weaver rounded the circuit for the city team.

As a result of the outcome of this game, it is expected that a return game will be played at the end of the league season, the last of August.

In the Abbotsford game, Neillsville turned in six hits and six runs while Abbotsford counted only two hits and one run.  Runs were made by A. Zank, Bush, Donahue, R. Zank, Shaw and Seif for the city team and Fultz of Abbotsford.

Neillsville and Willard are now tied for second place with Eaton Center at the head of the league.  The Greenwood team also was tied for second place until its 14 to 10 defeat by Willard’s team, Sunday.  Greenwood, however, is protesting the result because Willard had hired an outside player.

If Neillsville can win the next two games against Willard and Eaton Center while Eaton drops a game to Greenwood, the locals will win the league race for the season.

The Collegians will be coming up against the Globe Tigers, next week on the Heiman field, where they will face the offerings of Herman (What-a-man) Hagen, the Globe curve-ball artist.

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A child clinic will be held at Loyal, August 17, under the direction of the State Board of Health.  Children will be given free health examinations.  

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Buy a new, beautiful 1931 Ford Tudor Sedan for only $490.

The new Willys-Knight makes the superiorities of the patented double sleeve-valve engine available to thousands more who have always wanted a car powered by this smooth, quiet, economical motor.  This new Willys-Knight also brings you, at moderate extra cost, the most advanced and improved type of free wheeling, giving you all the advantages of free wheeling with no driving problems.  You enjoy greater convenience and safety than are possible with less modern types.  You will enjoy the convenience of shifting gears without de-clutching and the greater economy in gasoline and oil consumption.  There will be no valves to grind.  Stop in at the Neillsville Garage Company where you can buy a Willys-Knight Six at prices from $495 to $850.

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Ernest Herman who operates the Pleasant Ridge cheese factory, shipped a Swiss cheese, weighing 258 pounds, to Milwaukee, this week, where it will be entered in the State Fair.  Mr. Herman is an expert cheese maker and has had excellent success with all makes of cheese.  He is a specialist on Swiss cheese.

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George Johnson, proprietor of the pool hall, found a 14-pound carp hanging on the door knob of the pool hall, one morning this week when he went to open up.  Mr. Johnson estimated the fish had been dead at least 10 days and perhaps longer.  He states that he would prefer to have fish of that nature delivered at the rear door in the future.

Gall and Carl, who are putting the new roof on the Neillsville school-house, also had the job of removing the old dome.  They received an offer for the dome if it could be lowered in good condition.

They secured Peat Warlum’s gin-pole to use in the operation.  The engineering feat would have been a success if it had not been for the pole breaking when the heavy strain was put on it, allowing the dome to fall.  The dome was not badly crushed, however, and may be repaired.

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Thousands of fish were removed from O’Neill Creek, Saturday and Sunday and were planted in Wedges Creek to save them from dying in the stagnant ponds left since the water has almost ceased flowing in O’Neill Creek.

For several days, dozens of young boys have been having a royal time gathering fish from the landlocked puddles, picking them up with their hands or stunning them with clubs.  It required only a few minutes to gather a string of 25 to 30 fish, including suckers, black bass, rock bass, crappies, perch and bullheads.  Some of the bass weighted four pounds.

Saturday, Wm. Farning, Everett Kleckner, John Mattson and C. E. Elliott seined out a large number, placed them in stock tanks and took them to Wedges Creek.  Sunday, the same crew, with the additional help of Ernest Snyder, Claude Ayers, Louis Kurth, Leo Miller and Archie Stockwell seined out more than 100,000 fish, it was estimated, and planted them in Wedges Creek.

Permission for the transfer was obtained from the State Conservation Commission at Madison. 

No one in Neillsville and vicinity remembers O’Neill Creek as low as it is now.  In its upper waters it is still flowing, but before it reaches Neillsville, so much of the water has evaporated that it is mostly dry bed.

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The 59^th exhibition of the Clark County Fair and homecoming opens, today, August 27.  It promises to be the greatest and crowning event of more than a half century of expositions, which long since have been regarded as the finest of their size in Wisconsin.

More work than ever before has been put into the fair this year to make it an outstanding exposition from every angle.  More boys and girls have been interested in the 4-H Club work.  Many hundreds of agricultural displays and booths have been beautifully arranged, and fine entertainment will be provided.

The management realizing that many of the smaller fairs have been forced to close because of the business Depression, has made a heroic effort to keep alive the traditions and interest in the Clark County fair.  Clark County cannot afford to lose its fair.  The fair will not be lost if the public responds as it should. 

Horse racing will be one of the features of the program Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons and a number of good horses have been booked.

Saturday night at 8 p.m., the public marriage takes place in front of the grand stand.  Interest in this event is rapidly reaching a high pitch, owning to the fact that the names of the bride and groom have been kept secret.  It was feared that the names of the couple might get out, but so well has the secret been kept, by the young man and woman, as well as the fair management, that there is not the slightest inkling as to their identity.

Dozens of prizes have been donated by businessmen of Neillsville and will be presented to the couple.  There is no doubt that this event will attract a large throng and the public is urged to be on hand early to obtain choice seats.

In order to give all who wish an opportunity to attend the fair, it is desirable that the business places of Neillsville close each afternoon at 2 o’clock, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Let us help the fair in every way possible.

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A spirit of good cheer, good will and enthusiasm characterized the 125 boosters for the Clark County fair, who with 32 automobiles toured Clark County and portions of Marathon, Eau Claire and Jackson counties on Friday.  The boosters were met with the same spirit everywhere on the trip.

The Neillsville High School band with Art Wagner as leader, furnished peppy music at every town on the route and made a big hit with the audiences everywhere.

A group of clowns rehearsed by Dr. L. B. Morris, threw a bit of fun into the crowds along the way.  Leo Walters, aged 9, a member of the Grandview Calf Club, played the accordion at a number of places.  He plays with wonderful skill and received much applause.

The “Little German Band” also was a feature of the musical program in each place.  Senator Rush, Judge Schoengarth, F. D. Calway and W. J. Landry megaphoned announcements of the fair in the various villages.

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For the first time in more than a year, the price of milk, this week, advanced instead of declining when the American Stores Dairy Co., paid 31 cents for butterfat for the first half of August.  The previous price was 30 cents a pound for butterfat.

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Several destructive forest fires have broken out south and west of Neillsville.  The drought has made the danger from fires extremely great this year.

Sunday afternoon, all the farm buildings on the Chas. Giloy farm, located four miles east of Loyal, were destroyed by fire.  All of the hay, straw and grain were lost also.  The loss is at $6,000, which is partly covered by insurance.  It is supposed that the fire started from a cigarette.

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Harry Roehrborn, Neillsville; P. H. Martin, Lindsey and Erhard’s Cash Market, Granton, will have the following specials at their United Home Grocery stores.

Van Camp’s Tomato Soup, 5¢ per can; Van Camp’s Catsup, large bottle 15¢; Vanity Sandwich Spread, 8 oz. jar, 18¢; Walter Baker Cocoa, ½ lb. can, 16¢  Now is the time to can this delicious fruit, Fresh Italian Prunes, per box $1.05  Home-Grown Muskmelons 1b. 5¢

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Sunday, August 23, the Lake Arbutus ballgame, Wisconsin Rapids vs. the Humbird White Sox will be played at Lake Arbutus.  The Lake Arbutus Resort will close August 30^th.  There will be just two more Sundays of Roller Skating this season. 

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Baseball games were a popular past-time for the players and their fans, with every town and community having a team in the 1930s.  The above photo (of the Silver Dome Ball Team) is believed to have been taken in 1930 or 1931. Photo Courtesy of Crystal Wendt, Clark Co., WI Internet Library Volunteer.