Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

January 10, 1996, Page 24

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Good Old Days 

“Oldies”

 

By Dee Zimmerman

 

January 1881

 

Rev. W. T. Hendren will preach a temperance sermon at the Neillsville Presbyterian Church next Sunday Evening.

 

Watches, clocks, Jewelry, Spectacles and Violin Strings, at T. Johnson’s in Hewett’s brick store (Corner of 5th and Hewett Streets).

 

H. J. Youmans has purchased C. M. Ponds stock of groceries and will continue the business in connection with his drug store.

 

The time for constructing the Black River Railroad has been extended thirty days, dating from the 31st day of December 1880.  We are informed the conditions of the bonds of the towns of Hewett, Grant and Weston will be complied with if the road is completed by the 25th or 26th inst.  The track is now laid as for (far) as Wedges Creek.

 

“John Longstreet’s” New Year dance advertised to take place at Firemen’s Hall, Humbird; New Year’s Eve did not “pan out” to his utter satisfaction.  We are informed that three tickets only were sold and that no one but “John” was on hand to “tip the light fantastic.”

 

Spencer News:

 

Spencer has been alive for the past three or four weeks.  There are more logs being drawn in and more teams engaged in the work than ever before in the same length of time.  Our stores have been a scene of activity of late, and the force of clerks employed has been unable to supply the wants of the throng in any reasonable time.

 

Spencer will soon have a newspaper and the initial number will make its appearance in two or three weeks.  A gentleman named Stevens will occupy the editorial chair.

 

Our school will commence next Monday.  The primary department will occupy the M. E. Church and the other department Gardner’s hall.  This arrangement has been made until our school house is built.

 

Greenwood News:

 

Gentle reader, the last eve ever to you of 1880 has come – the last embers of the dying year is fast going out, and what errors and faults any of us have committed during the past year, let us blot from memory and with the bright rising sun of the New Year make new resolves and keep them to improve and profit during the year.

 

The cold of the past week has been simply immense, ranging 30 degrees below zero.  It is a harvest for the loggers, and what benefits them benefits all Clark County.  Reporter, Von Goth

 

North Fork News:

 

In and around North Fork I go, in search of items for the newspaper, of Neillsville, but how scarce they are today, and why, I cannot tell, for with such inducements as we have to offer, we really ought to have a city started here in a jiffy.

 

Garrison Brothers are fixing up their store here in a manner that does great credit to our village.

 

Shake! Shake! Shake! North Fork now has two saloons.  You can get a whisky sling or a whisky straight at any time you please.

 

Trains on the new railroad run at a pretty good gait, and we now no longer have to “hoof it,” but can perform Gen. Grant at any time, by purchasing a ticket and a Havana (cigar), crossing our legs and sit back in comfort.

 

(North Fork is believed to have been later named Eidsvold as it was located along the North Fork of the Eau Claire River and the Wis. Central Railroad went through it.  Eidsvold Community is about three miles west of Thorp.)

 

January 1911:

 

Saturday night when the “babe” of the New Year arrived in Neillsville, he jumped back at the welcome that “Us Cholmans” gave him at Cholly Wasserburger’s hall.  The Kreuger Verein held its annual ball then and when the New Year was ushered in it was met with a welcome and round of good wishes that must have done its heart good way down into the toes.  There wasn’t any high falutin’ music to guide the dancers through the mazes of waltz and quadrille, but they say Bill Thoma laid his head down on his fiddle and forgot assessment rolls, equalization boards and taxes in general made a fellow think that he never had a care in the world.  In this instance Bill Garfield played second fiddle for once and the cat that once owned the interior embellishments that now decorated Bill’s violin would have purred in utter contentment could he or she hear the sounds that Bill brought forth.  Henry Newman, kitty – kit- kittyed in with his clarinet.  Then, to top it all off, Carl Walk stood his bull fiddle up in front of him and struck his bow at it to bring forth the cadence that is absolutely necessary to keep the feet moving oh-be-joyful.  This was a thoroughly German event, and low, high and intermediate was sprechined until the air was thick with it.  The waltzes and two-steps were of the good old German kind.  They say that Fred Seif invented the German waltz, but he has sold gasoline engines and plows for so long that now when he dances he can’t cut a straight furrow and his breath comes as though he had poor compression.  But the Kreuger Verein sure had a good time, and Charley Wasserburger had a smile on his face like a ‘won’t wear off kind.’

 

(Wasserburger’s dance hall was on the second floor of the Wasserburger building on West 7th Street north side of the block between West Street and Grand Avenue.  The main floor had a general merchandise and grocery business and the portion on the east end was a tavern.)

 

Rex Hoesly, Neillsville high school graduate who was a star basketball player here has made a big hit as a varsity half-back on the Seattle, Washington University team where he is a freshman in the forestry department.

 

Miss Marian O’Neill, an accomplished musician, gave a piano recital in her home, accompanied by Forrest D. Calway.

 

January 1921:

 

Captain Jos. Haugen is now commanding the local company of National Guard.

 

New County offices – Ed Kutchera took the oath of office as Clark County Sheriff and Walter Schultz was sworn in as Under-Sheriff.  Otto Weymiller assumed the office of County Highway Commissioner.

 

The wedding of Miss Theresa Metz and Jos. F. Zilk took place January 12, at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ig. Metz, at Stetsonville.  After a brief wedding trip they will make their home in Neillsville.  Prior to going to war Zilk was agent for Rawleigh medicines.  Returning home, he became agent for the Standard Oil Co. in our city.

 

There will be a dance at Christie Hall every Friday night this winter. 

 

James Paulus is not manufacturing pure apple cider at his soft drink factory and it is a very fine article.  If you like apple cider, try the Neillsville brand and patronize home industry.  The Paulus plant is located on West 5th Street.

 

••••••••

The first duty of friendship is to leave your friend his illusions. – Arthur Schnitzler

••••••••

 

Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but hey may start a winning game. – Goethe

 

Moose Hall was located on the north east Corner of East 5th Street and Grand Avenue.  The second floor provided meeting area for the Moose Lodge and other social functions as well as a large, hardwood dance floor used for many dances through its existence.  (Photo courtesy of Clark County Historical Society Jail Museum)

 

Peter Paulson’s Garage was in the basement, or first floor, of the Moose Hall building.  The building was occupied until after World War II when it was razed to make way for a service station.  After Paulson’s Garage, it was the Bill Whaley Nash garage, and then an implement company run by Otto Hainz just before the building was torn down.

 

 

 


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