Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

September 1, 2010, Page 14

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

August 1900

 

The finishing touches are being applied to the Reinheimer furniture building in Loyal, now owned by C. H. Brown.  It has been ceiled inside, painted and now shelving is being put in for the hardware store of Esselman & Pickle. They commenced moving their goods Tuesday.  A plate glass front has been put in and now the store is being wired for electric lights, which puts it up to date in every respect.

•••••••••

Jos. Herrian and Frank Kubat of Neillsville, with assistants, are laying the brick veneer on the Wollenberg property in Greenwood and have the wall over half up.  They are doing a good job and when completed the building will be one of the showiest in town.

•••••••••

A new stone arch culvert is being constructed at the intersection of Fourth Street and Grand Avenue, extending across diagonally.  Having the contract, Wm. and Ezra Campbell are pushing the work rapidly.

 

(Goose Creek runs under that intersection, which has always required a culvert to direct it to its tributary, O’Neill Creek)

•••••••••

Gilbert Johnson has just received a line of Men’s Double-breasted Suits with Vests for fall, which is the greatest value ever offered, at $5.50.  Come and see them.

•••••••••

Fire started around the sheet iron chimney of the Green Grove cheese factory near Colby, last Saturday morning.  A large portion of the roof was destroyed before the fire could be extinguished. The cheese in the factory was all taken out and it is feared, will be damaged some from handling.  The damage will amount to several hundred dollars and will be a total loss as there was no insurance.

•••••••••

The 80-acre farm owned by Mrs. Lucy Hartson, in Section 30 of the Town of Grant, was last week sold to Ezra Thompkins, consideration $2,600.                                     

•••••••••

It is reported that during the storm Monday evening the barns of C. Moh in the Town of Grant, and the barn of F. Neitschke in the Town of Lynn were struck be (by) lightning and totally destroyed.

•••••••••

The first of the week, A. B. Marsh made a shipment of winter wheat to Ohio to be used for seed.  The wheat crop was raised by M. C. Ring on his farm east of Neillsville.  The parties who purchased a portion of the wheat were here recently and while looking over the country they saw the wheat growing on Mr. Ring’s farm, being well pleased with it, they wanted to secure some for seed.

•••••••••

Balch & Tragsdorf are building comfortable and commodious sheds at the rear of the Savings Bank building for farmers to use in stabling their horses while shopping nearby.

•••••••••

B. S. Bradley of Spencer was in Neillsville over Sunday, the guest of his son and wife.  He rode over on a wheel, a distance of 32 miles.

 

(“The Wheel” was an early style bicycle, with a large front wheel and small back wheel, which was often referred to as “the wheel.”  D. Z.)

•••••••••

Judge O’Neill, this week, sold his fine farm of 108 acres, lying two miles north of our city to Chas. B. Appleyard, of Oakland, Wis., consideration $5,400.  He also sold about $1,100 worth of stock to Mr. Appleyard.        

•••••••••

A. O. Rhea of the Thorp area threshed the product from ten acres of grain on Tuesday, with the following result: three acres of oats produced 200 bushels; seen acres of rye, 268 bushels, machine measure.  The quality is also the best.

•••••••••

Mrs. Irish, teacher of the Day School for the deaf, was in the city this week to prepare for the work of the ensuing year.  She secured a residence for herself and such pupils that will board with her, having rented the house now occupied by Editor Crothers’ family. The Crothers’ family will occupy the same until their farm residence is ready for occupancy. 

•••••••••

The Neillsville baseball team went to La Crosse Saturday for a ball game with the team of that city.  Our boys won out in a hard-fought game by a score of 5 to 4.  At the close of the seventh inning the score was 4 to 1 in Neillsville’s favor, but the La Crosse team batted out 3 runs and tied.  Neillsville got another run and stopped their opponent from scoring during the rest of the game.

•••••••••

Blackberry pickers are still on the roads, moving toward the berry brush by squads.

•••••••••

A harvest dance was enjoyed at the town hall in Levis last Saturday night, being largely attended by those from Neillsville.

•••••••••

Agents of the Gates Land Co. piloted a party of land seekers from North Manchester, Ind., through the Greenwood area last week.  

 

August 1940

 

With the new-type 64,000-gallon water storage tower completed, Granton village officials this week expressed belief that water service will be started within the next six weeks.

 

Already 41 residents have signed to receive water and it is expected that several more will have applied for the service before the new system is completed.  There is a possibility of 90 users in the village, according to Arlo Lautenbach, village clerk.

 

All that remains to be done before service can be rendered, Mr. Lautenbach said, is to complete the network of water mains on which only clean-up work remains, and to secure a pump for the well.  The project is being carried out with WPA aid.

 

The new water tank rises a total of 82 feet above the hill on which it is located near the “Y” on the outskirts of the village.  A “riser” pipe forms a pedestal 58 feet high for the 50,000 gallon tank above, on which the word “Granton” has been painted in large letters.  The riser pipe has a capacity of 14,000 gallons.  The tank, itself, is a sphere 24 feet in diameter, of steel construction, with seams electrically welded and not a single rivet has been used in the construction, a third of its kind to be erected in the nation.

•••••••••

The population of Clark County is 33,903, according to preliminary figures released this week, by E. E. Quinn, supervisor of the Eau Claire district census bureau. This represents a decrease of 262 from the 1930 figures of 34,165.

 

Rural areas of the county have by far, the largest distribution of population. 

•••••••••

Television will make its first appearance in Wisconsin at the Northern Wisconsin district fair in Chippewa Falls, which opens August 6.

 

Mobile television equipment, valued at $110,000, will be in operation, according to the management and a complete studio will be set up on the grounds.  In addition, there will be a sending and receiving apparatus.

•••••••••

Motor vehicles to the number of 313 were counted on the Main streets of Neillsville Wednesday afternoon at 2:34 p.m.  The count did not include the entire businesses, but it did take in the streets mainly used by those attending a Wednesday program.

 

The number of persons represented by this number of cars may be a matter of speculation, but can be roughly estimated.  It would perhaps be conservative to figure three persons to each car.  In that event the number represented would be 939 persons.

 

The count was made by George Zimmerman and by the editor of The Press.

•••••••••

As a constructive measure, the Kiwanis club has taken action to request that the tennis courts at Schuster Park be put into good condition.  This action was taken after the Loomis speech on crime prevention.  While it does not follow that the failure to repair tennis courts in Neillsville will result in a crime wave, it is certain that our city may wisely make reasonable provision for recreation.

 

The splendid purpose in such matters of our city government is not open to question.  We have a city council of fine public spirit, which has the earnest purpose to contribute to the welfare and character of all of us.  If there is any question at all about such matters, it is an honest question as to the wisdom of making things too easy for young people.  That is a sensible question, and one, which may well be considered when ever such a project is under consideration.

•••••••••

More than 100 friends and relatives gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert French, in Levis, last weekend to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of the couple.

 

It was on that f arm, bordering Black River, just south of the new Five Mile Bridge that Mr. and Mrs. French spent their honeymoon 50 years ago, August 3, 1890; and their lives have been built around the farm and their vast host of friends.

 

Following the wedding ceremony, which took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Rodman, near the fairgrounds in Pine Valley, the newlyweds went to the French home to live.

 

And Mrs. French likes to recall that she spent her honeymoon preparing a meal for some 12 or 15 men who Mr. French’s father, an old-time hotelman and lumberman, had invited in to help him put up the first saw mill on the location.

 

“I had helped cook for threshers before,” Mrs. French said; “but that was the first time I had to cook for a lot of people without ma there to boss.”

 

Needless to say, the meal was a success and afterward “Grandpa” French complimented her highly on the pot roast.

 

The French farmstead overflows with things relating to the past.  On the roof of one barn are hand-shaved shingles, which were put on in 1872.  Making up a part of that same barn are several large boards, some as large as 30 inches wide, which were used because knots in them at that time made them practically worthless on the market.

 

For the first 16 years of their married life; the saw mill was operated a short distance from where the house if located.  In 1906 the saw mill was razed by fire and was not rebuilt.

 

The French farm during these past 50 years has been the scene of many happy gatherings, always popular with the young and old alike.  Mr. and Mrs. French have been noted for their hospitality; therefore, their many friends were happy to help them celebrate their golden wedding anniversary.                                  

•••••••••

The 32nd division of the National Guard, of which the Service Company is a unit, will be stationed in the vicinity of Camp Bullis, Texas, if and when it is called into service, according to an article in the Wisconsin National Guard Review.  Camp Bullis is in the Leon Springs area, and is a familiar ground to Wisconsin guardsmen who were on the border.  It was at Leon Springs that they did their maneuvering and rifle work. The camp at that time was a two-day march from San Antonio.                                                                                                           

•••••••••

Construction of a dam on Black River at the location of the county recreation park at Greenwood was authorized Wednesday by the county board, meeting at the county hospital at Owen.  The board appropriated $2,500 for the purpose and gave a committee of five discretionary powers to proceed. This committee, headed by C. R. Sturdevant of Neillsville, was authorized to investigate the possibility of making the dam a WPA project and to abandon the construction if it does not appear feasible to its members.

 

The construction of the dam is really a revival of an old plan.  Two years or more ago the county had on its records an appropriation of $2,500 for the same purpose, but the dam to have been erected was a type which, it was feared, would not stand such high water as is occasionally experienced. The fear for such a dam was given point by the flood of 1938, and the effort was then abandoned.

 

Now it is proposed to build the dam considerable lower, with the expectations that the flood waters would flow over it without doing it injury. Built thus, the board hopes that the dam will stand, and that it will still accomplish the main purpose of creating a pool for swimming, fishing and boating.                

•••••••••

Darwin Graves and Frank Geisler, caddies at the Neillsville Country Club, have qualified for the Caddy tournament at Shalagoco, Shawano’s 18-hole golf course.  They spent several days there as guests of Dr. and Mrs. A. E. Blum.

•••••••••

A “turn over” of 24.5 percent of teachers in Clark County rural and state graded schools this year is revealed in a study of teacher lists prepared late last week by the office of L. M. Millard, county school superintendent.

 

Although children in 58 schools of the county will be under the supervision of different teachers this year, the majority of the teachers will have merely been transferred to a different school within the county school system.  In several instances, they have been transferred within the township.

 

In all, 61 teachers will be in new locations.  Some of them are in state graded schools, while the remaining 52 are distributed among the 134 rural schools of the county.                                 

•••••••••

Don’t miss Dollar Days Specials in Neillsville!

 

Fullerton Lumber Specials are: Fence Staples, 24 lbs. $1; Barn Paint, 1 gal. $1; Roof Coating 3 gal. $1; Nail Hammer $1.

 

Coast to Coast Buys! Spark Plugs 4 for $1; Crown Penn Oil 2 gal. $1; Grey Enamel Dishpan 14 Qt. 25’; Tire Pump $1.

 

Penney’s Dollar Days – Wizard Sheets 2 for $1; Chenille Bed Spread $1; Children’s Oxford Shoes $1; Terry Towels, large 4/$1

 

Eva’s Fashion Shoppe – Dresses, 1 rack, $1 ea; Women’s Slacks 59’ ea; Print Aprons, 2 for $1.

 

Deep Rock Service Sta. 5-Quart Oil Change $1; Firestone Inner Tube $1; Firestone Convoy Tire, 6.00x16” $6.29

 

Roehrborn’s Store – Jersey Cream Flour 49 lbs. $1.09; Sugar 20 lbs $1; Cider Vinegar 1 gal 17’

 

May & Ruchaber Store – Lard, 14 lbs. $1; Fel-Naphtha Soap 33 bars $1; Swift Smoked Picnic Hams, 6 lbs. each, $1.00

 

 

 

Jeff Schuster and his wife, who had no children, donated 10 acres of wooded land to the city of Neillsville in 1919, designating it to be used as a public park for the enjoyment and recreation of area children and their families.  A wooden gateway arch was built over the south entrance with the words “Schuster Park – Welcome Tourists,” which also borders Highway 10.  The wooden arch was later replaced with two stone pillars. A blacktop road winds its way along the park’s edge on the city’s southeast side.

 

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