Good Old Days  

By Dee Zimmerman

January 1946

The Clark County Press front page headlines stated: 500 million pounds of milk in 1945 - $28 million of cash and liquid resources in Clark County.  This was the top production of the county for all time.  It was 10 percent or more above the high mark attained in 1944, which was also a record.  It is believed this increase in production may give Clark County a rating of fourth or fifth in the United States.

The number of cattle assessed in the county was 102,775 of which more than 80,000 were milk cows.  The cooperative livestock shipping associations of the county shipped out more than a million dollars worth of stock in 1945.

Clark County is accustomed to processing practically all of the milk produced here.  It has about 100 dairy plants, some of them large and more of them moderate size, in which dairy products are made.  Clark County stood second in production of American cheese in Wisconsin in 1944.  Its production was sufficient to fill 1,225 railroad freight cars, each containing 20,000 pounds.

In the early years of dairying here, milk went largely into butter with later, the development of cheese, historically cheese had been made into large cheddars, which must be processed and cut for marketing.  There has been some production of butter and evaporated milk in the county, with the strong trend toward cheese.

The present peak of production was due to the war effort.  When the war ended there (were) cut-backs and cancellations, the first act of which was thought to disrupt a portion of the trade.  What has actually happened is quite different.  The demand for fluid milk and cheese still seems to be strong.

June 1946

A large garage will be constructed in Neillsville by the U. S. war department for the storage and repair of mobile army equipment.  This garage will be located near the city pumping station.  The construction in that location will determine the site, also, of an armory, if and when a new armory is authorized for Neillsville.  Eighty-three military vehicles are assigned to the Service Company for maintenance and use, all to be cared for in Neillsville.

Marriages – Wm. Thiede and Norma Thompson; Arnold Carl and Florence Zimmerman; Gilbert Tanner and Rowene Happe; Rudy Horn and Elvira Lindow; Alvin Mott and Irene Garbisch; Lee Janke and Phyllis Lightfoot

Rural teachers of Clark County attain top wage of all time – average $166.15 per month, but 46 positions are unfilled as of June 8 for the fall term.

Plan now to attend the year’s biggest dance Thursday, June 20; Music by the Nation’s Polka King, Romy Gosz, in person at the Silver Dome Ballroom, west of Neillsville.  Admission 83¢ plus 17¢ tax

Wedding dance: Sat., June 15, for Mary Stasak (Staszak) and Leo Bloczynski at the Inwood Ballroom, Hatfield.  Herb Keller and his orchestra will provide music.  Merry Ol’ Gardens will have a wedding dance in honor of Howard Gilbertson and Loretta Peterson on June 15, the Swingsters Band.  Also, a wedding dance: June 19 for Michael Klapatauskas and Lorraine Kitzhaber with music by Emil and his Band.

Gordon Vine brought home a 30 pound, 45 inch Muskie on Monday afternoon.  He caught it in the Eau Claire River on a red and white dare devil bait.  The struggle to land the fish, took half an hour and with four men in the boat – all were worn out from the ordeal.  Fishing with Gordon was his father, Ernest Vine, George Hubing and Frank Vine.

Waste area of 10 years ago, now developing into popular resort the Rock Dam area, near Willard.  Thirty four cottages are erected or in prospect on area owned by Clark County.  The entire lakeside area has been carefully plotted into lots.

It’s bean planting time!

1946 Prices – Refugee Green Beans 1-2-3 Sieve Sizes combined – 6¢ per lb. 4 Sieve – 4 1/2¢ per lb. 5 Sieve – 3¢ per lb.

Grow beans for canning and help our country supply the starving nations.  For information and contracts see – Joe Parish, Neillsville; Phone Red 153, Loyal Canning Co.

See H. H. Van Gorden & Sons, Neillsville for your choice stock of Seed & Eating Potatoes, Phone 88.

Andy’s Super Market has now become the West Side Mkt, under the ownership of Bernard Pietenpol who has purchased the store, stock and good will from Victor J. Anderson.  The store is located at 205 West Fifth Street, Neillsville.

McCain’s, Neillsville has a sale on women’s beautiful summer hats – Lace Half – hats, only $1.98 and the popular Braid-hats are $3.98 each.

Unger’s Shore (Shoe) Store has the Spectacular Women’s Bandid Sandals, only $2.95 per pair.

For the well dressed men; Zimmerman Brothers Store features the cool Porte’s Straw hats, - from $1.50 to $3.50 each.

It’s June – Wedding time!  Hundreds of matrons in the Neillsville area wear wedding bands from Moldenhauer Jeweler in Neillsville.

Enjoy a Fish Fry at John Lato’s Tavern in Neillsville.

See the Palmer Vinger Agency at Greenwood for real estate, and see Wm. Kavanaugh at Neillsville for insurance.

Recently, the storage room at the back of our office went through a remodeling phase.  In preparation, the room was emptied of its contents so that new shelving could be installed.  As items were being removed, some boxes of old negatives and photographs were found in a back corner.

Going through the boxes, we discovered negatives of Clark County Cheese Factories, circa 1940.  Our dark room technician was able to make very clear prints from those old negatives, which we will be running on the “Good Old Days” page, this summer.

The Wm. Seeman Cheese Factory was located north of Loyal, along County Highway “K”.  An addition was built on the north side, as is shown in this scene.  Ed Miller was the owner of the business when it was destroyed by a fire then closed as a factory.

The cars parked near the White House Milk Products plant help verify the time of the photograph.  This business was in Abbotsford.

Albert Holt’s cheese factory was along Heintown Road, a short distance east of the now Cardinal Avenue corner, formerly referred to as Magadanz’s Corner.

One of Laabs Cheese factories was in Willard.  Note, that most of the buildings had a gas pump near the entrances, evidently for the convenience of their customers.

The Riplinger community had a cheese factory owned and operated by a Martin.