November 1892

Mr. Otis Slocumb and Miss Agnes C. Munce, both of the Town of Grant, were married on Monday evening, Nov. 21^st.  Rev. J. G. Russel officiated the ceremony.

Mr. Marcus Chadwick and Miss Ella May Tracy were united in marriage on Wednesday, Nov. 23^rd.  Rev. J. G. Russel performed the wedding rites, 12 noon, at his residence on Grand Avenue.

Mr. John C. Demouth of Ft. Yates, North Dakota, and Miss Lillie Barber, of Longwood, were wed on Nov. 16.  The marriage was officiated by Rev. James Jefferson, of Louisville, Wis., at the Commercial House in Colby.

J. E. Counsell, of Pleasant Ridge, is now the owner of the Jim Foote farm east of Neillsville, on the Ridge Road.  That is as good of 80 acres as lies in this area. The consideration on this land was $3,200 and that is a very low price.  The land transfer was completed last week.  The farm contains 40 acres cleared and the other 40 acres is covered with fine timber.  Land in this part of Clark County is selling at as low of a price now as it will ever be sold.  (Wasn’t that a true prediction on land prices? DZ)

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On Monday, L. B. Ring and family moved from their farm, “Ross Eddy,” to their flat, in the city.  The following day, George Frantz, Sr., moved to the former Ring farm, which he has rented.  There, he will enjoy the luxury of a new house and he plans to live here permanently.

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Mr. Jesse Lowe and Miss Adelade Counsell were united in marriage at Hartland, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 23^rd.  After spending a week on a pleasure trip, they arrived home at Neillsville last Saturday. The bride is an amiable lady, who is welcome to our city’s social circles.

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On Sunday, Dr. Lacey and Albert Ludington went deer hunting on the Cunningham creek.  They saw three of the fleet beauties.  Ludington took a haphazard shot through dense brush at one of the deer.  But the track of the bullet didn’t tally with the track of the deer so the boys came home to their wives in disgrace.

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The Chili Lumber Company is a new business in Chili.  The company also owns a saw and heading mill, as well as a store there.  S. F. Lewis, E. W. Sawyer and N. D. Wing are partners in the business.

Free and Phillips’ new planning (planing) mill, located on the lot they bought from H. N. Withee, north of O’Neill Creek, on Grand Avenue, is enclosed and roofed with steel roofing.  It is considerably larger than the building they have been occupying and will be much more convenient.  The lease on their former location expired in August but they stand well to be able to fill orders and contracts.  They will continue filling the lumber orders until they have been completed, one among which is the North building at the corner of Hewett and Sixth Streets.  They expect to get moved in two months.  James Hewett owns the old mill building and the lot it is on.

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Three tramps, Tom and Bill Kelly and Bill Lindsay were picked up and arrested on Tuesday by Marshal Hommel.  They were promptly put into the Clark County jail by Police Justice Tolford.  The Kellys will be in jail for 30 days and Lindsay will have to stay for 25 days.  The reason for the difference in days is because Lindsay belongs to the 25-day class.  They will do hard labor without any card playing, newspapers to read or tobacco to smoke or chew.  This will make them leave town when they get out.

November 1947

Many members of the Wisconsin Rotary Club and their wives plan to tour the new Veterans Administration Hospital in Tomah next Tuesday afternoon.  They will be dinner guests of the Tomah Rotary Club members.

I. J. Koshak, of Willard, has again won top honors for cheese making, a first place at the state convention of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers’ Association meeting, held last week.  He scored 98 ¼ points on the cheddar he made in 1946.

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The garage business started by William Whaley, on West Fifth Street, near Grand Avenue, has been sold to the three Rychnovsky brothers.  Rychnovskys are presently enclosing the building against the winter weather and plant to operate a repair business there.

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The York Center Cheese factory has been purchased by Louie Gonia, who will take possession at once.  The plant was purchased a few years ago by the Dairy Belt Co., of Spencer.  Gonia recently had been employed in the Black River Cheese factory, located northwest of Withee. 

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Some real estate transfers have been recorded in Clark County recently.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wasserberger have purchased the Rose Schiller residence, on the northeast corner of Fourth and State Streets.  The deed recorded a purchase price of $8,000.

The Wasserberger’s already have taken possession, moving last week onto the first floor apartment, occupied formerly by the W. F. Whaley’s.  Mr. and Mrs. Whaley have taken the second floor apartment of Mrs. Schiller, who has moved into the apartment in the Zimmerman building, formerly occupied by the Wasserberger’s.

One deed revealed a purchase, made late in October by Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Zelm, of Longwood, with an undivided one-half interest in a tavern business and real estate.  The property is located in Longwood.

A 99-year lease has been given to the Thorp Cooperative Livestock Shipping Association, on property in section 36, Town of Thorp, by Jake and Michael Niedzwiecki.

The Cooperative will operate a stockyard on the property.

A transfer of real estate recorded included the sale by Mr. and Mrs. Isaac B. Mathews on their property in Draper’s third addition, Village of Loyal.  The transfer was made to Frank Wendel, for $6,500.  There was also the sale by Mr. and Mrs. August Podobnik of their farm and personal property, in sections 25 and 30, Town of Hendren, to Mr. and Mrs. Floyd L. Updyke.

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Neillsville had more hospitality than guests, according to Art Epding of the Merchants Hotel.  Epding states that the response to the request published in the Press was well nigh overwhelming.  The offers of rooms came pouring in from both the city and country, until the accommodations exceeded the demand.

Epding estimates that the number of deer hunters seeking accommodations was close to 200.  Sixty, 70 or more of them will be well cared for at the hotel.  More than a hundred names of hunters will be referred to, by Epding, to local house-holders.

Epding expressed his appreciation of the cooperation, which he received and his regret that not all rooms offered could be used.

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Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Steiger are making their home in Greenwood following their honeymoon in Iowa. They were married November 15, in Greenwood. 

Attendants were: Miss Virginia Baird, sister of the bride, and Ervin Steiger, brother of the groom; with Miss Dorothy Kaufman, Marshfield as maid of honor and Ronald Davel, Oshkosh, as the best man.  Ushers were Everett Humke, Stevens Point and James Davel, Loyal.

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The building of a new dam and county park, in the Town of Mead, has been authorized by the Clark County Board, with an appropriation of $30,000 for the dam.  This amount has been included in the new budget.

The land area, which the county owns, or will acquire, is about 480 acres.  The lake will be upwards of 300 acres in size.  Of the land required, the county already owns all but about 40 acres. The resolution authorizing the project provides that nothing shall be done until the county owns the entire area needed.

That venture will be virtually self-financing, was the estimate given the board by Arthur Stadler, chairman.  He anticipates a broad demand for space for cottages.  The decision is to lease the lots at $15 per year, with a minimum advance payment for 10 years.  Each lot will have frontage of 100 feet.

In authorizing this project and in setting up a new park authority, the county board headed into a problem connected with the management of such park areas.  That problem was zoning.  The forest and park area of the county is protected by a zoning ordinance, which was enacted in 1934.  That ordinance sets up in detail the various things which land in the restricted area may be used.  The uses explicitly cited are 12 in number and included in the ordinance is a section of definitions, with the obvious purpose of removing doubt as to what can and cannot be permitted.  Among the 12 uses there is no mention of taverns, but the Rock Dam Park now has three taverns, two of them on land leased by the county.  Such leases appear to have been granted by the forestry and zoning committee.  So far as has yet appeared, such leases have been granted on the theory that the taverns fall within the permitted classification of “Recreational camps and resorts.”  But the section of definitions gives this meaning to that classification: - “Areas of land with buildings or tents and sanitary facilities used for occupancy during a part of the year only.”

The emphasis upon the tavern business in the Rock Dam area has occasioned considerable discussion, which resulted in the appointment at the fall session of the county board of a committee for the “clarification” of the zoning ordinance.  That committee, appointed by Chairman Stadler, consists of Supervisors Parkinson and Warren, together with the members of the forestry and zoning committee.  The members of that committee are Wm. C. Ambelang, Arthur Baures and George Beeckler.

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Many inquiries have been sent into the Clark County Clerk’s office in regard to leasing a lot on the lake to be created in the Town of Mead on the Eau Claire River.

If you wish to lease a lot on the lake, send your check for $150.00 to Mike Krultz, Jr., to cover a ten-year lease.  If you wish to lease it for a period of 20 years make your check for $300.  These applications will be numbered in the order received and leases issued accordingly.  In other words, if your application is number one you would have first choice in selecting a lot.

We would suggest to anyone who may be interested in leasing a lot on this lake that they do so immediately.  Only 200 such leases will be executed at this time and at the rate these applications have been coming in, they will soon be taken up.

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Deer hunters’ dances will be held at the Lake Side Inn at Rock Dam this coming week.  Saturday, Nov. 22, Harold Karlstadt’s Orchestra will play.  On Wednesday, November 26, Johnny Gertz will provide the music.

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Murphy’s Tavern, in Neillsville, will have food and lodging for hunters.  During hunting season they will serve meals from 4 a.m. to midnight.

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What inflation can do to property in Neillsville has been vividly illustrated by the sale of the cabins, house and restaurant property on Division Street.  This place has just been taken over by Michael Burckhard of South Milwaukee.  It consists of a residence, an adjacent tavern and restaurant, eleven cabins and a washhouse, at the intersection of South Hewett.  The land is a little less than two acres.  The price paid is quite definitely reported at $26,000.

The sale of the property was made by Charles Scheuermann, who had taken the real estate over from Paul Volkmann in May.  Scheuermann, who then paid $18,500 for it and that, was considered quite a sale at that time.  The deal did not hurt Volkmann any, for he had bought six or seven cabins, with their contents from Joe Zilk for $1,800.  Nor had that deal hurt Zilk any, for he figured back to the time when he built the cabins and equipped them for $120 apiece.  When he could get $300 apiece for them, it sounded too good to be true and he closed quickly.  When he heard about the heights to which his cabins had climbed, he was trying to wash down the concrete driveway outside his filling station.  The shocking news made Zilk so dizzy; he had to reach for something upon which to lean.

Burckhard knows something about this dizzy business himself.  He sold a house in South Milwaukee just before he came up here and he sold at inflation prices.  He is a mechanic and has also done carpenter work.  He figures that the property could not now be reproduced at the price he paid. So up the hill at the corner of South Hewett and Division, everybody is happy and the Burckhard family is squaring away and getting ready for the business, which they are anticipating.

(The above property was that of the old Whitehorse restaurant and bar.  At that time, there were cabins on the south side, behind the restaurant. DZ)

East Fifth Street, Neillsville, near the State Street intersection in the days of boardwalks and dirt or mud streets.  The Clark County courthouse dome and jail are visible in the background.