Clark County Press, Neillsville,

January 4, 2006, Page 20

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled and Contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

January 1906

 

Superintendent Kienholz is arranging to have appropriate ceremonies in the nature of dedicating the new Neillsville High School building.  The date has been set for the evening of Jan. 27th and a suitable program is being prepared for the occasion.

 

Prof. C. E. Pearse, superintendent of the Milwaukee city schools, has been invited and will be here to make an address.  Others have also been invited to come, among them, Dr. Van Hise of the State University and Dr. Harian of Lake Forest.

••••••••••

Neillsville’s first Presbyterian Church services were held in a small log house near O’Neill Creek about the year 1850.  In 1872, Rev. W. T. Hendren began his labors as pastor and meetings were held in the old courthouse, now the express office, until the present fine building was dedicated.  It was through his untiring efforts and financial aid that it was built.  Of the eleven charter members, Mrs. Robert Campbell is the only one who remains living.

 

For many years, Rev. W. T. Hendren was the personality that molded the history of the church, until his retirement.  The duties as pastor of the Pleasant Ridge, Shortville and Dells Dam churches, as well as the Neillsville Presbyterian charge, proved too arduous for a man of his years.  He retired and later removed to Greenwood, where he now resides.

 

Following Rev. Hendren came; Rev. Lish, Rev. James Russel, Rev. T. C. Hill, Rev. Cresswell, Rev. Toms, Rev. Korr and Rev. Griffis, all of whom remained, but a short time for each.

 

Rev. D. H. Rohrabaugh, the present pastor, is an energetic and interesting worker in the interests of the church and Neillsville.  The following are the officers of the church; Elders Rob’t. McCalvy, Warren Bullard and Henry Fulier; Secy. Oscar Fricke, and Treas. W. Bullard and R. McCaley.

••••••••••

Did you ever stop to think that an ordinary deck of playing cards is a perfect calendar?

 

There are fifty-two cards, representing the number of weeks in the year, 365 spots corresponding to the 365 days in the year, twelve face cards, representing the twelve months, four suits with clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds, representing the four seasons, 13 cards in each suit, representing the 13 moons in each year, and the joker makes up the extra day in the year.

••••••••••

Saturday evening, John VandeBerg, who lives in the Town of York, found it necessary to do a little carpenter work in his barn.  As he was driving a nail with an axe, the axe struck the top of the stable and glanced off, striking John on the side of the head, causing a bad wound.  Better take a hammer next time you do carpentry work, John.

••••••••••

Snowdrifts are a-plenty in the Pleasant Ridge community.

••••••••••

Joe Cox, Jr., of Neillsville, went out after a load of wood, Wednesday, going to Hewettville.  He spent the night with Mr. Polye, as the snowstorm was so bad, returning home on Thursday.

••••••••••

Neillsville and Clark County people are proud of the fact that the Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin hails from here.  He is Hon. Lafayette M. Sturdevant, who was elected, taking his office Jan. 5, 1903.  He is a brilliant lawyer and has made a splendid record in his office.

 

Mr. Sturdevant was born in 1857, in Erie County, Penn.  He came west with his father when but a mere lad and they settled in Pine Valley in 1863.  He studied law under Judge John R. Sturdevant, of Neillsville, and was admitted to the bar in 1879.  He was District Attorney for Clark County for two terms and made a good reputation.

••••••••••

Neillsville’s splendid electric lights are furnished by a corporation of public spirited citizens of which Chas. C. Sniteman is president and Richard F. Kountz, secretary.

 

The company was formed and began operation in the year 1885.

 

Neillsville had arc lights installed on her streets a year previous to Milwaukee.  Public buildings, business places and residences are supplied with lights of modern design.  Enclosed arc lights are used on the streets.  Neillsville is justly proud to name electric lights as one of her many and varied advantages.

 

Neillsville’s water supply is being furnished by a plant belonging to the municipality.  It is pumped from a large well, which is filtered from Black River.  A large water tower stands on an eminent location along Fourth Street, and the water mains radiate to all portions of the city.  The water works occupies a fine brick building situated in what is called Water Works Park, an attractive spot on the North Side.

 

January 1955

 

Don Turner, of Neillsville, ran half-a-mile for help on New Year’s night after he had been hurled from a car that had crashed against a tree.  With a wound over his right eye, and with a crushed left shoulder, he made it to the Airport Tavern, in Jackson County and got help for his two companions, Bud Hantke and Frank Wasserburger.

 

Help was given by Dick Kapfer and Marvin Pischer, who Don found at the tavern.

 

The three boys, Don, Bud and Frank, had probably the roughest experience of any local persons in the New Year period.   They were traveling from the Black River Falls area toward Hatfield.  Their car, owned and driven by Wasserburger, left the roadway, and pitched and rolled 112 feet.  In its course, it hit a sizable tree, later estimated at eight inches in diameter, which splintered it from its stump.

 

Turner and Wasserburger were thrown from the car; Hantke remained in it.  Of the three, only Turner retained his consciousness throughout.  Don could not move the other boys due to his crushed shoulder.

 

By the time the rescue party reached the wreck, the two boys had regained consciousness, but they were suffering from injuries.  They were taken to the Krohn Clinic at Black River Falls, where 20 stitches were taken in a wound on the right leg of Bud Hantke, and Frank Wasserburger was found to have sustained three broken ribs.  Don’s head wound was patched together with 27 stitches, and the three boys were considered to be in such condition as to warrant their return, that night, to their homes in Neillsville.

 

One part of the expedition, however, was not in shape to travel, and that was the car.  It was a 1954 Buick Century model, which Frank Wasserburger had owned about two weeks.  The definite prospect is that it has gone its last mile.

••••••••••

Don Bersell has received word that the new fire truck, purchased by the Town of Fremont, will be delivered some time Friday of this week.  This will make two trucks available for service anywhere in the town; the old one, which still had limited usefulness, and the new one, which is of the powerful, modern type.

••••••••••

Rev. John Pfohl, of Leland, has accepted the call of the Loyal Trinity Lutheran Church, and tentative plans have been made for his installation on March 6.

••••••••••

George Anderson, old-timer of Neillsville, celebrated his 98th birthday on Monday, January 17.  He is a link with the old Neillsville, drive of the stage coach, which drive to and from the old O’Neill House to the depot on the west side of the 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.

••••••••••

Miss Betty Jane Skoog, Milwaukee, became the bride of Vern L. Skumautz January 15, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Loyal.  Officiating at the double ring ceremony was the Rev. E. Milleville of Nasonville.  The bridegroom’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Vern J. Skumautz of Milwaukee.

 

The bride, who was given in marriage by her father, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Skoog, Rt. 1, Greenwood.

 

Mrs. Melvin Luchterhand was matron of honor for her sister.  The bridesmaid was Christine Erlandson of Milwaukee.

 

The best man was Melvin Luchterhand, brother-in-law of the bride.  Nikolas Petri, Milwaukee, a friend, served as groomsman.  Carl Baumann, Merrill, a cousin of the bride, ushered.  Miss Bette Nysted was organist and Mrs. Romaine Rossow sang.

 

Fifty guests attended the reception at the Melvin Luchterhand home, which was decorated with white wedding bells and streamers of white, aqua, and shrimp.  A four o’clock dinner was served at the church.

 

The bride graduated from the Greenwood High School and is employed by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Milwaukee.  The groom is a graduate of the General Motors Acceptance Corp., Milwaukee.

••••••••••

Marriage licenses issued in Clark County:

 

William R. Grogan, St. Paul, Minn., Isabel Mary Driscoll, Town of Green Grove, to be married at Owen January 29;

 

Michael Geiger, Town of Mayville, and Elizabeth Paulus, Dorchester, to be married January 29 at Dorchester;

 

Jayson R. Brentlinger, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and Mary Nysted, Phoenix, Ariz., married January 22, at Loyal.

••••••••••

The 12th birthday of Corrine Denk was celebrated Sunday at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Denk.  Those present were Donna Herrick, Bonnie Buker, Kathleen McConnell, Kathleen Koschak, Rita Klinke, Kathleen Mass, Coleen Syth, Mary Jo Mast, Nancy Gregorich, Roselyn Ampe, Alice Lindner, Caroline, Rose Mary, Janice and Alice Denk.

••••••••••

Community Center:

 

Fish Fry at the American Legion Memorial Hall, Friday evening, Jan. 21, serving 5 p.m. to Midnight, at 50c per plate.

 

Food Sale on Saturday, Jan. 22, at Russell’s, starting at 10 a.m. Sponsored by the Globe Mothers’ Club.

 

All-Spice Homemakers Club will meet Monday, Jan. 24 at 7:45 p.m. at the home of Mrs. Glenn Lezotte.

 

Benefit Basketball Game, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m., at the new Neillsville High School Gym.  It will be a Cloverbelt League game, Neillsville vs. Stanley.  Proceeds from the game will go to the March of Dimes.

••••••••••

Jacob’s Milk, rich in golden Guernsey goodness!  Delivered daily to your door!  Phone X6921 for service.

••••••••••

Accordion lessons for beginning students, 7 lessons plus use of 12-bass accordion, $10 with free music.  Private lessons for advanced students.  Call or write Bingen Music Studio, c/o Becker’s Café, Neillsville or Marshfield.  Local studio is open every Thursday.  (Transcriber was one of the students and still has the music folder.) 

••••••••••

Important changes in the Fair Program have been made for the season of 1955.  The arrangement has been perfected for the fair to start Friday and to end Monday evening.  The dates are Friday, August 12, to Monday, August 15.  This arrangement was sought by the representatives of the Clark County Fair at the annual convention of the Wisconsin Association of Fairs held at Milwaukee last week.  It was found that these could be made to fit the general program of the circuit.

 

The advantage of the plan is to keep the fair intact over the weekend.  It will give the fair two big days, with everything complete. This will better the financial prospect.  The fair hit rough going in 1954 and practically exhausted its treasury.  It needs all the breaks it can get in 1955.

••••••••••

The following Clark County men, all volunteers, were forwarded to the Minneapolis Examining and Induction Station on January 7, and were inducted into the army:

 

Arlyn H. Decker, Curtiss; Harry G. Untiedt, Curtiss; Darrell O. Horn, Greenwood; Edward C. Henchen, Neillsville; Marvin E. Smith, Neillsville; Gordon B. Thoma, Neillsville; Richard W. Vanderhyden, Thorp.

 

The quota for Clark County for the month of February calls for four men for induction and six men for pre-induction physical examination, to be forwarded by a chartered bus on the Greyhound Lines on February 3.  This chartered movement will include men from Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo and Pierce counties, as well as Clark County.

••••••••••

Cub Scouts of Den No. 2, of Greenwood, with their den mother, Mrs. Harlan Brux took a trip to Loyal in the new Soo Line engine.  The Scouts theme for January is “Railroading.”  The boys got a thrill out of the trip and the demonstration by members of the railroad crew, who explained about the engine, and other train information.  Scouts who took the trip were Jon Haunschild, Donald Calhoun, Dale Brux, Ronald Carteron, Ronald Smith and Herman Rust.  Gary Brux met the group at Loyal for the return trip by car.

••••••••••

This is your last chance to win a free 10-day trip to Florida, for two people, to fly by Eastern Air Lines!  The trip is all at the expense of the Red Owl Agency.  Sign up today by filling out an entry blank in the store.

 

Red Owl specials, this week: Farmdale, No. 1 Quality, sliced Bacon lb. 49c; Veal Rolls, lb. 35c; Longhorn Cheese, Mild American, lb. 39c; Florida Tangerines, Zipper-skins, easy to peel, sweet, 2 doz. 29c; U. S. No. 1 Delicious Apples, half bu. $1.98; Land O’Lakes Ice Cream, ½ gal. 69c.

••••••••••

Storewide Savings & Big Values are at McCain’s:

 

All coats are 1/3 off, Clearance on All-Wools: $19.87, $28.24 and $36.67.

 

Hats reduced; values to $5.95, now $1 and $1.98.

••••••••••

For all Skaters, go to the Inwood in Hatfield.  Have loads of fun with the Novelty “Guesserino,” which starts at 9:45 and goes to 10 p.m.

 

Wisconsin Trivia

Q. How many dams are on the Wisconsin River?

A. There are 47 (21 reservoirs and 26 hydro-electric.)

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The O’Neill Creek Bridge of the early 1900s, with its decorative over-head ironwork, was unique in structure.  Note the electric light fixture suspended above the center of the bridge and the warning sign posted at the entrance, “No tractors Allowed on This Bridge.”  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ family collection)

 

 

 


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