Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

January 9, 2019, Page 10  

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled and Contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

January 1869

 

On Christmas night, there was a Ball held at Arch Day’s, six miles below here and one at the O’Neill House in this village. Because of the poor sleighing, Day did not have a very large company, yet we learn that those present enjoyed themselves well and feasted over a good supper.

 

(Arch Day’s stage stop and hotel, also known as the community of Day, was located southwest of Neillsville on what is now Poertner Road. The intersection of STH 95 and Poertner Road intersection was referred to as Day’s Corner.” DZ)                                                                       

•••••••••

The Black River Falls papers of last week very suddenly and simultaneously present and advocate a new scheme for the better and easier communication of Clark County with our neighbors south of us. 

 

The new project is for building a road with wooden rails from the northern part of this county, through this village to Black River Falls and La Crosse. It is said the road can be built for engines of ten and fourteen tons weight, at the rate of $1,500 per mile, and that scores of capitalists stand ready to aid in its construction. Such men as Gen. C.C. Washburn, W.W. Crosby, and other wealthy lumber men who are largely interested in Clark County, favor the project and will do all they can to aid it. Similar roads in different parts of the country have been successful.                                                                                         

•••••••••

It has been circulated by some of our exchanges that “religion in Neillsville is at a discount,” and that public buildings in the place were closed against divine worship. We beg to correct that statement. Neillsville has not yet disgraced herself by any such action.                                          

•••••••••

Rev. Mair requests us to state that he will preach in the schoolhouse at Neillsville on Sunday, the 17th at 10-1/2  o’clock A.M., and every alternate at the same hour, except when other appointments prevent, until further notice.                                                                                               

•••••••••

Dr. W.C. Crandall, our respected fellow citizen, has just returned from Rush Medical College, where he has been preparing himself for the practice of his profession.

 

The doctor has been a diligent student for three or four years and is now abundantly qualified to go ahead with his practice.

 

We deeply regret that he is about to remove to Neillsville, Clark County, but congratulate the people there upon securing so good of a citizen and physician. That he will build up a reputation that any physician might well envy, we have not a single doubt. We wish the doctor and his interesting family prosperity and happiness. Badger State Journal.                                                                

•••••••••

A few days ago, a dog in the Lloyd & Myer’s logging camp, on Popple River, was set on a deer’s track, and he bounded off on a wild and fruitless chase, as the men supposed: but a short time after, one of the men found the sagacious dog nearly “tuckered out,” trying to drag a good-sized buck into the road. It seems that the dog had not gone far when he came upon the buck and by the appearance of the ground, a desperate encounter had ensued, in which the dog had killed the deer. After slaying the antlered monarch of the forest, the dog enjoyed a good hearty meal from the “choicest parts” of the fallen deer, and then started for camp, pulling and jerking away to bring his game along with him; and when found, he was some rods from the scene of his fierce struggle, having sustained no injury except a curious “kink” in his tail, which the “boys” say, has since straightened out, leaving no ungraceful mark in the appearance of the pet of the whole camp, and his “narrative” as undefiled as the true facts in this story.

 

(I am sure the “logging camp’s pet” became the hero that day, bringing fresh meat back into camp, which he probably had to share with the “boys.” DZ)                               

•••••••••

A new paper called the Augusta Herald will soon be issued from Augusta, Eau Claire County. It will be conducted under the management of Mr. Geo. W. Brown a gentleman once connect with the Banner.

•••••••••

Snow is a very much needed, yet a scarce article in this region. Lumbermen in the woods are obliged to keep men shoveling snow upon the roads, and some of them, having long distances to haul, find it a serious impediment to their progress. We are informed by some of the most experienced that further operations in some of the camps will be stopped for this winter, and one old veteran in the business says he has already taken one crew of men out of the woods. Last winter was not considered a favorable one, but a fourth more was accomplished than will be done the present season.                       

•••••••••

An old bachelor, of three score years and ten, living near this town, after having escaped for nearly three quarters of a century, has at least been caught – by the measles.

 

January 1939

 

Cold storage lockers are becoming more popular among Wisconsin farmers. No less than 60 of these plants have been built in Wisconsin during the past three years. These provide about 8,000 lockers in which families store meat, vegetables, fruit and other food stuffs.

 

(At that time, many area farms were without freezers in their homes due to not have electricity. So, when the farmers did home butchering, they had no place to store meat during warm weather, also garden vegetables to be eaten later in the season. Locker plants became available in the local towns, or at a nearby cheese factory in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

 

Deep freezers were manufactured after World War II, and Rural Electric once again was able to work at installing electric lines that enabled farmers to have electricity for lights, appliances in their homes and farm buildings. DZ)                                                                                     

•••••••••

The death of Zona Gale Breese, Wisconsin’s foremost literary woman, last week, brought to the memory of a number of local people who remembered a visit, which Miss Gale made to Neillsville many years ago. She was a guest at the home of the late Judge and Mrs. S.M. Marsh, who invited a group of friends to meet the beloved novelist. She was born at Portage and made that city her lifelong home. Burial took place in Silver Crest Cemetery there.                                                                                

•••••••••

At least five Clark County residents were honored by appointments on committees in connection with the inaugural ceremonies in Madison Monday of Governor Julius P. Hell and other state officers. Those named, and the committees to which they were appointed, were E.W. Kidd of Owen, reception committee; Mrs. Elnora Arps of Greenwood and Mrs. G.H. Lowe of Neillsville, women’s reception committee; and Senator Walter J. Rush of Neillsville and Assemblyman Walter E. Cook of Unity, Legislative committee.

•••••••••

Fire last week destroyed the Black River Tourists Park Tavern, near Withee, owned by Emil Niemi, and damaged the general merchandise store of George Kuehl at Withee.

•••••••••

Carnival

Weston Town Hall – Wednesday Night January 11 – Admission 10’ - Dancing Free.

•••••••••

Card Party!

St. Mary’s Parish Hall

 Bridge, 500 & Sheepshead

Everyone Welcome!

•••••••••

Jersey Cream Flour 49 lbs. 99’,

H.H. Van Gorden & Sons, Neillsville, Wis.

•••••••••

Births in Clark County exceeded deaths by 347 in 1938, according to certificates filed in the Register of Deeds office up to the first of the week.

 

Five hundred and eighty-seven birth certificates were filed in the office, as compared with 240 death certificates, a survey of the records revealed.                            

•••••••••

Dad and grandpa may have worn red flannels, but it is a cinch that sonny won’t.

 

For one reason, he can’t buy them in Neillsville, or in practically any other city in the northern hemisphere, for that matter.

 

For a second reason, sonny doesn’t place much faith in the once-common belief, held by dad and grandpa, that red flannels are good for rheumatism.

 

Local men’s clothing dealers recall the days, back in the late 1890s and early 1900s, when two-piece red flannels were the most popular underwear of the time. But none have carried them in stock for the last 20 years.

 

“They were great favorites with people who were troubled with rheumatism,” commented Joe A. Zimmerman recently. “Even now we have an occasional call for them. But we haven’t been able to buy them.”

 

“Why people had the idea they had to have red flannels for their rheumatism, I haven’t been able to learn,” Arthur Berger said. “But, for some reason or other, some garment of the same quality in a different color wouldn’t have done the trick for the aching joints.”

 

However, red flannels enjoyed a high degree of popularity for several years before favoritism shifted to a yellow (or eggshell) color of underwear in the early part of this century. And it is probably a hangover from this popularity that members of the younger generation are bothered with when they trot out in cold weather, undermining the time-honored dignity of the red flannel underwear.

 

“Next to me, I like my red flannels best,” one is likely to hear on any cold morning.

 

But, in spite of the jibe, red flannels may be staging a comeback. A few underwear manufacturers have put themselves in position to make up red flannels on special order, according to word left with Mr. Berger.  

••••••••

The oldest portable sawmill in Clark County, and one of the oldest mills of its kind in the United States, was placed in well-earned retirement on January 9 by Tom Wren of Sidney, when the engine’s venerable flues gave out after 57 years of service.

 

The sawmill, a 20-horse-power affair, was brought to Clark County on December 1, 1881, by Tom’s father, Sereno Wren, and was unloaded at the Ed Hubbard farm, where the railroad station was located at the time.

 

Since its arrival here the sawmill has been operated yearly, and for many seasons was kept going full speed ahead. Mr. Wren was unable to estimate how many feet of lumber had been sawed from logs by the portable machine. However, he said the total would run into many million feet.

 

The last big job by the sawmill was the sawing of 4,000 feet of lumber for P.M. Warlum of Neillsville. That job was just recently finished. A great deal of material used in farm buildings around the country were sawed by the portable mill.

 

About 10 years ago, Tom bought the old stone cheese factory at Sidney and moved the sawmill there from the Bob French farm in the Town of Levis, where it has been maintained for about 12 years. At that time, the entire sawmill was overhauled by Mr. Wren, however then the original flues were in perfect condition.

 

“I’ll just retire the sawmill now,” commented Mr. Wren Monday, “Maybe the makers of the engine will want that.”

•••••••••

No plan has yet been made for cleaning the ruins of the J.B. Lowe and Son furniture store building in downtown Neillsville, destroyed Monday night by a $16,000 fire in which Mrs. J.B. Lowe, 77, lost her life.

 

The funeral services for Mrs. Lowe were held at 2 p.m. today from the funeral home of her son, George H. Lowe, with Rev. G.W. Longenecker in charge. Burial was made in the Neillsville City Cemetery.

 

Mrs. Lowe evidently suffocated as she attempted to make her way out of the smoke filled second story apartment in which she resided.

(The 2-story Lowe Furniture store building was on 545 and 547 Hewett Street lots. Soon after the fire, the lot was cleared of debris. Some years later, two one-story buildings were built on the site. DZ)

 

The above 1900s photo shows Neillsville’s East 6th Street intersection, with a partial view of the O’Neill House on the far left, northeast corner of the intersection.  The J.B. Lowe and Son second building southeast of the intersection, is on the left.

                             

•••••••••

A commission to paint a mural for the lobby of Neillsville’s new $60,000 post office building has been awarded to Prof. John O. VanKoert, instructor in the department of art education in the University of Wisconsin.

 

The announcement was made this week in a communication received by Postmaster Louis W. Kurth, from the acting supervisor architect of the treasury department. The treasury department is in charge of administration of federal buildings.

 

Professor VanKoert is expected in Neillsville late this week to determine the subject and to study the architectural setting for the decoration, the announcement stated. He will execute the mural in Madison and transport it for installation here. The mural is to be completed within a year and will be painted in egg temper.

 

(The mural, painted by VanKoert, was placed on the north wall of the Neillsville Post Office and can still be viewed there. DZ)                                                                         

•••••••••

Sunday Dinners – Each Sunday from this time on the Merchant’s Hotel

Will serve a special Sunday Chicken Dinner, full course.

Tavern is Now Open

Merchant’s Hotel W. 7th St., Neillsville.

•••••••••

10 lbs. of Damp Wash with Flat Ironed for 60’ - Shirts, 10’ each

The Model Laundry – Laundry & Dry Cleaning

Phone 30 - Neillsville

    

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