May 1919

E. G. Boynton of La Crosse was here Thursday getting signatures of the landowners in a proposed drainage district in the vicinity of Pray to a petition therefore.  While here, he secured the endorsement of the owners of more than fifty per cent of the acreage in the district.  The name under which the establishment is made is in the Jackson County drainage district, but some of the owners of the land are talking that it would be more appropriate to change the name to Morrison Creek drainage district, which may be done.

The area comprises about 3,200 acres and the general quality of the land is said to be second to none in any district of that kind, which touches Jackson County.

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When the country goes dry it would seem that there should be an added market for the product of the dairy cow, as ice cream is expected to be largely in demand as the refreshment.  Already the saloon men in the larger cities are preparing to turn their places of business into ice cream parlors or tea-rooms.

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Pvt. Earnest Karnitz returned home from overseas April 19.  He was a member of 6^th Div. Co. A. 53^rd Infantry.  He left Bassou, France on March 19, for the U. S. on the Pastores and arrived at the New Port News on March 26^th.  He was then transferred to Camp Grant, where he was discharged.  He was wounded four times on the 8^th of October 1918, at Mete Zeral in Alsace Loraine.  He was transferred to different hospitals and at the latter, Base 208, Bordetuax, where he remained until he sailed for home.

Walter Durst left last Saturday to visit friends.  He arrived home last week Thursday from seven months service overseas.  He was gassed and wounded while in Belgium.  After arriving in France he was transferred to the 37^th Division.  Mr. Durst had a serious attack of the flu on the way overseas.

Preparations are being made to welcome the Badger troops as they come into the dock at New York next week.  The Wisconsin welcoming committee, along with the permanent committee in New York, will go down the bay in a tugboat to greet the advance guard of the 32^nd Division.  Gov. Philipp will be among those on board.

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Eight million walleyed pike will be planted this week in tributaries of the Black River by the government fish hatchery in La Crosse.  This is the first large consignment of pike planted in the western part of the state since the hatchery was established.  Nearly all of the output has gone to inland waters.    

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Many farms have some distinguishing characteristics, which are very appropriate for naming a farm.  Why not name your farm?  The procedure for having your farm name registered is very simple.  Merely report the name to the County Register of Deeds and unless someone has selected the same name before you, it will be registered on payment of a fee of 25¢.  Contact R. Brown, County Agriculture Agent.

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Amos Kegley, who lives in the West Shortville area, says that when the red horse begins to bite this time of the year, it is also time to plant corn.  He was down fishing on the East Fork of the Black River early the other morning, when a red horse bit on his line and immediately his thoughts were that it was time to plant corn. So he went right home, got the ground ready and by nighttime he had most of his corn planted.  That is going some!

(At that time farms were small, so this man’s cornfield was probably only a five to ten acre plot, plus possibly a little exaggeration in telling the story. D. Z.)

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The marriage of Albert Wegner and Miss Hulda Dux was solemnized by Rev. Brandt, May 7^th.  The attending couple was Otto Dux and Miss Helen Wegner.  The groom is a son of Mrs. Fred Wegner of Pine Valley and a fine young man who will undoubtedly make a great success of his chosen vocation of farming.  His bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dux of Pine Valley, a very capable and estimable young lady of many fine qualities.  The young couple will be housekeeping on the Herman Wegner farm with the best wishes of their host of friends.

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Fred Brooks came down from Minneapolis Saturday evening to spend Sunday with his folks.  He went to Greenwood Monday to meet the purchasing committee of the new proposed Loyal and Green wood electric light and power line connection with Minnesota Light and Power Co.  Fred’s company is a large producer and manufacturer of power poles.

May 1949

Dr. Sarah Rosekrans left early last Saturday on the first leg of a trip, which will take her to Finland, Norway, Sweden and other wayward points.  She took with her a dozen gavels, made in Clark County by some of the county’s gavel swingers.

When Dr. Sarah and Sally Butler, international president of the Business and Professional Women’s clubs, were making preparations for their trip to Europe, Miss Butler inquired of the President of the Norwegian B. & P. W. clubs what she could bring.

The answer was that gavels would be a perfect gift, inasmuch as they were most difficult to get.  The Norwegian club head wanted them to present to new clubs in Norway.

So Dr. Milton C. Rosekrans and some of his buddies started forth with to make some gavels.  Wm. A. Campman, Harry Teas and Frank Brown gathered around to help.  They turned to make an even dozen in Dr. Milton’s workshop.  These were then given to Dr. Sarah and Miss Butler for presentation at the Finnish and Norwegian national conventions.

But when the men got rolling on the gavels, they found they couldn’t stop, until they made one of a Paul Bunyan size. This gavel they retained, with some idea of using it at formal gatherings of the Sunshine Club, or some other such group.

On the noon before she left, Dr. Sarah was the guest of honor at a luncheon.  She was presented with a gift by the B. P. W. group and Mrs. Lillian Moldenhauer presented her with a gift of earrings.

Dr. Sarah planned to drive to the East Coast.  She expects to be gone about three and one-half months.

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Grading and seeding of a playground area on the new high school site, near the city standpipe, was completed this week.  The area is designed for use as a football practice field and for baseball and softball.  It will eliminate the necessity next fall of high school gridders traveling nearly a mile to the fairground for practice and then returning.  Work of leveling the ground was done by the big bulldozer of the soil conservation service, the cost of the project being estimated by Supt. D. E. Peters at about $100.

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Prize money totaling $2,000 or more will be distributed to Neillsville bowlers at the annual meeting and banquet of the Men’s bowling association next Wednesday evening, May 11, in the Masonic Temple.  Time of the banquet is 7 p.m.

The prize money is for league play during the season, which just ended and prize money for the city bowling tournament.  About $1,700 in league money will be distributed, according to the estimate of William Wilsmann, association president.

In addition to the banquet and prize distribution, members present will elect officers for the coming year.  Present officers, in addition to Mr. Wilsmann, are: Albert Holt, secretary; and Harry McIntyre, treasurer.  Directors are: Ed Hauge, Earl Zille, Herman Hagedorn, Joe Zilk, Sr. and E. J. Roberts.

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Dance at the Levis Hall Saturday, May 7, with music by the Nemitz Brothers.

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Mr. and Mrs. S. A. D. Smith quietly observed their 68^th wedding anniversary May 11 at their home on East Fifth Street, where they now live.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith are 88 years old.  Mrs. Smith is the former Beulah Atkins, a native of Kaukauna; and Mr. Smith was born in Sniderville.

After their marriage in 1881 they made their home in Kaukauna for several years.  There Mr. Smith was employed on the railroad, working for the Chicago and Northwestern and for the M.L.S. and W.  He worked his way up from warehouse-man to agent and operator.

About 50 years ago, the couple moved with their children to the Town of York, where they operated a farm for many years.  They moved into Neillsville about 18 years ago.

Three sons and a daughter were born to them.  The sons are: Arthur and Bergen of Neillsville and Wilbur of Milwaukee.  The daughter is Mrs. Nettie Smith, also of Milwaukee.  There are 21 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

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A raking bee will be held on the baseball diamond tonight, Jack Tibbett, president of the Neillsville Athletic association announces.  All persons, young and older, who are able to handle a rake, are asked by Mr. Tibbett to grab a rake and make an appearance at the ball park as shortly after 6 o’clock as possible.  If sufficient manpower turns out, Mr. Tibbett says, the diamond can be completely raked in the one evening. 

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Mr. and Mrs. Everett Pepper have sold their home on Court Street to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kapusta.

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Purchase of approximately nine acres of land on the old Hewett farm site by St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran congregation of Neillsville has been completed.

The property will be the site of the proposed combination church-school, toward which the congregation has been working for some time.

The land is located on the north side of highway 10, near the western edge of the city.

The site is one of natural beauty, being situated on one of the highest points within the city limits.  It commands a wide view of surrounding countryside with the Neillsville Mound forming a back drop to the north.

Purchase was made from Mr. and Mrs. Herman North, who bought the property at auction last April, after the Hewett house was destroyed by fire.  Norths reserved the barn, granary and all personal property in the barn.

While there is no prospect of starting construction in the near future, the St. John’s congregation has taken steps to further clean up the site of the old Hewett home.  The large well house; which stands at the west of the home site, and the timbers remaining on the home has been purchased by Frank Meier, a member of the congregation.  He has started removing the remaining timber from the house and soon expects to raze the well house.

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The city threw up its hands and stepped out of the picture in the north neighborhood property tangle Tuesday night; sadder, wiser and $16 lighter.

In a good natured effort to try to help property owners of Tenth and Eleventh streets find their adjoining property lines, the city ordered the survey of what is called Pine Street on city plat maps.

When it made this decision, the people involved in the question were Ray Paulson and William Wilsmann, Sr., both who live on the north side of West 10^th Street and Herman J. Olson, former sheriff and present night police officer, owning property facing Eleventh Street which extends southward to join with the property of the other two.

All that the city’s survey accomplished was to bring a fourth party into the picture and to muddle the whole affair a little more.

Frank Svetlik appeared before the board to inquire “whether I have a garden or not.”  It appeared that the stake driven by the county surveyor marking the eastern line of Pine Street was in the center of Mr. Svetlik’s garden.

Council members paid the surveyor’s $16 bill and went over the situation, weighing the possibility of abandoning the street, which is just a dead-end spur anyway and dropping the whole matter into the laps of the interested property owners.  They ran into some question about the means by which the property now comprising Pine Street came into the hand of the municipality, which could make a difference in its disposition should it be abandoned.

And finally the council determined that even abandonment would not settle the basic question.  So, for the time being at least they adjourned with the idea of bowing out of the picture as gracefully as possible.

During the discussion it was brought out that there are “pixies” or some sort of mysterious nocturnal gremlins playing tricks with survey stakes in that particular location.  James Hansen, city engineer and Alderman Jake H. Hoesly reported that they had not been able to find stakes put down just a few days ago by the county surveyor to mark the Pine Street line.

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Bonds of marriage were announced last Sunday at the Holy Family Church at Willard by Rev. Odilo Hajnsek for Clinton Susa of Greenwood and Miss Joanne Herrick of Willard.

The members of the Holy Name Society of the Holy Family Church of Willard, entertained their mothers and wives Sunday at a breakfast after the 9:30 Mass.

The preparing and serving was all taken care of by men so that “mom” could have a rest on her day.

This was held at the West Side hall, which was beautifully decorated with the wild plum blossoms, crepe paper streamers in pink, blue, yellow and white especially for the occasion.

All the mothers and wives also received pink corsages when they entered the hall.  In the evening a dance was sponsored by the mothers.

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Dance to the Laurence Duchow Red Raven Orchestra direct from Chicago’s Trianon Ballroom, coming to Colby Park Sunday, May 29.

This photo of Merchant’s hotel and the Victory Arch was taken shortly after the arches were place after World War I, in 1919, one at 4^th Street intersection and the above arch at 7^th Street intersection.  The arches were located there through 1939 and removed shortly after.  (Photo courtesy of Bob Wilsmann’s collection)

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