Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

June 1, 2011, Page 15

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 June 1881

 

 

In 1881, the Wolff Bros. meat market business was first established in Neillsville. The above photo was taken when the business was later owned solely by John Wolff, who is shown wearing a white apron an standing near the front door of his shop when it was located in the 100 block of East Sixth Street, behind the Kapellan building.

 

(Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts, great-grandson of John Wolff)

 

Wolff Bros., of Sheboygan, has opened a meat market in the building north of the Neillsville Bank on Main Street. They are first-class butchers and will undoubtedly do a good business.    

•••••••••

Willie Marsh has accepted a situation in Larson & Brimi’s clothing house, at Eau Claire.  He will take his departure the latter part of this week. The best wishes of many friends go with him.

•••••••••

That part of Main Street between the M. C. Ring and J. L. Gates’ residence is being greatly improved by road-master McIntire.  He has rebuilt the culvert and the work of grading the hill down, in front of the residences of J. L. Gates and W. H. Mahar has been commenced and the dirt is being hauled into the hollow.

•••••••••

Tom Hommel has leased the Campbell blacksmith shop on Second Street and now the fire is flying in every direction at the establishment.  He is prepared to do all kinds of blacksmithing in the very best manner.  Tom is well known to our citizens and all they will desire to know is that he is in business and they will find their way to his shop.

•••••••••

Mr. Korman, of the firm of Korman & Taplin, foundry men arrived here from Fredonia, Ozawkie County, Wis. last week.  The framework of Korman & Taplin’s foundry and machine shop, located on the North Side is up and a part of the machinery is on the ground.  The main building will be 20’ x 100’, with an addition 20’ x 20’ which will be used for a blacksmith shop.  The foundry will be in operation about the first of August.

•••••••••

The dance at Adkin’s in the Town of Levis was a success.  It was a hazardous undertaking to get across Black River, but the boys piloted their girls across without the loss of any lives.           

•••••••••

Under the untiring efforts of Rev. C. C. Swartz, the Greenwood M. E. Church, which had a debt of many hundred dollars hanging over it, is now free and clear and points its white spire heavenward and proclaims to be glad winds, “I am free from debt.”  Much credit is due to Rev. Swartz for bringing the church out of debt.

•••••••••

Lewis Sontag has purchased the lot between Sons of Herman Hall and Emery Bruley’s residence, on Second Street.  Yesterday morning the foundation of a building to be used as a bakery was being laid.  He proposes to complete and have his business in operation by July 4th.

 

(The Second Street then is now Sixth Street that extends from east to west side of the city, with the present Second Street, going east to west, between First and Fourth Streets.. D. Z.)             

•••••••••

H. Parker’s chances for getting a housekeeper are exceedingly slim unless he builds a chimney to take the place of stovepipe that now passes through the roof of his house.                 

•••••••••

The frame for the Pleasant Ridge Church is up and the work is going on in a quiet, business like manner.

•••••••••

A picnic and bowery dance will be held at the residence of Wm. Hanes, in the Town of Levis on the Fourth of July, to which a cordial invitation is extended to all.

 

Preparations are being made for a grand ball, to be held at Marsh’s Hall in Maple Works, on the evening of July 4th.

•••••••••

O. P. Wells has exchanged his hardware store on Third Street, for E. H. Markey’s livery stable.

•••••••••

The mail route from North Fork to Colby, run by Zephaniah Worden as mail carrier, will be discontinued on the 15th.  This is what Zeph wants, for he does not want to be committing a fraud, by crossing the daily mail route of Longwood, from Greenwood to Withee.                                                                           

•••••••••

The spire of the Presbyterian Church was so far completed on last Saturday as to allow the hanging of the new bell.  The spire proves to be quite an ornament to the village.  It is ninety-six feet in height and was erected at a cost of about $300.  The bell is from Troy, N. Y., and its cost with being shipped to Humbird was $208.08.  It is a fine toned bell and gave perfect satisfaction from the start.  Other improvements in the church are under way and when all is completed this will be one of the neatest churches in Western Wisconsin.  The Presbytery of Chippewa will hold its fall meeting in Neillsville in September, at which time it will attend to the installation of Rev. W. T. Hendren, who has labored so hard to have all things in readiness.

•••••••••

Phillip Ramminger, wagon maker, at Geo. Trogner’s old stand on Second Street is doing a good business. Those who have used the wagons he manufactured pronounce them very light running and first-class in every respect.

 

June 1941

 

A demonstration of the value of phosphate and potash in building up the productivity of Clark County’s soils will be made in a countywide project to be carried out this year. William Creed, chairman of the county Agricultural committee, announced this week.

 

Under the program one farm in each of the county’s 34 counties (townships) will be selected as a demonstration farm.  Phosphate will be provided from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s mines and processors. The only cost to the farmers whose places are selected for the demonstration plots will be the freight charge, amounting to about $9 per ton.

 

The policy to be followed in selecting the demonstration farms and working out the program will be set at a meeting of the county agricultural committee and County Agent William R. Marquart, Monday.

•••••••••

The man who took out the first “400” streamlined passenger train from St. Paul to Chicago in 1935, Jule V.  Sontag has retired. A passenger conductor, Mr. Sontag made his last run Saturday.  His retirement became effective June 1, as he passed his 70th birthday.

 

A well-known former Neillsville resident and a brother of George Sontag, local pharmacist, Mr. Sontag, served with the Omaha railroad for 48 years.  While living in Neillsville, in 1893 he started as a freight brakeman.  In 1902 he became a freight conductor and in 1910 he became a passenger conductor.

 

After spending an active life traveling on trains, Mr. Sontag plans to enjoy himself in retirement by – traveling.

•••••••••

The Vinton Nursing Home, which has been located in the M. Lastofka house on South Hewett Street, will be moved early this month to the old R. W. Balch house on North Hewett.

 

This house, one of the finest old homes in Neillsville, was built and occupied over a long period of time by Mr. and Mrs. Rella Balch and their two sons, Leland, and Harold.  It now is being remodeled into an 18-room institution.

 

Harold Balch, an architect, of Madison, is the only surviving member of the R. W. Balch family.

 

(The R. W. Balch home is located at 1003 Hewett Street. D. Z.)        

•••••••••

Wednesday Night, June 11, Lewerenz Sweet Shop will have a Special Treat – Davis Delicious Popcorn – 2 bags for 5’.

•••••••••

Neillsville’s newly resurfaced tennis courts, which with warm weather should be ready for play in another week, have been selected as the location for the Clark County division of the National Junior Tennis elimination rounds. The tournament is under the supervision of the recreational devising of the WPA.

 

The tournament here will be held June 19 and 20, according to WPA officials.

•••••••••

The mattress project of this community has been finished. The official count of mattresses completed is 45, but actually the number is 48, three more having been completed over the weekend.  The work ran over 8 ½ days, being carried on in the Gustave Kaddatz barn.  The workers were the women from the Towns of Levis, Pine Valley, Grant and Washburn with one or two men also taking a hand.

 

The result is that each of 48 families in this part of Clark County has a new mattress, costing that family the effort and 50 cents for the material.  The mattresses are a welcome addition in each household.

•••••••••

A family of woodchucks, a mother and six babies, moved in under the woodshed at Ole Lowe’s home on North Grand Avenue a week ago.  It was thought at first that they were just transients and would move on again, but they have evidently decided to stay as long as no one bothers them.

 

Not even the Low’s big Tommy interferes.  He no doubt is aware that if he molested her babies, Mama Chuck would give him a good trouncing.

 

Now the question arises what to do with them.  So far they have been content to eat clover and clean the leaves off Mrs. Lowe’s hollyhocks.  But what if they should decide to make a raid on the Lowe garden some night?

•••••••••

The Month of June Dances at the Silver Dome:

 

Sunday, June 1st – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Foemmel

Monday, June 2nd – NCA Composer/conductor Ted Fio Rito Band

Monday, (Tuesday) June 3rd – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Lavene

Wed., June 4th – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Albert Zank

Saturday, June 7 – Tom Temple & Band with 13 Musicians

Monday, June 9th – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Reinart

Tuesday, June 10 – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Rueben Schultz

Saturday, June 14 – Benny Graham Band

Tuesday, June 17 – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hubing

Thursday, June 19 – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Becker

Wednesday, June 18 – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Schultz

Wednesday, June 25 – Free Wedding Dance – Mr. and Mrs. Earl Frueh

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lane have recently enjoyed a visit from Charles Lange of Fresno, Calif.  The two men are brothers and had not seen one another for 39 years.  Their reunion revived memories of their boyhood in Neillsville, and the manner in which they were put upon their own as boys.

 

These brothers were the children of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lane of Neillsville. Their mother died in 1888, when Frank was 10, Charles was 12, August 14 and Annie was 16.  The fact that these four children had recently lost their mother did not weigh strongly enough to hold in the home environs of their father, Carl.   He had the westerns fever, and left for Idaho.  Presently the children lost track of him completely.  Twenty five years or more ago Frank Lange tried to trace his father, but he met with no success. Carl Lange dropped out of the world entirely, so far as his four children were concerned.

 

So it was left for these four children to face the world and make out on their own.  Annie worked as a domestic, earning $1.50 per week, as Frank remembers it. She was thus educated in a practical school of domestic economy, and fitted herself for life as a house wife, becoming Mrs. Charles Wagner. She died about 18 years ago, and is still remembered and respected out Globe way.

 

The three boys worked around for farmers, earning board and lodging and little more.  In young manhood both Charles and August went west. August worked in the woods in the state of Washington, and is now living in retirement in Portland.  The understanding among the relatives is that he is comfortably well-to-do.

 

Charles, who made the recent visit here, went to Fresno when he was about 28 years of age.  He has been working in the construction business, evidently did reasonably well and made his recent visit in his own car.  He had worked for a large concern and was retired on a pension.

 

What Frank Lange has done is well known locally.  He has a farm of 120 acres, is milking 14 cows; he and his wife have brought up a boy and a girl. Mr. Lange turned to the farm about 27 years ago, after a considerable experience in lumbering.

 

Frank Lange bears no ill will to his father, who left him when he was 10 years of age.  He says that people looked at their obligation to children differently in those days.  The effect of putting the Lange children on their own was to cultivate in them independence. They learned in the ‘university of hard knocks.’

•••••••••

Herman Hediger is excavating for a new building and addition onto his butter plant at Christie. The present construction will be a garage 50 by 150 feet, storage for cars and trucks. This garage will be permanently so used, but ultimately there will be erected above it a modern factory, if and when the business justifies.

 

The present construction will be of heavy re-enforced concrete, with waterproof roof, which will become the floor of the completed structure. The plans call for two stories above this basement garage, when the construction is completed.

 

The new building lies 50 feet to the north of the present plant. The building now in use is of frame construction, representing additions to a well-constructed residence.  It is not fire-proof, and is already crowded, owing to the expansion of the business.

 

The business expansion has been upon no small scale. When Mr. Hediger started in 1933 he took in from 5,000 to 7,000 pounds of milk per day, and his first pay-off was $249.66.  His semi-monthly pay-off is now about $16,350, and his intake is about 50,000 pounds per day.                                                                

•••••••••

Solid Hardwood Wooden Rockers, Regular Full Size, $3.10 & Up; Children’s Rockers $1.75; at Schiller’s Furniture Store

•••••••••

Films Developed, printed at C. C. Sniteman, 24-hour Service; Any 6 or 8 exposure roll developed and your choice of two prints of each negative, or one print of each negative and two 5x7 black and white enlargements, Only 25’

•••••••••

City Records, July 8, 1941: Neillsville City Water Tower painted for $388

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