Clark County Press, Neillsville,

June 6, 2007, Page 17

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled and contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

June 1877

 

Last Sunday, a couple of young men of this village, of an adventurous turn of mind, pinned a couple of saw logs together to go for a sail on the raging Black River.

 

For a time, all went merry as a marriage bell, and they prided themselves on their daring and sailor-like qualities.  Then their sturdy raft grounded on a hidden rock and no amount of prying or swearing would remove it.  After laboring in vain for some time to get their vessel to sea again, one of the fellows, determined to rescue his comrade from the wreck, or die in the attempt, committed the lower part of his body to the elements.  He waded ashore and constructed a craft similar to the one on which they had first embarked, using it to get his comrade safely to the land, where they became content to stay.

•••••••••

Mr. Bourges, a Presbyterian minister, has moved his family from Nasonville to the Windfall community, in the town of York.  We are informed that Mr. Withee, Clark County Treasurer, has kindly donated four acres of land to build a church on.  Mr. Bourges, with the assistance of the Messrs. Davis, has built a snug little parsonage on the grounds, where he and his family are safely settled in.

•••••••••

In spite of dull times, some building is being done in Greenwood.  Frank Pfeifer is adding on to his butcher shop and making other perceptible improvements.  Horace Weston is building an addition to his cottage.  Ben Thompson has enclosed his barn.  Mr. Mowry has made changes in his law office.  Frank Brown has been adorning his front yard with shade trees.

 

George Hubbel is wearing a plug hat.  It is an ornament to the village.

 

The new restaurant opened in grand style, providing a free lunch, for a quarter.

 

The everlasting assessor is around taking notes.  We wish we had a dog.

 

“The Little Brown Jug” game will be played at Greenwood, on June 18th.  The Neillsville neighbors will be looking for good entertainment.

•••••••••

Arrangements have been made by O. F. Clapp, of Black River Falls, for an excursion to Minneapolis, over the West Wisconsin Railway on the 20th of June.  An invitation is kindly extended to the people of this village and county generally, to join with our neighbors at Black River Falls, in having a good time.

 

The fare has been greatly reduced and tickets for the round trip can be had for $3.50.  The excursion train will leave Black River Falls at 10:14 Thursday evening, arriving at Minneapolis the next morning, at 8:10.  The return trip leaves Minneapolis at 9:33 Saturday morning, arriving home the same evening, giving the excursion party a full day and evening to see the city of Minneapolis and its beautiful environs: Minnehaha Falls, Fort Snelling, Lake Como, St. Anthony and other places of interest, at about half of the usual fare.

 

The layout will be of the Picnic Basket persuasion, so don’t fail to fill your lunch basket.  The actual expense will be the bus fare, 50 cents each; lodging overnight, supper and breakfast, $1.50.  For incidental expenses, consult the length of your own purse strings.  You can fool away twenty-five dollars or twenty-five cents, as your inclination may dictate.

 

The tickets are for sale at Crandall’s drug store, and must be purchased by June 22nd.

•••••••••

Crandall is a natural hater of the potato bug.  He thinks that he says of that pest may be made few in this land that is intended for the production of potatoes.  So he has put in a stock of Paris Green, in his drug store, sufficient to kill every cussed potato bug.

•••••••••

Two firms, Whitcomb & Smith and Daneau & Francis, at Humbird during this season, have purchased and shipped over two thousand bushels of blueberries.  Seventy-five bushels per day, was the average shipment, for which $2 a bushel was paid by the buyers.

•••••••••

A great number of livestock was killed by lightning, during the thunder storms this past week, throughout Clark County.  Damage was also done to timber and buildings, by the strong winds.

 

June 1937

 

Rinaldo L. French, better known as Nal French, passed away Thursday evening, May 17, in the Neillsville hospital at the age of 80.  Death was due to old age and weakening of his system.

 

Mr. French was born in Monroe County and came here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. B. French, when he was ten years old.  He grew up on a farm south of Neillsville and as a young man worked in the logging industry.

 

In his early life, all the timber was felled with axes and he was considered one of the best choppers on the river.  He was also one of the last down-river tote teamsters.  Before the railroad came to Neillsville in 1881, many of the supplies for logging camps were hauled in by teams from Hatfield, Black River Falls and La Crosse.  Mr. French did that arduous work for several winters.  He worked five years for the late Dan Gates.

 

Later he carried on his farm work in South Pine Valley, and did chopping and clearing of land for neighbors in the winter.

 

He took great interest in farming and was a constant student of farm bulletins and papers. Although growing up and working amidst the cruder surroundings of pioneer days, he always remained a quiet, peaceful gentleman in all ways.

 

Mr. French never married and leaves no near relatives here.  An aged brother in La Crosse and the late Mrs. Carl Stange was a sister.

•••••••••

Miss Leona Chase, daughter of Mrs. Dora Chase, was united in marriage to Milo R. Mabie, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mabie of Granton, Sunday at 9 a.m.  The single ring wedding ceremony was performed by Rev. G. W. Longenecker, at his residence.  Maid of honor was Mrs. Roy Chase, sister-in-law of the bride, and best man was Roy Chase, the bride’s brother.

 

The bride was attractively garbed in a white suit and pink blouse with a corsage of yellow roses, lilies of the valley and sweet peas, tied with a pink ribbon.  Mrs. Chase wore a pretty pink dress with a white coat and a cluster of white carnations on her dress.

 

Immediately after the ceremony, the young couple left for Chain of Lakes, Waupaca, to spend Decoration Day and Monday, returning Monday night.

 

The bride has been a lifelong resident of this community, graduating from the Neillsville High School in 1932.  For some-time past, she has been employed as stenographer in the office of Ben Frantz, Clerk of Court, where she has proved to be most efficient and courteous.  She is a young lady of the highest type in every respect.  On May 26, her friends gave a shower at the home of Mrs. Roy Chase, where she received many useful gifts.  Mr. Mabie graduated from the Granton High School in 1931 and learned the barber trade.  He now operates his own shop on West Seventh Street, where his skill and genial disposition have combined to build up a fine business.

•••••••••

P. M. Warlum and crew returned last week from Phelps, where they raised the largest steel smokestack ever raised in one section.  The stack, which is five feet in diameter and 131 feet long, weighted 14 tons and was put up at the Christianson saw mill.  The new stack replaced four old stacks. The stack was built in Marshfield and cost $3,800 including the cost of raising it.  Mr. Warlum also spent a couple of weeks at Phelps, dismantling a large steel framework building owned by a chemical concern.

•••••••••

The Clark County Rural Electrification Cooperative met at Greenwood, Friday. They voted to join other nearby cooperatives in building an $850,000 power plant and transmission line to furnish electric current to members of the cooperative group.

 

Under the proposed plan, the powerhouse, equipped with five diesel engines of 750 horsepower each, will be situated in Chippewa County.  It will feed power to REA cooperatives in Clark, Taylor, Buffalo, Tempeleau (Trempealeau), Dunn, St. Croix, Pierce and Jackson counties.

 

The project calls for 250 miles of transmission lines with a substation for each county.

 

The obtaining of easements for permission to build the transmission line will be started next week.  Construction of the local lines is scheduled to start in July.

•••••••••

Before a throng that jammed the armory to capacity, 76 graduates of the Neillsville High School received their diplomas at the commencement exercises Thursday night, and 9 graduates of the teacher’s training department were presented with certificates.

•••••••••

Excavating for Ed Hauge’s new house, on South Grand Avenue, was begun last Friday.  The house will be typical of colonial structure and the interior also will conform to that style.  Oak will be used for the wood finish throughout the first floor.  The contract was let to the O & N Lumber Co. and Art Carl.

•••••••••

Mr. George of Chippewa Falls, Bruce Van Gorden of Black River Falls and Archie Van Gorden of this city, left Friday on a trout fishing trip to the Otter River at Hurley, Wis.  The party was able to catch about 60 of the wily species.

 

The men also visited Little Bohemia Lodge at Manitowish, made famous through Dillinger and his gang when pursued by the G-Men would escape to that resort.

•••••••••

The Revival Services that have been in progress at the Full Gospel Church, corner of O’Neill and West 12th Streets, came to a close Sunday night. The new pastor, Miss Mildred Ryan, who has been in charge of the church in Superior, Wis., will take the place of the former pastor, Rev. Floyd Larson, who left for his home in California, a few days ago.

•••••••••

An up-to-date Fruit and Vegetable Market will open Saturday, June 19 in the Lowe Building, of Neillsville.  High quality fresh fruits and vegetables will be available daily.

•••••••••

The Kearns Drug store has installed an air conditioning outfit, which will keep the store cool in hot weather.  The cooled air is circulated through the regular furnace pipes.

•••••••••

Betty Jane Dahnert, 12-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Dahnert, has a real fish story to tell and this one is true, because Betty told it to us herself and in the presence of eye witnesses to the catch.  Saturday afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Dahnert took their children to Hatfield and while fishing in the waters of the canal, a 25-lb. carp selected Betty’s bait as the most likely morsel for his supper.  It required two men, assisted by the young lady’s orders and her shouts of delight, to land the prize.  The fish was brought home, dressed and taken to the May & Ruchaber market where it is being cured and smoked.  In addition to this grand catch, Miss Berry (Betty) also caught a fine 22-inch pickerel the same day and if she came home with her thumbs under the shoulder straps of her farmettes, wasn’t there reason aplenty?

•••••••••

Walter and Wayne Brown drove to Lake Arbutus, Thursday, to fish.  The walleyed pike were biting so well that the boys were too busy hauling them in to take stock of their catch.  After sweating over the job for three hours, they quit, deciding that 24 fish would supply the Brown household for quite a spell.  Their predicament was much like that of the Irish maid who was too busy mopping up the water to turn off the faucet.

•••••••••

In most parts of Clark County, the prospects are good for a big hay crop this year and some farmers expect to find difficulty in getting extra help in haying.

 

Lenus Frank of the Town of Weston, who was a pioneer farmer when all the hay was cut with scythes among the stumps, states that he and Ernest Menning, still living in Weston, cut 100 tons of hay with scythes on his farm, raked and pitched it by hand.  Mr. Menning worked for him seven years on the farm and for several years the two of them did the haying by hand.  The crop was usually very heavy when the land was new.

•••••••••

Stockholders of the Neillsville Country Club, which recently acquired the Hawthorne Hills Country Club, met Monday night to elect officers and outline activities for the rest of the season.  R. E. Schmedel was elected president; Otto Zaeske, vice president; R. P. Munger, secretary and E. Skroch, treasurer.  The above, along with William Campman also constitute the board of directors.  Dr. Ell Lee was named chairman of the committee on sports and tournaments.

 

The stockholders decided to install a bar at the club and sell beer and liquors as a means of raising funds for helping maintain the course.  It is estimated that the amount of between $1,500 and $1,600 will be needed to pay expenses during the golf season.

 

Art Tangen will be the professional in charge with Carl Johnson as greens keeper and Clifford Moe, assistant.

 

The organization now has a clear title to the course and has paid up the past due water rent and taxes. The out look for the course is considered promising and under the new set up should have no difficulty in continuing holding its reputation as one of the outstanding courses in the state.

•••••••••

O. W. Lewerenz is remodeling the building between his filling station and the Legion hall, as an ice cream factory and soda fountain.  Mr. Lewerenz will install a counter freezer and will have retail ice cream in the bulk.

•••••••••

Potter’s North Side Grocery, located on North Hewett Street, has a special on Hormel Soups, Vegetable, Vegetable-Beef, Chicken Noodle or Pea Soup, only 10c a can.

•••••••••

 

 

 

June is Dairy Month, the time of the year when we recognize and salute the dairy industry within our county and state.  Soon after land was cleared of timber in this area, as of the later 1800s, settlers came to farm the land.  Next came the building of butter and cheese factories, encouraging dairying.  By the 1940s, there were over 50 cheese factories scattered around Clark County, including Cloverview Cheese Factory.

 

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