Clark County Press, Neillsville,

August 4, 2004, Page 14

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

 August 1874

 

Mr. Bagley (Begley) has put the best stage rig, on the Greenwood route, now running in the county.  It is as comfortable as a carriage and has not the cumbersome appearance that most covered stages have.

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A large number of German families have recently come from Sheboygan County and settled here in Clark County.  Most of them are seeking farms and some of them desire to purchase good improved farms.  Others are buying wild land, which they intend to settle on and improve at once. We are told, by those who have reached here, that there is still a large number of Germans intending to remove from the Sheboygan area as soon as they can sell their places there.  They are an enterprising and generally a well-to-do class of citizens who are heartily welcomed here.

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Mr. Myers desires us to notify those interested that he will have no more free riding on the back of his stage coach.  Parties found doing that will hereafter be charged a good price for the same.

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Prairie chicken shooting has started.  Quite a number of men from here have left for the prairie part of our county.  They have gone by the wagon loads, prepared for a good week of hunting.

 

Dr. B. F. French, Dr. W. C. Crandall, Ed Robbins and James Hewett, who started in pursuit of happiness and prairie chickens, the first part of the week, returned yesterday after a very successful hunt.

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There was a hurrying to and fro among all the old ladies in town, early yesterday morning.  Some wretch had sent them word, simultaneously that they were wanted immediately at a well-known residence where something nicer than a cute kitten was expected in a course of time.  The man who did this mischief is still running at large, but woe unto him at the next sewing society meeting.

••••••••••

On Wednesday of this week, Mr. Ackerman, living a few miles of here and several of his neighbors formed a blackberry picking party, starting out in quest of the sable fruit.  They struck a good patch about eight miles from here and before noon had gathered a couple of bushels of the berries.  These, they left in their wagon and in the afternoon, started in search of more of the fruit.  Returning, they were surprised to find that they had had a visitor who had entertained himself while they were gone.  This visitor, no other than a bear, had entered their wagon and helped himself to everything he found good to eat, including their blackberries. He had devoured the greater part of the berries and the balance was mussed so with his paws that they were worthless.  He seemed to have had a good square meal, winding up on a large watermelon that had been left in the wagon.  It was no doubt provoking to the berry gatherers, but it could not but have been amusing if one could have seen the performance. A bear is the coolest and drollest cuss in the world, especially when helping himself to somebody else’s things.

••••••••••

R. B. French is making a decided improvement to his popular hotel, at the Black River Station, by the addition of a wide veranda in front.  Those who have felt under obligations to Robert for a home-like place to stop, will feel still more obliged for at his porch, which will be found just the place in which they can wait for trains to stop.

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The following is a description of two fast growing places in Clark County that are on the Wisconsin Central Railroad:

 

Unity contains 8 or 10 dwellings; a store, Dr. Wells’ office, the Unity House by C. Duval and Spaulding & Company’s mill that is located on the Eau Plaine River.  The railway company is engaged in clearing off 40 acres, on which to place a town plat.  The soil is good; timber is about the same quality as that of Waltham.  Farming lands are desirable.  There are many settlers in the woods around that area.  It also has an abundance of pine.

 

Five miles beyond Unity is Colby.  It contains 35 buildings, mostly in an unfinished state; four stores and on one the sign “Booth & Barry, Milwaukee Store,” was conspicuous, a large sized hotel which is nearly completed and ready for guests.  Ira S. Graves, of Fond du Lac, has a saw mill, one mile south of there. There is a small shingle factory, doing good work.  Pine, basswood, elm, birch and maple are the prevailing kinds of timber, but it is not as thrifty as the timber south of there.  It has a fair pine region.  Mr. Thomas has a clothes-pin factory three-fourths of a mile west of Colby, running on birch timber.

August 1934

 

During the past year the number of farms owned outright by the Federal Land banks and subject to redemption by the borrower, increased less than 5 per cent.  During the calendar year of 1931, the number increased approximately 50 percent and in 1932, another 50 percent was recorded.  This statement was made today by W. I. Myers, Governor of the Farm Credit Administration.

 

“Many of the farms acquired are voluntarily deeded to the banks by their owners, or are a result of foreclosure upon farms which have been abandoned by their owners.”

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Were George (Baby Face) Nelson and his gang in Neillsville Tuesday morning of last week?

 

In the light of circumstances developing within the past few days, several Neillsville residents are quite certain Nelson’s gang stopped here and ate breakfast at Eide’s Sweet Shop.

 

Nelson, within the past few days, has been seen at Wausau, Merrill and the resort section north of Chippewa Falls.

 

Four rough looking men in a large car, such as the car described and used at Wausau, pulled into Neillsville early Tuesday and parked in front of the Sweet Shop.  Following the same tactics as the men used at Wausau, two of the men remained in the car while two ate their breakfast, after which the others went in and ate while the first two watched the car.

 

Dave Taylor and William O’Brien were standing nearby when the car drew up. They said the appearance of the men immediately aroused their suspicion and both agreed “they were the toughest looking men they had seen in a long time.”  The men spent some time looking over Main Street.  Mr. O’Brien said he took the number on their license plate.

••••••••••

The new tennis court west of Schuster Park and the swimming pool at Turner’s Eddy, two fine projects intended to give clean and healthful amusement to the people of Neillsville and vicinity, are now open to the public.  Already many are taking advantage of them.

••••••••••

Gale Arden Gall, who arrived in all of his six and a quarter pounds of glory at 2:50 a.m. August 2, qualifies as the first baby born in Neillsville in August and thereby becomes eligible for a number of gifts offered by Neillsville merchants for the first baby born this month.  The young gentleman is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Gall.

 

Following is a list of the stores and the gifts they will bestow upon the new arrival and his parents:

 

Eva’s Fashion Shoppe, hosiery; The Grease Spot, auto greasing job; Howard and Blum, dollar credit on any five dollar purchase; Kearn’s Drug Store, special gift package; Neillsville Dairy, Quart of milk daily for a week; Neillsville Press, Year’s subscription to the Press; Milady Beauty Shopper, facial for the mother and a jar of cleansing cream; May and Ruchaber, a fresh spring chicken; The Sweet Shop, Dinner for the parents; R. H. Welsh Chevrolet Co., 5 gallons of gasoline; Unger’s Shoe Store, baby’s First Step shoes.

••••••••••

A Progressive picnic, at which former Governor Philip E. LaFollette will be the principal speaker, will be held at the Eau Claire County Park, Aug. 19.  The event is being sponsored by the Eau Claire County Progressive Club. The county park, which also is known as Harstad Park, is six miles northeast of Fall Creek and the same distance southwest of Augusta, just off Federal Highway 10-12.  The road leading to the park will be conspicuously marked so that it can be easily found and followed.

••••••••••

The Grace Methodist Church, of Greenwood, was the scene of a pretty wedding Tuesday afternoon at 5 p.m. when Miss Mabel Irene Shupe, daughter of the late Mrs. Julia Shupe of Loyal, became the bride of Charles I. Barr, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Barr, of Greenwood.  Rev. Glenn Shanks officiated the ceremony.

 

The bride’s gown was of white net with white satin jacket.  She carried a bouquet of sweet peas.  Mrs. John Fahey of Stanley, sister of the bride, carried a bouquet of sweet peas.  John Fahey, of Stanley served the groom as best man.

 

After the ceremony, a reception was held at the Jess Raab home in Loyal where dinner was served to 30 relatives.  The home was beautifully decorated for the occasion in pine, Nile green and white. Those from away included: Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Shupe, Spencer; Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Shaw, Marshfield; Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Barr and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Brauneis, Jr., Greenwood; Mr. and Mrs. John Fahey, Stanley and Mr. and Mrs. Hastings Baird of Granton.

 

The bride is a graduate of the Loyal High School with the class of 1929.  For the past year and a-half, she has been employed at the Hastings Baird store in Granton.  The groom is a graduate of the Greenwood High School with the class of 1925.  He is an electrician and has been employed at the Neillsville office of the Northern States Power Company for the past year.

••••••••••

The Hawthorne Hills Country Club golf course will be opened to the public, Sunday, according to an announcement by F. J. Baer, owner.  He extends an invitation to everybody interested in the game to join in the festivities.

 

“We’re going to hold open house all day Sunday,” said Mr. Baer.  “There will be no charge and we invite everybody, including out-of-town players.”

 

Some of the greens, bunkers and sand traps have been fully completed and will serve to show what the course is going to look like when finished.  Refreshments will be available at the clubhouse.

 

 

The newly built Hawthorne Hills Country Club golf course opened to the public in August 1934, by its owner Fred J. Baer.  A few years later, the golf course changed ownership and name, presently known as the Neillsville Country Club. The first location of number 1 tee-off was on the north side of the club house, now the site of the patio and shelter.

••••••••••

The Brellenthin Co., consisting of the father and two sons, who had the grading contract for widening Highway 73, south of Neillsville to Cunningham Creek, gave a farewell party Friday night.  The party was for their employees and some of the farm folks along the highway.  It was held at the Brellenthin home in the Sears house, on South Hewett Street.  There was dancing and later a fine luncheon served at midnight. The Brellenthins have made many friends here.

••••••••••

Tuesday afternoon, as the westbound freight train pulled into Chili, Fred Keuer, of Lynn, driving his Ford car, ran into the train’s engine.  The car rolled over three times and was entirely destroyed, but Mr. Keuer did not appear to be badly hurt.  He was brought to Granton on the train to be examined by a doctor.

••••••••••

The discovery Monday, of an old human skeleton by Ferdinand Wittke on his land north of the Neillsville Mounds, brought Deputy Sheriff Herman Olson and Dr. M. C. (V.) Overman, County Coroner, scurrying to the Scene.  They came to the conclusion that the bones were those of a young Indian woman who died about 25 years ago.

 

According to Mr. Wittke, he and his son, Lester who have been building a fence along an old Indian trail, became curious of a depression in the ground near the fence line.  The earth appeared to have been disturbed recently.  They obtained shovels and found the digging was comparatively easy, confirming their belief that the ground had been removed not long ago.

 

At a depth of a little more than three feet, they came across the bones, which looked as though they had been thrown in a pile and covered up again.  This gives rise to the theory that the bones had been removed from their original resting place and reburied in the secluded grave in the woods.

 

The officials, after conducting a thorough examination of the premises and gathering all the bones together, made an inquiry at several nearby homes.  At the Lester Landgraf farm, it was learned that an Indian woman had been buried in that vicinity years ago and that Linus Frank knew where her grave was situated.  Mr. Frank, whose farm in nearby, informed the officers that the Indian woman, 20 years old, who was a member of a party of Indians camped in that territory, contracted tuberculosis.  After a short illness she died.  She was buried a few feet off the trail that led down to Black River.

 

Apparently someone recently dug into the grave in the hopes of finding Indian relics and they threw the bones back and covered them up.

 

As a result of the skeleton discovery, residents of the community recalled reports of a ghostly manifestation in that area north of the mound about 10 years ago.  It was rumored at that time that a mysterious blue, nebulous light was seen to rise from the ground.  The light would then dance across the landscape, always returning and disappearing at the point from which it had appeared.  Walter Dangers declared he saw the diaphanous glow floating among the trees one night and heard what sounded like a woman laughing as the light appeared to sink into the ground.  While Mr. Danger’s story was discounted at the time, he now points to the skeleton of the Indian woman as proof that there was a basis for the ghost story.

••••••••••

Clark County will offer 900 forties of land to the Wisconsin Conservation Commission on Nov. 1 for forestry purposes. The land, on tax delinquencies, is in the wooded area in the lower western section of the county.

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