June 1913

Carl Walk, one of the old residents of Pine Valley, sold his 80-acre farm last week to Frank Keller of Green County.  The sale included nearly all the farm equipment stock; consideration $10,000.  This is one of the finest 80s in this locality.  Mr. and Mrs. Walk will spend some time in visiting their children and other relatives and friends but expect to make Neillsville their headquarters.              

Mr. and Mrs. Keller are prosperous and progressive people.  They have a family of seven sons and four daughters, several of whom, and Mr. Keller himself, are fine musicians.  They are reported to be good people in every way and will be a valuable addition to this locality.

Two of the Keller’s sons later built the Silver Dome ballroom, located 5 miles west of Neillsville, along USH 10.  The ballroom’s grand opening was held in 1933.  Plans for the large done-structure dance hall were purchased from a firm in Germany for the cost of $1,000, a large sum during the Depression.  There were two dance halls in the United States built of those plans and the Silver Dome is the only one that remains.  It has been placed on the state’s register as one of Wisconsin’s Historical Places.  The Keller Bros. Orchestra occasionally played for dances in their ballroom during its early years of business. DZ)

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A good strong reliable 5-passenger touring car, that has never been broken or misused and has run less than 5,000 miles, will be sold reasonable or will trade for land.  Car is in perfect running order with three new ties.  Inquire of Dr. Leason.                                                                   

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For several weeks past, meetings have been held in surrounding communities for the purpose of organizing an association to buy or build a  cooperative elevator.

At these meetings delegates were elected to hold a meeting and make further arrangements for organization.  The delegates met Tuesday afternoon at the Pine Valley Butter Co. Creamery and discussed the different plans of organization.  Fred Bruley, Geo. E. Crothers and Joseph Dwyer were appointed as a committee to draft a constitution and bylaws to present at a general meeting, of subscribers for stock to be held at the G.A.R. in Neillsville Friday afternoon, June 20.

About 80 have already subscribed for stock and many others have stated their intention to subscribe.

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Judge James O’Neill, Jr. and Mrs. O’Neill entertained at supper Saturday evening, after which the guests were taken for a delightful drive in automobiles.  Besides the members of the O’Neill household those enjoying the gracious hospitality of host and hostess were Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Schuster and their sister, Mrs. Bury; Mrs. and and Miss Youmans and Mrs. Oakley, of Los Angeles, Calif.

(Judge James O Neill, Jr. had a new house built for he and his bride, the housed located on the southeast corner of State and East 4th Street intersection in Neillsville.  They lived there for all of their married life.  During the Christmas holiday season and occasionally on other occasions during the year, O’Neill’s opened their home, inviting guests in for the evening, providing dinner and entertainment.

For about 25 years prior to 1954, the O’Neill home, which had become vacant, provided space for the city’s hospital, a third location for a city hospital dating back to the late 1800s.  In the fall of 1954, an open house was held for the Memorial Hospital, a new facility at 216 Sunset Place on Neillsville’s southwest side.

A clinic for Dr. Overman and Dr. Manz’ practices was set up in first floor rooms at the Merchant’s Hotel, and later Dr. Gungor joined the staff.  Eventually, a second floor was added to the Memorial Hospital building, which provided a clinic and offices for its doctors.

The Judge O’Neill house returned to be a family home for a few years after being vacated by  the hospital business, and later became an apartment dwelling.

Hats off to the present owners to the present owners of the O’Neill home who are in the process of restoring the building, keeping its original exterior design and look.

The house’s historical significance goes to the Honorable Judge James O’Neill, original builder and many years owner of the home and longtime Clark County Judge, who had a notable role in our county and city’s history. DZ)                                                                                                   

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Hake Bros. of the Town of Grant have started early to test out their new big threshing machine.  They fired it up last week and ran through a lot of oat straw and it seemed to run like a top.

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A new law passed by the present legislature makes it the duty of supervisors in all the townships in the state to put up and maintain guide boards at all crossroads and corners at all main traveled roads.  A penalty is affixed for neglect under this law.                                                           

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For Sale: The Visgar Church building in the Town of York.  Inquire of the Methodist Church pastor in Neillsville.

(The Visgar Church was located on the property of H. W. Visgar’s, north side of Fremont Road, one and 114th mile east of the Cardinal Avenue intersection in the Town of York.  Soon after being offered for sale, the church building was sold and moved to Granton.

The North Branch of O’Neill Creek ran a short distance east of Visgar’s land, where he operated a sawmill on the west bank of the creek. DZ)                                                      

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Dan Timmerson is fattening a mud-turtle, which he caught a few days ago while fishing.

(Years ago, turtle soup was considered a delicacy by several, back when there were a few cooks considered connoisseurs in preparing the so-called delicacy.  It was usually served to a group of friends in some lakeside café, or tavern, especially in the northern part of the state, amongst its many lakes and area resorts.

I have never got brave enough to taste or eat turtle soup. DZ) 

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Cecil Verbeck is putting up a large number of stave silos around the county this season.  He has unloaded several carloads of material here and at the Romadka railroad stop.

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Luethe’s will ship a carload of chickens on June 21. Paying 10¢ for hens and 16¢ per pound for spring chickens.

(Luethe’s had a warehouse, dealing in sales and purchases of farm-related produce and machinery during the early 1900s.

Two-or three-year-old laying hens that no longer produced were sold for stewing hens.  A dressed-out hen required hours of slow cooking in a kettle of water for the meat to become tender.  After hours of cooking, the chicken was deboned, returning the meat to the kettle of hot broth, seasoned and stirred while slowly adding a mixture of blended flour and water for thickening.  The thickened chicken and broth mixture was known as “stewed chicken.”  A broth with chicken, diced vegetables and noodles or dumplings made delicious soup.

As a kid, one of my favorite meals was a generous serving of stewed chicken on top of a mound of mashed potatoes. Yum!

Spring chickens were three-or four-month-old chickens of tender meat, that were ready to be sold for fryers. DZ) 

June 1953

Ralph Bauer, former resident of Neillsville, will return here as manager of the Fullerton Lumber company.  He will succeed Fred Heaney, who is leaving June 15 for a position with an independent lumber company in Menomonee Falls, near Milwaukee.

Mr. Bauer who acted as bookkeeper and assistant manager of the local Fullerton yard a few years ago, has been managing yards for his company in Minnesota and Iowa in recent years.  Mrs. Bauer is the former Annabelle Gassen.                                                                        

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Marriage Licenses:

Marvin Naedler, Town of York, Mary Ingold, Town of Grant, to be married at Neillsville June 20,

Irban Aumann, Town of Loyal, Leona Bentzler, Loyal, married at Loyal June 1,

Alton Musich, Willard, Eleanore Schmidt, Town of Green Grove, to be married at Curtiss June 6,

Richard Esselman, Town of Loyal, Helen Lindner, Town of Eaton, married at Greenwood June 3,

Wilford H. Sorenson, Stanley, Patricia A. Oberle, Town of Worden,

Franklin Wilke, Town of Wood, Wood County, Irene Lindner, Town of Loyal, to be married June 17 at Greenwood,

Alvin Kaltinger, Town of Hendren, Lucille Landini, Town of Hendren, to be married June 13 at Willard,

Glenn Stowe, Town of Beaver, Lorraine Anger, Town of Hoard, married June 5 at Neillsville,

Wilbur Buse, Town of Sherman, Delores Hendrickson, Town of Unity, to be married June 13 at Spencer.

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Al Breseman has sold the York Dairy to John Mullins and has already given possession.  The entire property is included in the transfer, and Mr. Mullins, with Mrs. Mullins and three children, are already occupying the house.

The Bresemans have stored their furniture and are planning to take a vacation and to wander for a time.  After years of seven days a week in the dairy business, the Bresemans are ready for a life less confining.

Mr. Mullins has come up in a dairying family, his father had owned a plant at Edgar.

The Bresemans have long contributed to the local dairy scene.  Al Breseman’s father operated a factory for years in the Town of York and for a period of time also had the South Grant Cheese factory, now owned by Walter Schmidt.  The York property is largely of new construction and attracted Mr. Mullins as a neat and efficient plant.                                                                                           

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Mr. and Mrs. Ed Sternitzky will hold open house Sunday, June 14, from 2 to 10 p.m. in observance of their fiftieth wedding anniversary.                                                           

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Sunday, June 7, Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Hoehne celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family dinner at the George Hoehne home.  The afternoon was spent receiving friends and neighbors.

Carl Christian Hoehne and E. Lena Runkel were married at Reeseville, Wis., on June 7, 1903, and have resided in Greenwood ever since.  Mr. Hoehne has operated the hardware store for the past 51 years.

They are members of  the Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church.

The Hoehne’s have four children: George, Julius and Mrs. Leonard (Irma) Braatz all of Greenwood; and Mrs. Oscar (Nelda) Dyre of Detroit Lakes, Minn.  They also have nine grandchildren.

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Dr. M.A. Foster, Neillsville and Thorp optometrist, announce this week that she is taking into partnership her son, Dr. John W. Foster.

The younger Dr. Foster will be in charge of the Thorp office and will make his home there.  His family has purchased a home there.  He also will be in charge of the Neillsville office on Thursdays, and Dr. M. A. Foster will be in charge of the Thorp office on that day.                                        

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Flitter’s Grocery – We Deliver Daily – Ph 220

Friday – Saturday Specials Armour’s Skinless Wieners, 43¢ lb.; Peter’s Summer Sausage 59¢ lb.

For Your Picnic, Red Dot Potato Chips 10¢, 25¢, 39¢ - Special Prices on Watermelon, Green Onions & Radishes.

Anytime!  Flitter’s Always Has on Hand Aged Wisconsin Cheese!

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National Dairy Month – 2 Fine  Events – Friday, June 12, Annual Clark County Dairy Picnic at Greenwood Park and Saturday, June 13, - The Second Annual Cheese & Butter Festival held in Greenwood.

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A drive-in theater will be constructed immediately at Christie.  It will be located on the west side of Highway 73, in the rear of business buildings.  The entrance will be from the business section westward and the exits will be from the road running north of the Hediger factory.

The project is backed by Neillsville capital.  It will be managed by Arlo Clausen, who has had 20 years’ experience in the  theater business.  A site of 36 acres has been purchased.

Grading on the site was to start sometime this week.  Construction is expected to take not more than 60 days.  Opening should take place in the latter part of August. 

The Christie location was chosen because of its convenience of access to a large proportion of the people of the county.

The theater will be known as the “:Community Drive-in Theater.”

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An honest-to-goodness “Mother-in-Law seat” proved a feature attraction at the Svetlik Motor Co. Monday, as hundreds of people crowded into the building to help the local celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Ford Motor Co.

The “Mother-in-Law seat,” and that’s actually what it was called, was on the rear of a 1910 model Ford automobile, loaned for the celebration by Arnold Ebert of Neillsville.  Complete with carbide lights, foot and hand horns, brass radiator, and all, the 1910 Ford showed the strong influence of the horse-and-buggy days.  It’s “body” looks like a surrey with a fringe on the top.  Behind the “surrey,” was a single upholstered seat, cut off from conversation with the occupants of the front seat.  And this was the “Mother-in-Law” seat.

Another old Ford on display in the showroom, and also in running condition, was a 1925 model belonging to Tony Svetlik, brother of the garage owner, Frank Svetlik, and to John Bergemann, Neillsville.  This was the forerunner of the modern-day light pickup truck.

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