Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

January 2, 2008, Page 16

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Presentation by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled & Contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

January 1908

 

The Ladies of the Methodist Church will be serving a New Year’s Day Dinner in the parlors of the church at 12 o’clock. The menu will be Roast Turkey, Plain Dressing, Cranberry Sauce, Roast Pork, Apple Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Giblet Gravy, Rutabagas, Rolls, Butter, Pickles, Plum Pudding, Mince and Apple Pie and Coffee.

* * *

The Black River Bridge ghost has been seen again. A letter to the editor states: In regard to the Black River Bridge ghost, I will say that about Dec. 5, I met an Indian couple near Blair, who said they were going to La Crosse and seemed very excited about seeing the woman at a bridge near Neillsville.  The Indian buck told the story of the woman blowing away and swimming in the air then went away flying; his squaw said, “Yes, yes, she see it, too, she see it, too,” and they traveled off excitedly.

Yours Respectively,

Oscar Johnson

* * *

George Mortimer and Ernest Rowe were in Neillsville Tuesday, to invest in new bob sleighs. Their old sleighs were burned by lightning last summer.

* * *

Olga Knoop, who graduated from the Neillsville High School Class of 1906, has been doing special work at the Milwaukee Downer College.  She has now been appointed matron in a new Presbyterian Academy established at Sherry, Wis.

* * *

Several cases of small pox are reported along the town line between Grant and Pine Valley.  One of the Wiedekind boys and a Noel boy are reported as being sick with it.

* * *

On New Year’s Day, there was at Shaffer’s hall in the town of Washburn, a most notable family gathering, consisting of the children, grand children and great grandchildren of James and Betsy Short, together with the members of the families of these descendants.  In all about 50 people were present. While many members of the relationship, from a distance were not able to attend, the meeting was a great success. The hall was equipped with tables, dishes, and such items, as all came with prepared eatables.  When the long tables were loaded with the good things, it was a veritable banquet.

* * *

Last week, Fred Seif exchanged the Dresden House with M. Boll for the Ross Eddy farm, formerly owned by L. B. Ring. Mr. Boll will not run the hotel himself and for the present there will be no change.  Mr. Gillard, who is running the hotel, will continue to do so.

* * *

A class of sixteen applicants took the examination for rural mail carriers, before Postmaster Dudley at the Neillsville High School room, Saturday. Several new routes are being proposed in Clark County.

* * *

Milwaukee Pumpernickel Pure Rye and half Rye Bread, compressed Yeast, various Coffee for 13, 15 and 20 cents per pound, Cookies, Candies and Bakery Lunches can be bought from C. Zschernitz Store on 6th Street.

* * *

The Village of Loyal holds a special election on January 24 to decide whether or not the village shall secure a loan of $17,000 for electric lights and water works.

* * *

This is the mildest winter your scribe has ever seen. The weather is like November, with just snow enough to look like winter.  But lots of farmers would be glad to see a little more snow come; just enough for good sleighing as there is not much one can do in the woods with a wagon.

* * *

Preparations are already being made for building summer cottages on the banks of the Hatfield Pond. Neillsville parties have secured over eight hundred feet of frontage at what was known as Green’s Landing, about a mile and a half below Dells Dam.  Among those who expect to build cottages and bungalows are Art Holvorson, G. Johnson, Hi Hart and Ed Holvorson.

* * *

Nearly every night during the past week, the skies were bright with the light from burning marshes south of here. R.B. French, Sr., who has been a resident here about fifty-five years, says this is the first time he ever saw the marshes burn over in January.

* * *

A proposition for a condensed milk factory to be erected in Neillsville has been submitted to the farmers in this vicinity. Blanks are being distributed for signatures, giving scale of prices guaranteed for milk for the coming year.

* * *

At the Civil Service Examination held at the courthouse, Saturday, are the following applicants who wrote: G.B. Galloway and G.C. Youmans for creamery, dairy and cheese factory inspector; J.W. Pond, G.B. Galloway and C.A. Kennedy for factory inspector; G. Schwartze, cruiser; N.W. Taplin, plumber and steam fitter; Percy Free, carpenter.

January 1938

Sewing projects employing 200 women WPA workers have produced a total of 196,000 garments for distribution by county welfare authorities in 14 counties of WPA District #8, according to G.E. Wiseman, district directory.

The projects are located at the county seats in Buffalo, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Barron, La Crosse, Polk, St. Croix, Chippewa, Clark, Monroe, Rusk and Taylor counties.

* * *

Harland Bergeman of Granton was hired by the directors of the Clark Electric Cooperative for the position of bookkeeper and office manager of the REA office to be opened at Greenwood. There were only 42 applicants reported seeking the position and of these less than half a dozen were said to be fully qualified by education and experience.

* * *

A white pine tree, 115 feet tall and believed to be 600 years old was cut near Gleason by the Yawkey-Alexander Lumber Co. of Schofield. It was decided to cut the tree down after it was badly damaged in a storm last year.

* * *

The Tibbett Ice and Fuel Co. began their annual ice harvest this Wednesday. They plan to store about 1,500 ton of ice. It is of exceptionally fine quality this year, clean, clear and of good depth.

Anyone wanting ice to fill private ice-houses please notify the Tibbett Ice and Fuel Co., this week.

* * *

F.D. Calway finished sanding his three two-year-old cranberry beds last Thursday, spreading 350 yards of sand half-an-inch deep on the ice, which will cover the plants. After the sand falls to the beds next spring, it will serve a three-fold purpose, covers the first runner of the cranberry plants, thus producing additional uprights, discourages weed growth and during spring and fall it raises the temperature when there is danger of light frosts, making flooding at such times unnecessary. In the case of the Calway beds, the sand also protects the soil and keeps it from cracking during the dry season.

* * *

A petition was filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission at Washington, D.C., January 12 asking for permission to abandon the short line railroad between Owen and Withee, which is about 7 miles in length. The petition was presented by the Wisconsin Central Railroad and E.A. Whitman, receiver, and the Mpls. St. Paul & Sault St. Marie Railroad Co., known as the Soo Line for short, which also recently filed a petition in voluntary bankruptcy.

The line has not been used much in recent years with the more extended use of autos and trucks.

* * *

Wolgast’s All Electric Orchestra and three ritzy floorshows will feature the first annual Tavern keeper’s ball to be held at Club 10 Thursday evening, February 3.

Prizes will be awarded to the couple dancing the Big Apple best, to the heaviest tavern keeper and one coming the farthest and other prizes. The general public is invited to the dance. No admission charge.

* * *

The following young men from Clark County were enrolled for service at the CCC camp at Perkinstown. H.L. Trewartha took quite a delegation to the camp and some went in other cars.

Earl Chaffey, Chili; Matthew Johnson, Greenwood; Emil Dusak, Neillsville; Frederick McIntyre, Neillsville; Alvin Hahn, Neillsville; Stanley Rogalski, Thorp; Kenneth Gilbertson, Owen; Wm. Eibergen, Granton; Donald Winn, Granton; Edward Berton, Granton; Mark Wagner, Stanley; and Robert Brown, Neillsville.

* * *

The Fred Schroeder shoe shop, moved this week to the rear of the lot to make room for a new one story structure, which was among the first business buildings erected in this city and originally stood on East 6th Street, where it was used as a shoe shop by Andrew Peterson and Ed Moe, the former operating the first shoe repair business in Neillsville.

P.S. Dudley, father of A.E. Dudley, purchased the building and moved it to the site where it stood until this week. Mr. Dudley remembers that the building was dragged by 8 or 10 yoke of oxen, the event being very clear in his mind, for curious lad that he was, young Arthur followed too closely in the procession and was kicked by one of the oxen.

Mr. Dudley rented the building for various purposes throughout the years, and it was also used as a residence a number of times. It was the first home of Thomas Haugen after his marriage, their oldest son, Herman, being born there.

After Mr. Dudley’s death the building was sold to Fred Schroeder, who has carried on his shoe repair business within its two small rooms for the past 35 years, and after serving as temporary quarters until the new building is completed, it will be torn down.

* * *

The CCC buildings at Hatfield are being taken down this week by WPA labor from Merrillan and Black River Falls.  The materials will be shipped to Sparta and will there be rebuilt into barracks at Camp McCoy.

* * *

Bert Dresden, last week, purchased the old Charles Gates building on West 6th and West streets from the Gates estate. Mrs. Vivian (Gates) Tardiff and her husband of Stevens Point came up Thursday to close the deal.  Mr. Dresden will remodel, paint and paper the flat, then he and Mrs. Dresden will live there.

* * *

Nine-year old Blind Jack, a fine white Collie and pal of Bob French of Levis, was found Tuesday near the Quinnell farm in Pine Valley after being lost for 12 days. Gilbert Coyle notified the French family of the dog’s whereabouts after reading Mrs. Beeckler’s plea for his return in the West Levis news. The animal dug a hole near the railroad tracks where he slept except when hungry, voices and passing cars occasionally brought him out. His sense of hearing is still keen and the moment Mr. and Mrs. George Beeckler neared the ground, he recognized the sound of the car and came to meet them. When Jack and Bob met, the scene was almost pathetic for there was joy mingled with tears when Mr. French saw that Jack had been suffering.

* * *

The large creamery of the Neillsville Milk Pool Cooperative presents a neat and business like appearance with the work of enlarging and remodeling the plant practically completed.  Bricking up the reserve boiler in the basement is about the largest job left.

Manager F.A. Viergutz showed a Press reporter through the plant Monday, and it was a pleasure to find how neat, orderly and efficiently everything had been arranged from the business office to the butter and casein manufacturing departments.

Very encouraging was the report that milk receipts were 10 percent above last year for January, where in the fall and early winter months they had been below a year ago because of the dry weather last fall.  Farmers have plenty of feed, and prices are holding fairly well.

Manager F.A. Viergutz is assisted in the office by Hubert Quicker, bookkeeper and Miss Gertrude Walk, assistant. Elmer Fox is the buttermaker, assisted by Anton Hubing, Henry Schlinsog and Albert Fox. Jake Hoesly is the tester. Lyle Cook, formerly of Cumberland, is in charge of the casein department, assisted by Harold Pischer and Roland May. The making of casein is quite an involved process and requires considerable equipment.

Besides the business office, casein and butter making departments, there is a large refrigerator room, pasteurizing equipment, laboratory, intake and washer room, and a boiler room with a 150 h.p. H.R.T. boiler with automatic coal feed and a reserve boiler. The first section of the creamery was built in 1913 and the new addition was completed in 1937.

(Casein is a by-product of milk, which can be used in making plastics, paints, etc. D.Z.)

* * *

WPA workers have begun clearing the site for a new water conservation dam in the city of Owen in Clark County.

The new structure will be located on the Popple River between the bridge on Highway 29 and the old John Owen millpond dam, which has become unsafe and must be replaced.

The dam will be built of reinforced concrete, and will have a crest of 24 feet, 9 inches in length.  It will maintain an 11-foot head of water, which will keep the 40-acre pond at the present level.

It is estimated that construction of the dam will provide employment for an average of 32 WPA workers for approximately four months. The city of Owen is sponsoring the construction and will furnish the necessary materials. The total cost is estimated at $11,000 and the WPA’s contribution will amount to $6,000 in wages to workers.

(At that time, Highway 29’s route went through the City of Owen, which is now County Road X. D.Z.).

 

During the late 1950s, on the southeast corner of the Hewett and East Fifth streets intersection were the following businesses, right to left: Hinklemanns Service Station, Louie Meinholt’s Bar, Dr. M.A. Foster’s Optometry and Northern Auto Parts, (which was in the building that housed the first Clark County Courthouse.)

 

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