July 1908

Val Wingenter has rented the old Dresden House and took possession Monday.  He will change the name of the hotel to the Neillsville Hotel.                                                                                               

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Paul Thoma has rented Vet Marsh’s hotel at Granton and took possession yesterday.

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Henry Garvin and family of Fessenden, N.D., and Hannah Wright of Seattle, Wash., are visiting the Robert Gavin home, west of the city.                                                                                          

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There will be a Fourth of July celebration at W. H. Thoma’s farm Saturday afternoon and evening in the Town of Weston. A ball game will be held starting at 1 p.m. and the rest of the time will be spent at card tables and dancing.

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The portable sawing outfit, which is sawing lumber at Mr. Ehlert’s place in Columbia, is expected to stay there about another week. Mr. Ehlert is having about twenty-seven thousand feet of lumber sawed up. He intends to build a barn with it.                                                                                                                 

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Most of the North Grant Township people celebrated the Fourth at one or other of the private picnics, which were to be held in the groves, but owing to the weather were held in nearby barns.

Wm. Seelow and family spent the Fourth at the picnic in Wm. Korth’s barn.

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Don’t bake bread in this hot weather, but call up Lange’s bakery, phone 82 and order your bread, cakes and such bakery. They will deliver to any part of the city; 6 loaves of bread for 25 cents; buns, doughnuts or rolls, three dozen 25 cents.

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Mrs. Allen, who resides in the rear of the North Side Fire Station, and who supports six children, desires work of any kind, either at her own home or till work out of her home.                       

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Apprentices wanted: I want a few apprentice girls to learn the millinery trade and prefer one of them to be able to speak German. Each apprentice will be given a $5 hat at the end of the season.

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As far as we have heard, the following Town of York farmers who now have hay loaders are: Jack Parrot, Frank Krejci, Truman Davis, Jake Schafer, Walter Rowe, Chas Campbell, Ed Graves, Wm Davis, Nick Wieruszowski, Gustave Garbisch and Pete Buddinger.                                                                          

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The pickle salting station in Columbia has opened up.  Mr Ehlert brought in two bushels of cucumbers Saturday and Mr. Achenbach brought some in on Monday.  Bob Moser is in charge of the salting station.

July 1948

The Freedom train, sleek silver streamliner carrying priceless documents, which blaze America’s trail to freedom, passed through Neillsville early Sunday morning. Few people saw it. Many were aroused by its low, piercing whistle about 3 a.m.

Vern G. Stewart, who watched from his apartment window as the Freedom Train passed over the Omaha railroad tracks, described it as “a beauty.” The train was enroute from Eau Claire to Wausau, where it made a stop Sunday.

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The 60-year old O’Neill Creek Bridge at Granton went down Saturday under a tractor and trailer carrying a load of bricks estimated at about 22 ½ ton.

The old bridge, which was scheduled to be replaced this summer, apparently had been weakened by a similar load of bricks being hauled to the Granton School job the day before.

According to county officers, Philip L. Nelson of Waupaca, the drier, said the bridge started to give away under the load as the trailer was about midway across the 560-foot span.

The weight of the load and power of the tractor carried the front set, of the dual trailer wheels off the bridge. The rear set, however, hung over the edge. The big crane wrecker of the county highway department was employed to pull the trailer on across.

The old O’Neill Creek Bridge was nearing the end of its long service when it went down. Much of the material for a new bridge to replace it already had been piled on the location.

Construction of a new span over Black River on County Trunk N, in the Town of Longwood also is expected to be started sometime next week, according to Highway Commissioner Elmer F. Anderson. The span it will replace is 61 years old.

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Mr. A. E. Wilding announces that the women of the Congregational and Zion Reformed Church will meet the men of the two congregations at a softball game on Dick’s field Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

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The Gottlieb Kuester home in Greenwood was the scene of an unusual reunion Sunday, July 4. After a separation of 34 years the six Kuester brothers found it possible to be together again.  They are Fred of Loyal, Christ from Keil, Gottlieb from Greenwood, William from Milwaukee, Henry of Sheboygan and Ferdinand of Neillsville.  Of particular interest is the fact that the brothers range closely in age; Gottleib, the eldest, being 82, Christ 80, Henry 77, Fred 75, William72 and Ferd 69.  They attended church services together at the West Side Church of Greenwood Sunday morning.  Later, approximately 100 friends, relatives and neighbors of the Kuesters were present for the dinner.

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Castle Hill, on the Main Boulevard between Black River Falls and Merrillan, serving refreshments: Steaks, Chicken & Sea Foods, from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. daily. Fish Fry every Friday nite; also, dancing to the Wurlitzer with the latest dance records.

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Silver Dome Ballroom Dancing Sat. July 31, Howard Sturtz & His Orchestra; 25¢ per person!

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Lawrence Duchow & His Red Raven Orchestra at Walter’s Pavilion, Colby Park; Thursday, Aug. 6

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Farm Specials at H. H. Van Gorden & Sons in Neillsville: New potatoes, California Shafters $4.50 per cwt.  It’s not too late to plant Millet & Sudan Grass.                                                                                                       

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Tom Stork, 77, missing for eight days and seven nights from the county old folks’ home here, was found last Wednesday night almost within reaching distance of 800 people.

Old Tom was discovered under the grandstand at the Athletic Park.  There, while a crowd sitting in the stands above watched a ball game, two youngsters discovered the old gentleman.

He was on a bed of cardboard, made from display signs, which had decorated fair-time booths. For his head he had fashioned a pillow from old crepe paper, which once had gaily decorated the booths during the fair.

As youngsters will do, Forrest Larsen, son of Mrs. Geralda Larsen, and Kenny and Dick Christie, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Christie, were exploring the vastness under the grandstand, they came upon old Tom, disturbing his privacy.

Coming upon him unexpectedly in the dark, the youngsters were good and scared. They ran and told Traffic Officer Harry Frantz: “There’s a man under there.”

Tom was taken to the Neillsville Hospital, where he was give a through going-over by a local physician.  His condition was pronounced satisfactory, although he was weakened from the lack of food.

He was kept in the hospital for a couple of days to build up his strength before being taken back to the old folks’ home.

Tom either would not, or could not, tell officers where he had spent the eight days he had been missing.

“In the woods,” was one of his answers; and the offices were inclined to believe it.

They had searched the fairground and its buildings thoroughly on at least two occasions; but had found no trace of him. They expressed belief that the chill of Wednesday evening had driven him to seek shelter under the grandstand.

Yet, on Monday, Irvin Thoma went to the fairground and saw an elderly man sitting alone in the grandstand.  It apparently was Mr. Stork.  But Mr. Thoma was not aware that a state-wide search was under way for him.

About the only explanation officers could get for his disappearance, Undersheriff Frank Dobes said, was that he believed himself to be suffering a communicable disease. Thus he did not want to be around people to spread his imagined disease.

To the inquiry of how long it had been since he had eaten; old Tom responded: “Four or five days”.

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Construction is proceeding apace on the new American Legion Hall, located on South Hewett Street, next to the O’Neill Creek pond.

The building will be one-story, with basement, of tile and brick construction. The foundation of the old Legion Hall, originally built as a grain elevator is being used.

The estimate is that the building will cost approximately $7,500, exclusive of the interior finishing.

The Legion Post is planning to finance the building by issuing $25 and $50 notes, available to the public. The notes bear interest at three percent.                                                                      

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Pilz Service Station Specials: Car washing $1; services include Tires, Tubes, Accessories, Tire repairing; Open every evening ‘til midnite!

Located at the South end of Hewett Street, Neillsville                           

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Fire, which broke out just as threshing was completed Saturday, destroyed the large barn on the William Zank farm in the Town of Pine Valley with a loss estimated of upward of $8,000.

About 40 ton of this year’s hay, 300 bushels of freshly threshed oats, and a pile of straw were consumed as the fire spread rapidly after its discovery by Fred Finder, separator man with the threshing rig.

Also lost were a corn planter, hay loader, lime spreader and seeder. Three heifers were led to safety before the flames had spread through the big 36 x 80 foot barn.

Mr. Finder was taking down the separator blower when he discovered a small blaze toward the center of the barn. Within a few moments the barn was entirely encompassed.

The men rushed into the basement to save what they could. The heifers were led out, and a group of men started to pull the lime spreader out.  They were forced to drop it however, and flee for the door as flames quickly engulfed the entire structure.

The fire was discovered about 2:15 p.m. Saturday as Mr. Finder was taking down the blower of Tom Yndogliato’s threshing rig in preparation to moving on.

Sparks threatened to set fire in the woods several rods north and east of the barn; but small fires that started there were put out by men armed with buckets of water.

The crew present at the time included besides the Zanks; Everett Gehrt, Bill Buelow, Joe Kemmerer, Don Pflughoeft, Ted Kopp, Harold Milbreit, Bob Opelt, Carl and Louie Kessler, Emil Zank, Orin Eastman and Otto Wetzel.

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The brightest star in the Cloverbelt firmament this week was that of Leonard Vandehey, lanky teenager Abbotsford second baseman, who sometimes does a little pitching.

Just a sparking light in a field of stars here last Wednesday night, Vandehey had the magic touch, which pulled the Eastern League All-Stars out of a bad hole and permitted them to go on to win the annual All-Star classic, 4 to 3 in the 10th inning.

With the score knotted at three-all as the regulation nine innings ended, Vandehey was brought in from second base to throw a few, as he does on occasions for the Abbotsford team.  He fanned the first batter and walked the second. The third go on as Vandehey’s infield tried too hard for a double play on an infield hit.

Up came Bill Young of Augusta. Bill is a better-than-average hitter, with plenty of power behind his swing.  In the hole was big Jim Haas, who hits almost as well as he pitches.

It was a gamble; but it was the only chance older heads could see.  They signaled for Vandehey to pass Young.  He did, and the bases were loaded Jim Haas walked briskly to the plate.

But Vandehey had more confidence than did the 1,200 persons in the stands.  He sailed a wide hook to Haas and the batter bit; along came another wide hook and Haas missed.  Then Vandehey sent in a fast one steaming inside across the plate and Haas went down swinging mightily.

Fashingbauer was next and Vandehey put on the steam again.  Fashingbauer went down swinging. Vandehey had retired the side.

The Eastern All-Stars hitched up their belts and went to work. Buxrucker struck out, Arch tapped one and was safe on Barski’s error.  Then Harold Milbreit, one of Neillsville’s power hitters came up to bat.  The infield and outfield fell back for one of Harold’s long ones.

But Harold crossed them up.  He laid a pop bunt down toward the pitcher’s box.  It took Haas so by surprise that slow-moving Harold was nestled on the sack when the throw came finally to first.

Then, Christie, Neillsville’s manager, slapped a hot ground ball through short and third.  It was too hot for the shortstop to handle and it caromed off the side of his glove. Arch rounded third and came home with the winning run.

It was a fitting climax for eastern division fans to one of the finest exhibitions seen around these haunts in many a moon. The 1,200 fans who sat in the grandstand saw some unusually fine pitching by Eastern’s Sheets, Zupanc, Podobnik and Vandehey and by Western’s Haas and Frank Winiarczyk.  

(At that time, every town, city or community was represented by a baseball team, which belonged to a league. The fans followed and supported their local team, watching friends and neighbors who displayed their baseball talent on the field.  There were many exciting games such as the one above, just as or more exciting than watching the major league games of today. DZ)       

Neillsville Trivia

Neillsville has the distinction of having the first National Guard Unit in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin National Guard records. The Neillsville Company was mustered into service May 1, 1875.  La Crosse was second, being mustered in Aug. 1, 1875.

The Guard Unit first known as the Clark County Zouaves, was disbanded in 1878, reorganizing as Sherman Guards, May 15, 1878.  The first commanding officer was T. J. Tolford, May 1, 1875.

A 1915 scene of Granton’s Main Street, showing some of its business establishments at that time.

(Photo courtesy of the Webster family’s collection)