Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

January 14. 2009, Page 24

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

January 1909

 

It is reported that G. D. Hosley has sold his entire interests in the lumber business in Ashland, Ore., and he and his family will soon return to make their permanent home in Neillsville, or vicinity.  Their many Clark County friends will be glad to welcome them back to Wisconsin.

•••••••••

No. 1 Rock Salt for salting meat, only 1¢ per lb.  Good Homemade Sauerkraut can be purchased for 10¢ a Quart.  Another lot of those high-grade of Blue Oak and Second Growth Hickory Ax Handles just arrived, only 25¢ each.  We also have some ax handles priced at 10, 12, 15 and 20 cents.

•••••••••

Shop at Klein’s Store – Herman Yankee delivers the goods to you.  Phone 87

 

Finest Mince Meat, Columbia Brand, 3 pkgs for 25¢; Alaska Red Salmon, 18 oz. 12 ½ cents; Canned Pumpkin, 3, 3-lb cans 25¢; Seedless Raisins, 3 pkgs, 25¢.  We always have Milwaukee Made Fancy Sausages and Rye Bread on hand.

•••••••••

It was 32 degrees below zero with a strong wind blowing on Wednesday morning.  Many students got their noses and ears slightly frozen on their way to school in the morning.

•••••••••

Mrs. Mary Hanks, of the Town of Levis, kept 155 laying hens during the past year. From Jan. 1, 1908, to Jan. 1, 1909, she sold 1,520 dozen eggs, which brought her $246.35, an average of 16 ¼ cents a dozen.  She also raised about 175 other chickens.

 

The above record goes to show that poultry could be made a much larger item of income on many Clark County farms.

•••••••••

C. Esselman who recently sold his farm in the Town of Loyal has bought a nice residence in Marshfield, where he has moved with his family.  Mr. Esselman has been a very successful farmer and now feels that he is entitled to a rest from farm work.

•••••••••

C. Haberland has moved his shoe shop upon the French estate lot, between Dr. Matheson’s office and Frank Hemp’s store where he will be pleased to meet all of his old customers and as many new ones as feel disposed to call on him for new, repairing or any kind of leather work.

•••••••••

Fire today, Jan. 22, destroyed buildings occupied by Button and Membrue’s Hardware Store; Kap’s Hotel; Fritz’s Feed Store; L. F. Cook’s Printing Office; Zell Bros. Dry Goods; Weide’s Meat Market and Ewert’s Saloon in Unity.

•••••••••

An Oyster Supper will be served Thursday, Feb. 4th, 6 o’clock in the Congregational Church.  The supper will be managed exclusively by 28 men, which will be professional men, businessmen and other men.  They will cook and serve the supper, receive and seat guests, receive the coin of the realm therefore, fire the furnace and publish their prospective deeds to the world, all in good time.  There will be oysters raw, stewed and escalloped with all the needful accessories to a choice oyster supper; and all guests are to be equally well served, whether of the first, second or third table.

•••••••••

A number of cases of small pox have broken out in the vicinity of Dells Dam.  The school there has been closed, no public gatherings are permitted and two families are reported as being quarantines.

•••••••••

There was an expensive dog episode on Christmas Day.  Mr. Prock, residing north of the city, was driving past the Imig farm when one of Mr. Imig’s dogs ran out to the road frightening Prock’s horse, which took charge immediately of running on his own.  The sleigh was torn to pieces and the horse was caught near John Markwardt’s home.  Mr. Prock was fortunately uninjured.  The Imig brothers compromised the situation by shooting the dog and giving Mr. Prock a new sleigh.

•••••••••

Will Dahl was at the York Center hall Saturday night and informed the boys to get their cowbells in readiness.  We wouldn’t wonder that Will is getting ready to cut up a caper some day soon.

•••••••••

Men and teams of horses from Alma Center have been taking advantage of the sleighing in getting up their year’s supply of wood from the Bruce Mound area, east of Alma Center.

•••••••••

Merrill Sischo had a misfortune when a load of wood tipped over Monday, while making a delivery to George Harper who lives in Neillsville.  The wooden rack, which held the load of wood on the sleigh, also broke in the accident.

 

January 1949

 

Clark County, known as a farming community, is also a busy industrial center.  In addition to the 5,000 farms, it has about 100 factories.  Most of these are small, few employing more than 50 persons each, but in aggregate they build a strong economy.

 

Of the county’s industries, 70 are directly connected with dairying, 55 make cheese, either exclusively or as part of a general program.

•••••••••

An estimated 90 spectators and 30 riders were on hand at the Jan. 2md opening of the Bruce Mound Ski slide placed in operation this year by the Half Moon Ski Club, according to club member Jim Hauge.

 

On Jan. 30, a crowd of about 100 appeared at the ski hill, of which 30 skiers were on the beginners slope.  Among the skiers was Phil Haugstad, a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers mound staff and former St. Paul baseball hurler, who head-quarters in Black River Falls during the off season.

 

The slide, believed by Half Moon Ski Club members to be one of the top ones in the state, offers a half-mile run and has two tows, one of 1,000 feet and the other of 400 feet.  There is a warming house at the bottom of the ski hill.

 

The Bruce Mound slide is located about 16 miles southwest of Neillsville, a short distance south of Highway 95, marked by road-signs, and it is open to the public.

 

(Bruce Mound Ski area is located in the southwestern part of the Town of Dewhurst, on Bruce Mound Ave. south of Hwy 95 and is still operated today ‘2009’ by the Friends of Bruce Mound, with many improvements and new chalet’. Dmk)

•••••••••

The Clark County jail is empty and a “no vacancy” is hanging out.

 

Sheriff Ray Kutsche revealed Monday that the last inmate customer checked out on New Year’s Day.  He drove to Ladysmith on that day, too, to interview a couple of men he thought he might like to accommodate his place; but he failed miserably.

 

So the Sheriff takes that as a good omen.  At least, with the jail empty for the first time in a year, he’s glad for temporary relief.

•••••••••

One of the most popular sports in the city during the last half of December was the skating pond on O’Neill Creek near the Hewett Street Bridge.

 

A total of 1,683 persons used the pond for skating in the last 19 days of the month, according to figures given in the monthly report of the city engineer, John D. Hansen.

•••••••••

Funeral services for Herman Kehrberg, 93, of Loyal were held Thursday in Marshfield.  Burial was made in the Hillside Cemetery.  He died December 27.

 

Mr. Kehrberg was born in Pomerania, Germany, and 30 years later came with his wife, the former Augusta Altenburg, to the United States.  They came first to Marshfield, where he worked as a cabinetmaker.  In 1915 they moved to Loyal, where Mr. Kehrberg purchased a building and started the variety store.

 

Surviving are his wife and two children, a son, Gerhard, and a daughter, Hattie, of Loyal, and a sister, Mrs. John Langpap of Marshfield.

•••••••••

Worship Services at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Neillsville: Sunday, Jan. 16 Evening Service at 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, German Service at 8 a.m.; English Language Service at 9:15 a.m.

 

Services on both Sundays will be conducted by Rev. Adolph Schmann (Schumann), pastor of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, Globe.

•••••••••

A proposal that hunters be required to know how to handle a gun before being eligible to receive a hunting license was made by Dr. Sarah Roskrans (Rosekrans) in a talk given before the Neillsville Business and Professional Women’s Club, Monday night.

 

Dr. Rosekrans’ suggestion was that all people seeking a hunting license be required to pass a test on the proper handling of firearms, much as they are now required to pass a driving test before being licensed to drive a car.

 

Her suggestion, she said, came from experience in treating gunshot wounds and observing deaths caused by inept handling of firearms by hunters.

 

The Club, acting upon her suggestion, voted to investigate the possibility of having legislation along this line drawn up and presented to the state legislature.

•••••••••

Although few of them know him, a great many people, past and present, of Neillsville, Granton, Chili and vicinity have had a long interest in James Peterson of La Crosse.  And he has had a long, long interest in them.

 

Mr. Peterson is a dry goods salesman and he has been selling retail merchants of this area for the last half-century.  He told of some of his early experiences in Neillsville and the towns around when customers came in to look over the goods and to place their orders.

 

Meeting with the Rotary Club, Mr. Peterson told of his early experiences in Neillsville Tuesday night when he was making his final trip, for he is retiring after 50 years on the road.

 

There, with some 14 trunks loaded with samples on display, merchants of Neillsville and the towns around came in to look over the goods and to place their orders.

 

One of the old Neillsville merchants he mentioned was Ben Tragsdorf.  Another was the father of George and Joe Zimmerman.

 

“And now,” he said with a smile, “I’m selling to their kids.”

 

Incidentally, the Zimmerman brothers are now numbered among the older merchants of the city in the point of service.

 

When he went on the road, Mr. Peterson recalled, he took out the first overalls ever made especially for children.  They sold for $4 per dozen.  Today they are $30 per dozen.

 

But in those days, too, wages did not compare with present day rates.  Four years before he went on the road for his firm, Mr. Peterson said he started in the factory at a weekly wage of exactly nothing.

 

After he had been there for three months he inquired about the chance of getting some money so that he could ride a street car home during the colder weather.  He was given a $2.50 weekly salary, which was $1 more than usually was paid at the outset.

 

When the Spanish-American War came along he was offered a job in a retail store at $10 per week.  He told his boss about the opportunity that was open to him, as he was getting $6 per week at this time.  The boss gave him a raise to $10 per week.

 

“When I got home,” he said, “I danced the can-can all over the kitchen, and said to my mother: “What are we going to do with all the money?”

 

Mr. Peterson didn’t say anything about subsequent income; but it appeared to those present that his income had not remained constantly at $10 per week during his 50 years on the road.

•••••••••

Miss Betty Marg, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Marg of Neillsville, became the bride, Tuesday, January 18, of Patrick Plunkett, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Plunkett of Greenwood.

 

The vows were said in St. John’s Catholic Church in Marshfield.  The Rev. Walter Dillenburg officiated at the 9 a.m. nuptial Mass.

 

The bride chose as her costume a white wool suit.  She wore a white felt hat with a feather trim.  Red roses and white gladioli made up her corsage.

 

Miss Alice Plunkett of Greenwood, sister of the groom, was maid-of-honor.  She wore a vermilion gabardine dress and gray felt hat.  Roses and white mums formed her corsage.

 

Harry Plunkett, Jr. of Greenwood was his brother’s best man.

 

Following the ceremony, a dinner was served at the Hotel Charles for immediate relatives.

 

Mrs. Plunkett graduated from Neillsville High School and after her graduation worked in the laboratory at St. Joseph Hospital for some time.  She later accepted a position in the Maxon Studios.  Mr. Plunkett was graduated from the Greenwood High School.  He is a member of Wally Ive’s Orchestra.

 

The young couple left on a wedding trip to Illinois.  After their return they will make their home in Marshfield.

•••••••••

The Granton High School band has received new uniforms.  They are military style.  The coloring is orange and black, with the black predominating.  The Bulldog’s emblem of the high school is also carried out on the sleeve.  The band members said that now that they look so much nicer, they will be able to play better.

 

Friday afternoon they played a concert for the assembly.  They will appear next at the Granton-Greenwood basketball game at home.

•••••••••

Recent real estate transactions in Clark County were recorded the final week of 1948, according to records in the register of deeds office.

 

Largest transaction among those recorded was the sale by Anna Grottke of property in section 7, Town of Grant.  She sold this property to Mr. and Mrs. Roger A. Ingold on December 29.

 

A land purchase made by Mr. and Mrs. Herman Dahnert of property in section 19, Town of Beaver, from Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Braun, was recorded Dec. 29.

 

The purchase of property from Mr. and Mrs. Tony Celesnik in Section 4, Town of Seif, by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Krejci was completed Dec. 23.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Feder purchased lots 6 through 10, block 2, Granton, from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sternitzky on December 28. Purchase price was $250

 

An Early Post Office

 

In 1881, located 2 miles south and 1 ¾ mile east of Chili was the “Snow Post Office,” on Phillips property.  Neighboring landowners were: G. Kleinschmidt, H. Behling, J. Barth and H. Lam.

•••••••••••

 

 

The Granton School District’s third schoolhouse was built in 1884 with a second floor addition in 1887, shown at the right.  Construction on a new high school building was started in 1917, completed in 1918, at the left in the photo.

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