February 1929

The slightly warmer weather on Monday helped the log haulers considerably.  The men and horses are able to run easier with the loaded sleighs than they did in the extremely cold weather.  The logs from upriver are coming in quicker.  The Levis and Pine Valley, those of George Beeckler and Ed Zank were making good hauling records, too.

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Last week a fine addition was made at the W. J. Marsh Company Store when a stairway was cut leading into the upper story of the building, which was formerly used as the Masonic Temple.  The stairway leads up into a large room on the second floor and this room will now be used as a display and sales room for curtains, draperies, floor coverings and such articles.

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Art Kearney, of the Merrillan area, is using Roy Comstock’s horses and sleigh these days to get around his milk route along with delivering butter and eggs to folks who want to make pancakes or waffles.  He says this mode of travel is not quite as speedy as his Chevrolet but even at that it is a whole lot more satisfactory than shoveling out as he has had to do so much of late.  Some one suggests that the horses are used to Navy terms.

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Will Tragsdorf has installed, in the lobby of Trags Theatre, a new all electric corn popping machine.  The top part is of plate glass held in place by metal strips while the bottom is finished in white duco.  The machine adds beauty to the lobby and turns out an excellent quality of popcorn.

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The former Delane Hotel building on Fifth Street, owned by Charles and Linwood Shaw, is being rewired and remodeled on the first floor to accommodate the Neillsville Auto Sales Co., who will use it as a display room.  There are good flats on the second floor, which Mr. Shaw is putting in shape to rent.

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Martin Hauge is manufacturing, at his tin shop, a fine type of self-feeder for poultry.  It is made of tin and can be of any size desired.  One recently made for M. H. Zilisch holds enough feed to last an ordinary flock of hens for several days and is so constructed that feed isn’t wasted.  Mr. Hauge also makes excellent drinking fountains to be used for watering poultry.

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Palmer Vinger recently sold his farm known as Suburban Heights, four miles north of Greenwood, to Jack Keifer of Sparta for $12,000.  In the early days it was known as the Mark Warner farm.

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R. I. Hawkins, Clear Lake, Wis., writes the Press that he has a baby boy, 16 months old, for whom he would like to find a home.  He also has a girl 4 years old, a boy 6 and a girl 7 ½.  If interested, write to Mr. Hawkins.

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Miss Ruby E. Sterns recently passed away.  She was laid to rest in the Neillsville Cemetery Tuesday afternoon, among the graves of her kindred.  Ruby was the last member of the Sterns family. 

Her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Gustavus Sterns came here in 1856 and settled at Weston Rapids, north of Neillsville, where Mr. Sterns made furniture.  Later they moved to Neillsville and built the old home still standing on North Hewett Street.  Mr. Sterns built and carried on a heading mill where what is known as the R. W. Balch house, stands.  Mr. Sterns died in 1886 and his wife continued to live in the old home and kept boarders to support and educate her younger children.  Clarence, her youngest son, who held a good position in Chicago, died in 1891; Stella, the only daughter, a beautiful and talented young lady, died in 1893.  Mrs. Sterns continued to live in the old home alone in her later years, going to Duluth to live with her son, Henry about 1917.  She died in November 1919 at the age of 86.  The son Henry, died in March 1922, and other son Oscar, also died.

Ruby, the only remaining member of the family is now gone.  She made a remarkable record as a student, winning a scholarship in the University of Minnesota and when she had completed her course she was called back to take a teaching position in the Lincoln Junior High School in Duluth.

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Edward Black, a progressive young businessman of Eau Claire and Durand, dropped into the fair city of Ladysmith the other day, driving a shiny DeSota sedan.  Sheriff E. Wilson was so enamored over the appearance of the new car that he could not resist examining it.  He then found a quantity of what purports to be first-class whiskey, 118 pint bottles to be exact, and 13 gallons of alcohol.  Realizing that the young man with so valuable a cargo and such a nice new car should not be required to seek further for accommodations, the sheriff extended to Mr. Black the hospitality of spending the night with the sheriff’s accommodations.  The sheriff even placed the young man’s new car in his garage and has offered to take care of it for some time.

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By order of the Railroad Commission of Wisconsin, the Badger State Telephone Co. will place in effect March 1^st a new rate covering the use of desk telephone equipment.  This new rate, which is 15 cents per month additional for telephones of this type, has been anticipated for many months, so will not come as a surprise to the customers who use this type of telephone.

It is interesting to note why this charge is placed in effect.  The testimony in the hearing shows that there are two substantial basis for the charge.  First, that of the increased cost of service on desk telephones is because of the higher investment and a higher rate of maintenance; and second because of the obsoleteness of wall telephone equipment caused by the change to desk telephones.

February 1959

A nosebleed and a few scratches on his face were all that Phillip Fieber, 31, of City Point received when his car plunged 80 feet down a sharp embankment toward Black River a mile south of Hatfield, early Sunday morning.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Department officers reported that the car was hung up on the rocks before it completed its fall to the river.  Its most extensive damage, they said, was a smashed front fender.  Losing control on a curve as he headed for home about 12:30 a.m., Fieber missed a clump of trees before beginning his descent.

Passers-by helped him from the car and took Fieber to the hospital in Black River Falls for examination and treatment.  He was released Sunday.

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Morris Blodgett, superintendent of the American Stores Dairy Company plant here, was elected president of the Neillsville Country Club at the annual meeting Monday evening.  He succeeds Hubert H. Quicker, who held the post for three years.

Other officers elected were: Arthur Schraufnagel, vice president, succeeding John Schiesel; and H. O. Geise re-elected secretary-treasurer.  Donald W. Johnson, assistant secretary-treasurer for the last two years, retired.

In giving the secretary’s report, Mr. Johnson said that membership in the country club, reached 298 the past season, the largest in the club’s history.  The roll numbered 253 the previous year.

His report also indicated that $2,200 towards a $3,100 debt incurred for construction of additional basement room last summer was paid during the year.  The club has $900 of this capital outlay remaining.

The membership voted to retain the $10 membership the same as has been in effect for the last three years and the $5 membership for high school students and young people under 18, whose parents are not members.

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Mrs. Adela Schumacher, who has been employed at the Granton telephone office the past 10 years, left Granton for Manitowoc, where on Monday, she started as a telephone operator at a Manitowoc hotel.  She had been making her home in an apartment in the Miss Anita Lautenach (Lautenbach) residence in Granton.   

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The Neillsville City Council, Tuesday night, accepted the bid of Fel-Gross Chevrolet of $641 for a new heavy-duty police squad car.  The bid, which included taking the present squad car on trade, was exactly $200 lower than a low bid submitted two weeks ago.

Two other bids submitted by local automobile dealers on the same class of car were within 15 cents of one-another; but these two were approximately $140 higher than the Fel-Gross bid.

Two weeks ago the council rejected all bids and issued a call for new ones when it was determined that specifications given were ambiguous.

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The Neillsville Cooperative Transport association Saturday plans to settle into a new home, its first real home since its organization four years ago.

Alvin Ziegler, manager of the trucking cooperative, announced that the organization has leased the Naedler garage building just east of the post office on East Sixth Street.

The growth of the trucking cooperative is responsible for the move, Mr. Ziegler said.  It now operates four tractor and semi units, and carries on operations throughout Wisconsin and as far as Chicago.  The new location will provide for partial servicing and storage of its units, as well as a headquarters.  Since its inception, the concern has maintained an office in the Neillsville Milk Products cooperative building.

At present the cooperative employs three regular drivers and a relief driver.  Mr. Ziegler also acts as a relief driver as necessity arises.

Two units are tankers used in hauling petroleum products to many locations in Wisconsin from St. Paul, Minn.  Last month these tankers hauled nearly one million gallons of fuel oil, Mr. Ziegler said.

In addition, the cooperative has a semi designed for hauling livestock, and an insulated van used largely for hauling cheese and butter to Chicago.

Officers of the cooperative are: David Krutsch, president; Carl Eisentraut, vice president; and Frederick Stelter, secretary and treasurer.  All are from Neillsville.

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Larry Daniels, 12-year-old son of Mrs. David Bragg of Kurth School, correctly spelled the word “appreciate” and won the district spelldown for the Grant, Levis, and Washburn area.  The spelldown was held at the Kurth School Thursday afternoon, with teachers and students from nine rural schools participating, Mrs. James West was the host teacher.

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The fourth annual ice fishing contest of the Fairchild Rod and Gun club will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday on the Fairchild mill pond.  The club advertises $1,450 in prizes for panfish, with a Chippewa boat as first prize.  Special prizes also are offered.  Proceeds will be used for public hunting grounds and game propagation, according to Louis Mato of Fairchild, publicity chairman.

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Penney’s has the New 49-Star American Flag in their store.  They offer 3 new flags, which you simply cut out and hem.  Everyone wants the new flag, now available at Penney’s, in strong washable, percale cloth and sun resistant.  Purchase the New 49-Star Flag, 24 x 36 inches along with two 49-Star flags, 12 x 18 inches, all three for only $1.00.

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Mr. and Mrs. Charles Tews observed their 54^th wedding anniversary Sunday, with members of their family dropping in for a visit in the afternoon.

They were married in Green Lake February 16, 1905; operated a farm at Rice Lake for two years; spent two years at Oshkosh and in May of 1909, moved onto the farm they have occupied for 50 years in Pine Valley, two miles north of Neillsville.

Visiting them Sunday were their sons and daughter-in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Art Tews and daughters Luann and Janice; Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Tews and three children; and their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Beyer and four children of Neillsville.  In addition they have two daughters, Mrs. John (Nina) Koss of Milwaukee, and Mrs. Wilbert (Velda) Kalsow of Neillsville.

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Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Schofield of Monticello, Ia., have purchased the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Zank, located north of the Uncle Sam School in the Town of Weston.  The Zanks will give possession on or before March 15.  Mr. Zank plans to continue his work at the Condensery.

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Mr. and Mrs. Guy Schultz of Dells Dam, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Kapfer of Cannonville, and Mr. and Mrs. Lee Kapfer of Neillsville spent Friday evening in Loyal, where they assisted Mr. and Mrs. Ed Timmler at the celebration of their 25^th wedding anniversary.  A number of neighbors were also present for an evening of card playing and lunch.  Mr. and Mrs. Timmler were married in Winona, Minn.  She was formerly Mildred Kapfer, daughter of Mrs. Nellie Kapfer.

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Looking forward to Cloverbelt all conference cage selections, Neillsville coaches and writers this week agreed on four sure things and found they were split between two other top candidates for honors.

The listed these four as “can’t miss” men when the honors are passed out in a couple of weeks by the coaches.

Pete Huus, of Stanley as forward and high scorer of the Cloverbelt conference; John Habighorst and Woody Wall, the cage twins of Owen-Withee High School; and Johnny Schwellenbach of Neillsville High, a stellar performer.

There is a definite difference of opinion, however, when it comes to choosing the fifth man.  One faction gives the nod to Dave Olson, 6-3 Stanley center, because of his drive and initiative.  The other faction likes Gilman’s Tom Keefer because of his marksmanship and his value to the team.

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Mr. and Mrs. Nyle Tompkins and family from near Greenwood are moving into the Richard Gillard home.  The Tompkins farm has been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Opelt of Woodstock, Ill.

J. C. Penney’s store was located on the Northwest corner of the Fifth and Hewett Street’s intersection starting in about 1940, after the Marsh department store went out of business.

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