Clark County Press, Neillsville,

January 19, 2005, Page 17

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

January 1880

 

Emery W. Breed is a manufacturer, wholesale and retailer in all kinds of candies.  His factory is next door, north, of the Neillsville Bank.  A large assortment of all kinds of nuts and the best brands of cigars and tobaccos is also available at his store.

 

Emery recently purchased the candy factory from H. W. Woodward.  We recently have sampled some of the candies that he has made, since taking charge of the establishment, and pronounce it fully up to the standard of Woodward’s best.

••••••••••

By a recent decision of the Commission of Internal Revenue, all loggers and lumbermen who supply their men with tobacco are to be considered dealers in manufactured tobacco and must procure stamps, as such, immediately.

••••••••••

Last Thursday morning, Main Street was the scene of a lively run-a-way.  A horse, belonging to J. F. Canon, which was left unhitched in front of the post office, became frightened and started down the street.  As is usually the case, one after another men ran into the street swinging their hats and yelling “whoa!” at the top of their voices, only making a bad matter worse.  The horse did not stop until he had reached his old home across the creek.  No damage was done to either horse or vehicle.  The horse is not addicted to the habit of running away, but like all high-spirited horses, he will fun when he becomes frightened.

••••••••••

Complaints are of postmasters making mistakes.  Nnine times out ten, the so-called mistakes are the faults of the people.  Here is a sample of the address on an envelope mailed to the Neillsville office this week: Mr.______, Keyser P.O., Kolumbia K. O., Wesskonsen.* (*paragraph is typed as the copy was.)

••••••••••

Fred Reitz has moved his tailoring establishment into his new quarters, next door north of the O’Neill House.  Fred now has one of the neatest and best shops in this part of the state.  Tailors who best him in workmanship are scarce.

••••••••••

Records of marriages, births and deaths in Clark County for the year ending Dec. 31, 1879, are: marriages, 74; births, 77; deaths, 32.

••••••••••

Mr. Robert Christie who was at work in his logging camp on the Eau Claire River had a narrow escape last Friday morning. A heavy limb fell onto his head, making a ghastly wound of about two inches in length, also cutting the back of his neck badly. Dr. Thomas of Greenwood was called and dressed his wounds.  On Sunday, Christie was taken to his home.  We are informed that his injuries are not of a character to cause any alarm and he will probably be able to return to the logging camp in a few days.

••••••••••

The newspaper office had a surprise party, last Saturday.  It was an old fashioned surprise, too. We thought for a few moments that the entire village of Merrillan had arrived, but it was only a portion of the village. They were jolly merry-makers who had come to Neillsville for a sleigh ride and a good time generally.  They didn’t carry away the candy factory, for the proprietor is still here.  Among the party was O. T. Southworth, Reg Hackney, Mr. M. McEwen and Mr. R. Gile, editor of the Wisconsin Leader.  Of course, the gentlemen brought their wives and those who had no wives brought their sweetie which explains the candy demand.  But they didn’t take any cider as they are Good Templar’s.  After partaking of the super that had been prepared for them at the O’Neill House, they spent a happy evening there and took their departure about nine o’clock.

•••••••••••

The lumber trade of Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, for the year just closed, was over four billion feet. This means that 4,000 sections of land or 2,560,000 acres have been stripped of its timber.

 

It is reported that the principal cities of Wisconsin now range as follows: Milwaukee, 125,000; Oshkosh, 17,000; La Crosse, 16,000, Fond du Lac, $15,000; Janesville, 12,000; Madison, 12,000 and Racine, 7,500.

••••••••••

Wolfe, one of the old chiefs of the Chippewa band of Indians, is now living on the Eau Claire River, in Douglas County.  He is 118 years old, is almost totally blind and nearly helpless.  He lives with one of his children. Last week, Wolfe was visited by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.  Here was the representation of five generations in one wigwam, at one time.  He had seen his father and grandfather, making seven generations with which Wolfe has been acquainted.

 

January 1955

 

Income tax payments for Clark County employees aggregated $31,513.02 in 1954, according to figures compiled by Clark County Clerk Mike Krultz.  This amount was withheld from the salaries and wages of 248 employees of the county, to be applied to federal taxes only.  The state tax, of course, is not withheld.

 

Mr. Krultz arrived at this total Tuesday.  He showed the figures to H. R. Baird, chairman of the county board and to others assembled in his office. The figure brought exclamations of amazement.

••••••••••

The first baby born at Memorial Hospital, in 1955, was a boy, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Willard Geldernick of the Chili area.  He announced his arrival with a hearty yell at 1:22 a.m., Jan. 4.

 

Another first was Mrs. Esther Apfel, who got a jump on the New Year by being the first to pay her taxes some time ago.

 

The first couple to get a marriage license from County Clerk Mike Krultz was Kenneth H. Moore of the Town of Hoard and Eunice V. Fredericks of the Town of Mayville.

 

First to collect a fox bounty was Arthur Yankee of Granton, Rt.1.

 

First to take oath of office was Ruby Meihack, as deputy county treasurer.

 

First phone call to the county clerk was made by Rai Munger.

 

First caller at the office of the county clerk was Ralph Rosenberg.

 

First county check of the year was issued to Postmaster L. W. Kurth.

 

The first requisition was issued upon the request of the new district attorney, John Nikolay.

 

The first dance hall license went to Lyle Johnson of the village of Curtiss.

 

First resignation from county service was that of Clayton Wright, County Superintendent of Schools.

 

There are two new babies in the Willard community.  A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Walker on Dec. 28, at Memorial Hospital.  Also, Mr. and Mrs. Val Krainz are the parents of a baby boy born on Dec. 30, at Marshfield.

••••••••••

George Anderson, an old-timer of Neillsville, celebrated his 98th birthday on Jan. 17.  He is a link with the old Neillsville, driver of the stage coach, which plied to and from the old O’Neill House to the depot on the west side of Black River. That depot was in use from 1881 to 1887.  With 98 years upon him, George Anderson can still remember that he carried the mail on his coach and kept it under his feet for safety’s sake.

 

Mr. Anderson is now a resident of the Subke home for old people at 118 Hewett Street.  His birthday observance began Sunday, Jan. 16, when his son Verne of Eau Claire came to see him, accompanied by his wife, his young son and very special birthday cake, made by Mrs. Verne Anderson.  The cake was eyed with interest by the young residents of the Subke home, whose years range between 70 and 98.

 

Mr. Anderson, searching his mind for the Press, recalled that, when he drove the stagecoach, he lived on the North Side with his sister, Ella Miffatt. The stagecoach job was not all peaches and cream, for the road, now U. S. Hwy. 10, was not the paved highway of today.  Nor was the bridge the old concrete structure of the present day.  The old bridge went out at one time and the railroad passengers used a temporary ferry.  In 1887, the railroad was extended into Neillsville, the river being spanned by the present bridge.  Then, Mr. Anderson continued with the livery business.  He recalls that, in the stagecoach period, there were two such coaches, the other being driven by George Tolford.

 

Mr. Anderson’s stagecoach experience came when he was about 25 years old.  His old family home had been at Hartford and the family recollection is that his wife, with one or more small children, continued living for a time at Hartford, while Mr. Anderson came up into the wilds to establish himself.  In 1900, or thereabouts, he bought a farm in the old Dodgeville section of Clark County, one mile east and three-quarters of a mile north of the city of Loyal.  He had hardly gained possession of this place before he saw an opportunity to go into the retailing of hardware at Unity, being the senior member of the firm of Anderson & Ferguson.

 

But retailing was not for George Anderson.  In about a year, he was back on the farm, remaining there until 1913.  He then moved into the village of Loyal and worked in the lumberyard of Gilman & Graves. There, he built with his own hands the family home, located two blocks south of the Lutheran Church, later known as the Luchterhand home.

 

Mr. Anderson maintained the family home in Loyal 37 years.  His wife died in 1940, but he remained in Loyal until 1950, when accumulating years and declining powers led him to find a home in Neillsville, first with the Beecklers and then with the Subkes.  He now has difficulty hearing, is troubled by cataracts and his mind slows down at times.  He has come to rely much upon the Subkes.

 

In the old days, Mr. Anderson took and active interest in public affairs, both town and school.  He was active in the use and support of the old Dodgeville creamery.  His son, Verne remembers him as one who kept things up, who provided well for his family, who watched his own step and who expected those around him to do the same.  His sole vice appears to have been a comfortable relation with a pipe, which he held in on place so long as to wear out a welcome and to invite a lip cancer.  The cancer was removed without recurrence, giving Mr. Anderson one of his two experiences with doctors.  His son, Verne, can remember only two.

 

Mr. Anderson retained young ideas, even up to last summer.  Then 97, he was still thinking about fishing and in the fall he chided Verne because Verne had not come around to take him fishing.

 

Verne is the youngest of four children.  He was born in Loyal; is an electrician in Eau Claire; the father of two boys.  Oldest of the four is Ethel Baines, a widow residing at Pasco, Washington, mother of four.  Second child was Mabel, who became Mrs. Otto Weyhmiller.  She died in 1942 and was the mother of three children.  Third was Ray Anderson, a hotel engineer in Rockford, and father of two children.

••••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Cole, who recently moved on the farm vacated by Mr. and Mrs. Vilas Conrad, were given a housewarming by a group of neighbors and friends.  Playing cards was the evening’s entertainment.

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A panoramic view of Neillsville as it appeared to a lithographer’s artist in 1880.  Main Street, then, is now Hewett Street; Third Street is now Fifth Street and Second Street is now Sixth Street.  On the North Side, north of O’Neill Creek running parallel to the creek was Riggs Street that is now known as Ninth Street. There were other street names that changed also.  (The artistic work was done by Beck & Paul, Lithographers of Milwaukee; and published by J. J. Stoner, Madison)

 

 


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