Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

July 1, 2009, Page 20

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 July 1929

 

 Harold Tucker, who has been the assistant at the Loyal Post Office for the past two years, received notice that he is to be the postmaster, to succeed Miss Devlin, who has been efficient and obliging during her years of service. She is retiring because of the need of a rest. She will certainly be missed as an old friend at the post office.

•••••••••

Don’t forget the Annual Picnic Sunday, July 14, which is to be held at the R. Lynch Grove, one-half mile west of the Levis Town hall.  It is planned to have games and contests in the forenoon so as not to crowd the afternoon program.  There will be a basket picnic dinner after which there will be a speaking and singing program.  Senator W. J. Rush will deliver the address. After the speech there will be more prize contests. 

 

Band music will be given both forenoon and afternoon. A baseball game is also planned.

•••••••••

Monday forenoon, about ten o’clock, the Cannonville Cheese factory, owned by Werner Jenni, was found to be on fire.  Vigorous efforts to stop the fire by Mr. Jenni and the neighbors were to no avail, the building was totally destroyed. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Jenni lived upstairs in the factory.  A part of their household goods was saved.  The loss is partially covered by insurance. The origin of the fire is not known.  Mr. Jenni was in the lower part of the building talking with a man who was there on business when the upper part of the building was discovered to be ablaze.  The lose (loss) is a serious one as Mr. Jenni had recently expended quite a sum in improving the building and had a good daily intake of milk.

•••••••••

A letter, which was written and sent to the Neillsville Postmaster, by O. L. Eddy of Eagle, Michigan:

 

“You may think it strange to receive a letter from me, but I formerly lived in Neillsville.  On November 3, 1878, I landed in Humbird and on the next day I came to Neillsville on the stagecoach, staying until June 2, 1882 when I left and have not been back since.

 

Jim Hewett was my uncle; his wife was my mother’s sister.  Neillsville was not a very large place at that time.  I worked for Hewett and Wood all the time I was there, in the pine woods, winters and on the log drives in the spring, with Hi Palmer as our foreman.  I have been wondering if any of the boys that I knew are there yet. Some of the boys I worked with in the woods were, Frank and Joe Rushford and another Frenchmen we called “Big Lewie,”, Joe Bass, Al Lyons, Wren Snyder, Ed Turner, Link White, Oliver Mulligan, Angelo Lyons, who we all called ‘Bunkey,’ Max Haslett, Bill Palmer, the La Fleur boys and a lot of others.

 

In the Hewett &Woods store, there were Stanley Chubb, the head clerk; Bradshaw, bookkeeper; Ira Case and Jack Duncan, clerks.

 

There were two doctors in Neillsville, Dr. Crandell and Dr. King. Dr. Crandell had a drug store north of the Hewett & Woods store.  The postmaster at that time was Harry Ferguson.

 

Between Hewett & Woods store and west to the Hewett farm, there were no houses.  Behind the Hewett house was an eight or 10 acre, nice level field, so I said to uncle, “Why don’t you try some winter wheat on that land?”  He said he didn’t think it would amount to anything, but told me to go ahead and put it in if I wanted to.  So I tilled the field in good shape and wrote home to my father in Michigan, to send some wheat for seed.  When the wheat came, I sowed it by hand and we got a good yield of nice wheat.  They said that was the first winter wheat ever (was) raised here.  The next year, my uncle sold a lot of that wheat for seed and put in two fields himself.

 

Everything that came into Neillsville was hauled in from Humbird with teams and wagons on not very good roads.  The stage went every weekday, carrying the mail and what passengers there were.  Spring and fall were the busy times with men coming and going to the pinewoods.

 

If nothing prevents, I am planning to drive through there this fall.  I suppose I will hardly know the place but then, I can look it over and go over some of the old roads I used to travel.

 

My grandfather and grandmother are both buried there and I would like to visit their graves. I also have cousins, uncles and aunts buried there.

 

O. L. Eddy, Eagle Mich. Rt. 1

 

 

The James Hewett farm home was located on a West Fifth Street lot, now the site of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

A fire in the late 1940’s destroyed the home.

•••••••••

The Neillsville Grays baseball club gave the Riplinger team a second trimming of the season, last Sunday.

 

The Riplinger boys got off to a bum start when Stumpner batted a dandy fly into the center fielder’s glove.  Then Stubb Gerhardt, the Gray’s pitcher, walked J. Anderson, one of the few walks Stubby has made this season; but his walk was fruitless, for W. Zank put him out by a dandy throw from catcher to second base when he tried to steal.  The next man Stubby took one-two-three.  The Grays were much more successful, for W. Zank got a dandy hit and Carleton’s sacrifice put him on second.  Wasserberger then hit and shoved Zank over the plate.  Wasserberger stole second and Olson fanned.  A. Zank then got a hit and brought Wasserberger in. The frame ended with Garbush hit but was put out on first.

 

Neillsville got two more counters in the third; and both sides got two tallies in the sixth. Riplinger then tried hard to avert defeat, but only succeeded in scoring once, in the ninth.

 

The score was Neillsville 34 and Riplinger 31.

 

Following is the box:

 

Neillsville: W. Zank, c; Carleton, 3rd b; Wasserberger, 2nd b; Bush, lf; Olson, 1st b; A. Zank, cf; Garbush, ss; Zaller, rf; Gerhardt p; Rusich, rf.

 

Riplinger:

 

Stumpner, lf; J. Anderson, 3rd b; B. Clouse, c; F. Clouse, rf; M. Prien, ss; Darton, cf; Kommers, 1st b; Sig Johnson, 2nd b; R. Johnson, p; Ed Prien, 1st b.

 

Riplinger substitutions; Ed Prien for Kommers on 1st b; Neillsville, Rusch for Zaller in the 6th inning

 

July 1949

 

Henry Goetzelt of Black River Falls celebrated the Fourth by shooting a golf ball into the crotch of a tree on the Neillsville Golf Course.  He and his friends hunted high, wide and handsome, but found no ball. Henry and Mary Lee and Howe Baerwald looked down, but Sadie Haight looked up and there the ball was, right up high in the crotch of a tree, near the sixth green.

 

To Henry that ball looked hopeless, but the three with him were unanimous in the verdict that he must bang away at it. So Henry banged three times, but he couldn’t budge the ball.  Then the three relented and Henry picked the ball out by hand.

 

Henry’s friends, however, were not as tough as they at first appeared. After the fireworks were over, they let Henry count one for the whole mess.  But Tony, the golf course pro, said the correct count was five; three for the strokes that hit nothing and, and two for an unplayable ball and the placing thereof.

 

Henry isn’t the only golfer who has landed a ball in a tree on the Neillsville golf course.  An old tale is that an excellent player had an experience like Henry’s and used a golf club like a billiard cue, forcing he (the) ball out of the tree with great force and accuracy. A similar experience befell the publisher of The Press when he was playing with Tony early in the season.  On the first fairway he couldn’t find a golf ball and finally Tony located it, snugly hidden away up on a branch of a little spruce tree.

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Karl John, Sr., have traded their small farm in the village limits for a large farm near Willard. They will not take possession until some time later in the season.

•••••••••

Young Joe Ylvisaker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ylvisaker, Sr., had the misfortune to fall off a porch and fracture his left arm on Wednesday.

•••••••••

The Illinois Mutual Casualty Company is represented here by the Clark County Agency. Expenses are Paid Up to $5,000: in the Aggregate for each Disease, for each person covered.  The best in hospital, medical, nurse and other expense is now available for adult individuals and family groups.  Diseases covered are: Polio, Tetanus, Leukemia, Encephalitis, Spinal Meningitis, Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, or Small Pox. 

 

For the small cost of: Adult Individual, $5 annually; Family Group, $10 annually.

•••••••••

Albert Shanks, who was buried Thursday, July 7, spent nearly all his life in the Greenwood community.  He was born two miles south of Greenwood at what was then known as Shanktown, April 28, 1868. The family lived for a time in La Crosse County, but soon returned to Greenwood.

 

Albert Shanks went to logging when a young man, but shifted presently to painting and decorating, a vocation, which he followed until incapacitated by age.  He died at the age of 81, shortly after he and his wife had observed their golden wedding.

 

Mr. Shanks is survived by his widow, Hattie M., a daughter, Mildred, Mrs. J. E. Schneider of Meno, Oklahoma; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Viola Smith of Chicago and mrs. Margaret Tobin of California.

 

Mr. Shanks had served Greenwood as mayor and alderman.

 

(Often we hear of community names, such as Shanktown, which have disappeared with time.  It would have been interesting if a name plaque would have been staked and kept at each of those sites as historical markers. D. Z.)

•••••••••

Free Dance at Marty’s & Louie’s Tavern, formerly Fred Wallmuth’s Tavern, Saturday, July 16, located on the Hatfield Road and County Trunk J.

 

Free Dance every Saturday night at the Meadowview Tavern located 5 miles south of Neillsville on Highway 95.

 

Dance to the Music of Cal Leonard & His Orchestra Saturday, July 23 at the Lake Shore Pavilion, Hixton (Jackson Co.)

 

Lawrence Duchow & The Red Ravens Band; Thursday, July 28 at the Inwood Ballroom, Hatfield (Jackson Co.)

 

A Softball Game at Hatfield, Sunday, July 24, 2:30 p.m.; it’s the Hatfield Hellcats versus Wisconsin Rapids Hiawatha Bar.

•••••••••

Carl Eisemann has resigned as supervising principal of the Granton Public Schools.  He has accepted a position at Slinger.  Mr. Eisemann has been principal at Granton for three years.  In addition to his administrative and classroom service, he has made a splendid showing as a football coach.

 

Ted Lautenbach has entered upon his new duties as janitor of the school buildings.  He succeeds George Beaver, who resigned after a service of 18 years.

•••••••••

Upwards of 40 vehicles from the dim and almost forgotten past whipped through Neillsville Tuesday afternoon and evening, attracting more attention than automobiles have attracted here since they were called “horseless carriages.”

 

The cars were all of comparatively ancient vintage, some dating back to 1905, when there was some discussion whether the automobile was here to stay.

 

There were old Fords, White and Stanley Steamers (whose speed was recorded as untested and unknown in those days), Chevrolets, Buicks and several makes, which are little known today.

 

One old Ford, which stopped at a local service station to recharge a battery, had a 1915 body. But its insides were more youthful: it carried a V-8 motor. But the Steamers actually sputtered, belched, steamed and whirred softly.

 

The cars were on their way to Minneapolis, where they were to take part in the Aqua Centennial.  They came from Michigan, crossing the lake by ferry to Manitowoc, spending Sunday night in Stevens Point and proceeding to Eau Claire Monday. Three blocks in the downtown area of Eau Claire were roped off to accommodate the old cars overnight.

•••••••••

Men of the Service Company, 128th Infantry, returned to their homes last Saturday after the annual encampment at Camp McCoy. 

 

Among them were 24 men who had qualified as marksmen, sharpshooters or experts during the period.

 

The expert, on an M1 rifle is Charles Wasserburger. Sharpshooter ratings were won by Robert Gress and Charles Sydorowicz with the M1 rifle; and George Marek and Matt J. Gassen with the carbine.

 

Marksman ratings were won by Harlan Watenpuhl, Leo Kessler, Gerald Schoenherr, Charles Swenson, Duane Anding, Chester Diercks, Harris Dux, Wendell Elmhorst, Charles Havlicek, Richard Dodmead, Walter Helm, Wayne Sternitzky and James Vincent.  Similar ratings with the carbine were won by: Arvid Anderson, Arlo Scholtz, Thomas Jacobs, Marvin Garbisch, Donald Ayers and Roland Diercks.

•••••••••

The Neillsville American Legion Dug-Out and Bar are open every day, starting at 10 a.m. to closing.

 

The Legion Auxiliary will serve French fries, fish and sandwiches every Saturday evening.

••••••••

Harland Kuhl narrowly escaped a serious accident last Wednesday morning with his truck as he was going down Woods hill west of Neillsville on Hwy 10.  He was enroute to Thorp with a load of lumber for Odin Wang.  As he started down the hill, the drive shaft broke and jack-knifed under the truck putting the brakes out of commission.

 

The momentum of the truck carried him faster and faster down the hill.  He was unable to stop until he had gone about a mile to the Silver Dome Ballroom.  He then turned into the driveway and circled the ballroom once.  Mr. Wang, who was following the load; brought Mr. Kuhl and Truman Davis, who was with him back to Neillsville to get repairs.  They were unable to continue their journey until Thursday.

 

(Last week’s Oldies page, June 24 issue, had an error; should have been news of 1949, not 1954. D.Z.)

 

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