Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

September 11, 2013, Page 10

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

September 1868

 

A nearby hop yard is not easily beaten. There is a ten-acre hop field of Mr. Edward Tompkins, about eight miles south of here.  Men, who have had practical experience in hop yards, tell us that we did not do the hop yard justice in merely mentioning a remarkable growth of hops. The hops we set out early last spring and promise to yield this fall a crop of at least five or six hundred pounds to the acre.  This is said to be a rare instance in hop culture and proves conclusively that this is eminently a hop growing country.                                                  

•••••••••

Mr. Hans Johnson has fitted up a saloon in connection with his house.  An excellent four-pocket billiard table has been put into the room.  Mr. G. A. Ludington has been installed as clerk of the house and will also have charge of the billiard room. Mr. Ludington as hotel clerk is the right man and in the right place.

•••••••••

New settlers are continually coming into our county.  To see immigrant wagons moving along the road is no unusual sight and it is hailed with pleasure by old residents. Most of the newcomers are taking up land under the Homestead Act. Our population is increasing faster than ever before.  We have yet to see the first stranger, who is not well pleased with our country.  People south of us generally believe that we live in a pine forest and on a sandy, unproductive soil, because we sent to market a vast amount of pine timber each year. They find out their mistake when they visit us and are not sorry they have come.                                                                                                   

•••••••••

There are improvements being made in our village this season, several have started up worthy of mention.

 

Our pastor, Rev. James Mair, has by his own labor and industry, erected a snug little house on the east side of the street, just south of the residence of Wm Nevermann.

 

A new German citizen has nearly completed a small house on the same street, north of Mr. Miller’s.

 

George Trogner has put up a dwelling house north of the brickyard.

 

The new residence of Mr. Simon Widrig has received its first coat of paint and looks good. 

 

On the south side of O’Neill Creek, Robinson & Brother have put up a two-story dwelling, which will be ready for occupancy this fall.

 

Mr. John Walters has also nearly completed a two-story house, just north of Mr. Stern’s.

 

Under the head of improvements, Len Stafford has always some doings to be noted.  He has recently built a blacksmith shop a few rods north of his hotel and intends to do more building this fall.  Staffordville is sure to be a town, just north of Neillsville. “Len,” being a shrewd operator, just might take Neillsville away from us some day.

•••••••••

The County Poor Commissioners, E. H. McIntosh, Wm Welsh and Charles Sternitzky, at a meeting last Monday purchased of L. R. Stafford, the farm called the Southard place, a short distance east of Mr. Hosely’s in the Town of Weston.  The sum to be paid for it is $2,500, which is said to be a fair price considering the amount of improvements upon the farm, though we think a less expensive one would answer every purpose as well.  It is good property and the county will lost nothing by it.                                                                                          

•••••••••

Emery Bruley’s Blacksmith Shop, on the north side of O’Neill Creek, opposite the saw mill does all kinds of Blacksmithing.                                                                                             

•••••••••

There is a New Steam Sawmill in the Town of Mentor, six miles from Houghtonburg. They have on hand a large quantity of lumber of almost every description.

 

September 1953

 

Steak at the rate of nearly a pound per man was downed Tuesday evening when the Neillsville Rotary Club played host to other Rotary clubs of Clark County at their annual steak fry.

 

The event was held at Rotary Park, Moraine Tower, which is maintained by the local Rotary club.  Chefs David Perry and M. V. Overman fried 57 pounds of steak over the open fire for approximately 60 Rotarians present from Greenwood, Granton, Loyal and the Neillsville clubs.

 

Entertainment was furnished by a male quartet of the Granton club, composed of David Lavey, Dick Harlin, Reuben Garbisch and Marvin Naedler.                                                                 

•••••••••

The Fall Festival of St. Mary’s Church will be held next Sunday, September 6. Featured are a chicken dinner, a ham supper and a card party.                                                                                        

•••••••••

Dickie Urban, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Urban, Jr., received a broken arm when he fell out of an apple tree last week. Barring all falls and stumbles, Dickie should rapidly recover.          

•••••••••

Fairview School opened Monday.  Mrs. George Caliebe of Greenwood is back again to teach. The Fairview Mother’s Club and the men of the community spent many hours waxing and painting, to make a more enjoyable schoolroom for the more than 30 pupils enrolled there.  A new station wagon was purchased by Louis Hagedorn to transport all children to and from school.  (The Fairview School was located two miles south of Globe Corners. DZ)

•••••••••

On your way to Eau Claire, don’t forget to stop at Twin Hi-Way Bar, where Highways 10 & 12 meets.  “Mouse” and Ruth Hollern, proprietors                                                                            

•••••••••

On Sunday, September 6, Zion Church of Neillsville celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, which coincides with the centennial of Clark County.  This church has been in existence, then, for half of the legal life of the county. 

 

Zion Church had its beginning in “The Prince of Peace Church,” located in southwest Pine Valley. The organization date was September 6, 1903. There were then nine families, about 20 members. The first members were Mr. and Mrs. Fred Pflughoeft, Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Stelloh, Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelm Martens, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Gehrt, Mr. and Mrs. Friedrich Eggiman, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Eggiman, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Reichling, Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelm Zank, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stache, Mr and Mrs. Heinrich Gehrt and Fred Stelloh.

 

The only marriage in the church was Fred Stelloh to Anna Martens in 1906.  The first minister was the Rev. H. W. Schroer, who preached, played the organ, led the singing, packed his grip and caught the train at Sidney.

 

In 1907 the congregation moved to Neillsville, renting the Unitarian Church for $50 per year.  In 1912 the congregation moved to the Episcopal Church building and continued there until late 1913.

 

The Unitarian Church was weak. Some of its members went over to the Christian Science Church and planned to purchase the old Unitarian building for Christian Science use. But the Zion people had an option on the building at $2,000 and exercised it.  While the option was in existence the property had been improved and the Zion committee, headed by Fred Stelloh, consented to pay $2,500.

 

Since the Unitarian organization was no longer active, the $2,500 was given to the city for the library fund.  Leading Unitarians were L. B. Ring, the editor, Homer Root and Ludwig Schuster. C. C. Sniteman was interested in the church and gave some of the colored windows.  This former Unitarian building is the present home of the Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church.

 

At the anniversary services Sunday addresses were made by the two former pastors, the Rev. Wilson Bixler, now of Sauk City and the Rev. Edwin H. Vornholt, whose pastorate began in 1928.

 

Tribute was paid to the charter members still living, Fred Stelloh, Mrs. William Martens and Mr. and Mrs. William Zank.

 

(The Prince of Peace Church was located on the southwest corner of Sand Road and Sidney Avenue, in Sec. 32 of the Town of Pine Valley. The 1915 Pine Valley plat map shows it in the northeast corner of Section 32.

 

The church building on the southeast corner of Clay and West 5th Street, still stands, having served as a worship center through the years, for the Unitarian, Zion Evangelical and Reformed, Assembly of God and presently the Seventh Day Adventist congregations. DZ)                                                                      

•••••••••

Of 290 teachers in the schools opening reporting to Clayton Wright, Clark County Superintendent of Schools, 101 are in new positions. This turnover of nearly 40 percent speaks for the unsettled situation in the county, with its pressures of shortages and wages.

 

The changes are of larger proportion in the rural and state graded schools than in the village and city schools, being 55 changed out of a total of 126.  In the village and city schools there are 46 changes out of a total of 164. This variation is modified somewhat by the fact that in the rural schools there has been considerable switching around, a teacher in one school changing to another, often for reasons of convenience.                        

•••••••••

Bill and Bob, the oxen who were a feature of Clark County’s centennial celebration last July, will lead the parade at the National plowing contest near Augusta Saturday. The parade is scheduled to start at 11:00 in the forenoon.

 

With the two white-face oxen will be their owners, Delbert (Bud) Struble and Heron (Pink) Van Gorden and their trainer, Chapman (Chap) Paulson, all of Neillsville.

 

With this event being a national one, with plenty of interest in it all over the nation, there is a possibility that news cameras and newsreel cameras will spread the fame pretty much over the country. 

 

Provisions have been made to park 3,500 cars.                              

•••••••••

Fire swept the east side of Humbird’s main street Tuesday night, destroying four buildings. The loss is estimated at $25,000 to $40,000. The buildings destroyed are the Figura garage, the hall of the American Legion, the building used by Henry Bouillon as a barbershop and owned by him, and the building formerly occupied by the Buss Hardware and owned by Francis Johnson.

 

The fire started in the Figura garage a little before midnight.  Steve Figura, preparing to close for the night filled the gas tank of his own car at the pumps outside and then drove his car into the garage. There the engine backfired and the spark was caught by gasoline at the rear of the car. The gas tank exploded and almost instantly the entire inside of the building was aflame.

 

Mr. Figura was alone at that late hour; no person was immediately at hand up and down the street. With hair singed, Mr. Figura saved what he could of the property inside his garage, but the fire spread so rapidly that he was obliged soon to cease his efforts. 

 

The flames spread northward to the hall of the American Legion, a one-story frame building, which was a total loss.  The flames also spread southward to the Henry Bouillon barbershop.  He was able, with help, to remove some of his equipment.

 

Last was the building owned by Francis Johnson and formerly occupied by the Buss Hardware.  There is little hope of salvage in this building.                                                                      

•••••••••

Duck, Goose & Turkey Shoot at Jerry’s Resort, southeast of Greenwood or southwest of Loyal, Sunday, Sept. 20; Fun begins at 10 a.m. Cards and other games, music all day and evening by “The Accordion Duo.”

 

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Barb-B-Q’s and Cheese Sandwiches served all day.  Boat rides, fishing and many other sorts of entertainment.                                                                                       

•••••••••

Staff Sergeant Edwin Sischo was fighting a shark last Friday, with the Atlantic all around him, but he will be with his home folks in a few days, upon the solid soil of the Town of Hewett.  He gave the word of his prospective return to the William Sollbergers, and asked them to relay it to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Sischo.

 

Edwin was one of the nine survivors of a B-29 plane, which crashed into the Atlantic last Friday.  He and a companion spent 18 hours on a one-man rubber life raft. They fought off, with a miniature oar, a hungry shark, which kept circling their raft. They were finally picked up by a rescue plane.  Edward (Edwin) gave the word that he is in good condition, needing no medical attention.                                                                 

•••••••••

Ground for the new Memorial Hospital, a $536,000 project to which people all over the southern part of Clark County have contributed and in which they are interested, was broken last week.

 

In formal ceremonies, Herman North, president of the Memorial Hospital Association and Herbert M. Smith, vice president, turned the formal shovelful of dirt on the new hospital site in Sunset Hills, on Neillsville’s west side.

•••••••••

Russell’s 20th Anniversary Sale with 20% off on all furniture.  Special Buy! Occasional Chairs, $11.95; Rockers to match $12.95; Gas Range, 4-burner, Divided top, Reg. $149.50, on sale for $98.50; Free King Koil Mattress with purchase of Bedroom Suite, $169.50                                                                              

•••••••••

The South Lynn Cheese Factory was owned and operated by Walter & Lucille Schmidt in the early 1950s. The factory was located south of Hwy 10, on County Road W.

 

It is interesting to note the prices paid for milk at that time, farmers who on the average, milked from eight to 20 cows.  An example: from June 16-30, Arnold Nitschke sold 3,612 lbs of milk, with 3.9 tests 140.8 butterfat for $11.23, less 3 lbs butter for $1.92 with a net check of $109.31.  The cans of milk were picked up daily by a truck driver, who hauled a box of 1-lb. packages of butter, plus a case of 1 and 2-lb. blocks of cheese, which milk customers could buy, with the purchase price being deducted on their account.  

 

(Information courtesy of Robert Schmidt’s family collections)

                                                       

•••••••••

Attention Kiddies!  The Penguin will give, Free Yo-Yo’s while they last.  A Yo-Yo given with every quart of Penguin Ice Cream purchased.

 

(Does anyone have a photo of “The Penguin” stand that was located at the intersection of Division and Hewett Street?  Readers have requested seeing a photo of the Penguin stand on the “Good Old Days Page,” as they remember it during the 1950s thru early 1970s.  We would like to copy any existing photo that may be available. DZ)

 

  

 

Russell’s Furniture & Hardware Store located at 432 Hewett Street, with this photo being taken in the early 1950’s

 

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