1918 HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY

By Franklin Curtiss-Wedge

Columbia is a station on the Omaha railroad line between Neillsville and Merrillan.  It has a nice school building, and several homes.  Several years ago Columbia was boomed by a land company, but the exploitation was overdone and that part of the county until recently has suffered from the after effects of too much publicity.

Columbia now has a store, warehouse, cheese factory, hall and church.

Shortville, in Washburn Township, has a store, cheese factory, school and church, being founded by James, Andrew, John, Stephen and George Short.

Brook, in Sherwood Township, has a store, cheese factory, town hall, church and school.

Yolo, in Fremont Township, on the Omaha railroad, is about a mile west of Chili.  It was formerly the location of a number of large charcoal pits.

Globe, is an inland town, in Weston Township, ten miles northwest of Neillsville in the center of a prosperous farming community.  It has a creamery, a large German Lutheran Church, school and store.

Christie is located on an old tote road, between Neillsville and Greenwood, and for years was an important post office in the county.  It now has a store, two churches and school.

Wilcox, also known as York Center, is a crossroads center in York Township, with a store, the Woodman hall, town hall and church.

Spokeville is one of the oldest hamlets in the county.  It is located in the boundary between Sherman and Loyal, on the “Soo” railroad line, between Marshfield and Greenwood.  Formerly it had a large sawmill.  It now has a store, cheese and butter factory, boarding house and church. 

Willard is a thriving place on the Fairchild & Northeastern railway, between Fairchild and Greenwood.  It has two stores, cheese factory, boarding house, Catholic Church and school. A few years ago, Ignatz Ceznic started to organize a colony of Slavs and kindred nationalities in the wilderness in the Town of Hendren. Today, that country is dotted with scores of prosperous farms and the village of Willard is the market place for them.  Mr. Ceznic had the backing of the Foster Lumbering Company, of Fairchild, in the settlement work.

Tioga is located in Section 31, Hendren Township, on the Fairchild & Northwestern railroad.  It has two stores and a hotel.

Schilling is located in Section 30, Beaver Township, on the Fairchild & Northeastern railroad, between Greenwood and Owen.  It has a railroad station, store and cheese factory.

Cole’s Corner, in the northwest part of Section 14, Sherman, is a community center with a town hall, cheese factory and schoolhouse.

Veefkind is located in Section 34, Sherman Township, on the “Soo” line, between Marshfield and Greenwood.  It has a store and cheese factory, Catholic Church and sawmill that is no longer operating.

Atwood is a new village in Section 21, Green Grove, on the “Soo” line railroad, from Spencer to Owen.  It contains a railroad station, store and saloon.

Bright is located in Section 20, Greenwood, on the Fairchild & Northeastern, between Greenwood and Owen.  It has a railroad station, store and cheese factory. The old sawmill is no longer in operation.

Reseburg, located at the cornering of Sections 8, 9, 16, and 17, in Reseburg Township, is a trading center with a store, saloon, blacksmith shop, cheese factory, church and schoolhouse. The locality is also known as Mattes’ Corners, and Ampe’s Corners.

Butler is a neighborhood center in Section 14, Butler Township, which has a cheese factory and schoolhouse there.

Other community centers and railroad sidings, of which some were formerly post offices, bear local names.

West Bridge Junction is in Thorp Township, at the point where the Otter Creek Stub branches from Stanley, Merrill and Phillips Railroad.  Omaha Junction is in Fremont Township, where the Omaha crosses the St. Paul Railroad.  Sydney, Tay and Trow are stopping places on the Omaha, between Neillsville and Merrillan, Gorman’s and Owego are shipping points on the Fairchild & Northeastern in Hendren Township.  Mentor is a shipping point on the same road in Mentor Township.  Coxie is a shipping point on the same line, in Section 6, Beaver.  Irene, Nevins and Dewhurst are inland centers in Dewhurst Township.  Pleasant Ridge is an inland center in Grant Township; Snow is between Lynn and Fremont, along what is now Highway 10; Carlisle, between Levis and Washburn townships; and Ralph in Hoard Township, Cedarhurst in Fremont Township and Kurth Corners in Grant Township are shipping points on the Omaha railroad.  Boynton and Sawyer’s Siding in Lynn are shipping points on the St. Paul railroad. Weston’s Rapids and Staffordsville are early abandoned villages north of Neillsville.

(It is interesting to note how some of these small villages and shipping stations, are not only gone, but also forgotten. There are no historical markers to show where they had been located, which seems rather sad as it is a bit of our county’s history that is lost, as though each were insignificant to the community they had once been an active part of.  As time goes on, this fact will become more apparent.  DZ)

July 1947

Bass fishing in Clark County “should reach a peak in the next 10 days,” Game Warden Alva A. Clumpner has reported to the state conservation department. The report, dated June 30, also stated that “fish are starting to bite” and “good catches of pan fish are being reported.”                                                           

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School consolidation, upon an important scale, is being projected for Northern Clark County.  At Thorp, the Lions Club has been studying an enlargement of the local school district, with a view of consolidating various rural schools with Thorp. At Owen, the Kiwanis Club has been studying various projects, all in the direction of consolidation. One proposal is to make two consolidations, one centering at Withee and the other at Owen. Another possibility is that there should be a consolidation of the Withee and Owen districts.

These various proposals will be discussed in the two communities by Harry E. Merritt, state supervisor of the secondary schools. To hear him, the Lions Club of Thorp has arranged a public meeting in the high school auditorium, for July 10, and the Kiwanis club of Owen has arranged for a meeting July 28. 

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Recorded transfers of three pieces of property in Neillsville, and several others throughout Clark County, were filed in the register of deeds office within the last week.

Reidar and Rena Olson have purchased property adjacent to the Neillsville County Club from the Neillsville Bank, according to a warranty deed filed June 27.  Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Allen also have purchased from the Neillsville Bank, lots one and two, block one of O’Neill’s first addition to the City of Neillsville.

Mrs. Marion Lewerenz Nelson has sold property in Bacon’s subdivision of Neillsville to Mr. and Mrs. Arne Matheson.  The price was $450.  Mr. and Mrs. Matheson are now building a home on the property, located at the south end of Oak Street.

The Wucki tavern, located at Day’s Corners, four miles south of Neillsville, has been purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Don J. Champoux.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Choura have sold to Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Witte, property located in Section 17, Town of Unity for $1,500.

Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Amacher have sold lots two and three, block one, in Abbotsford, to Mr. and Mrs. Anton J. Carlson. The price was $450.

Sylvester Wernimont has purchased lot four, block seven, Gwin’s addition to the Village of Loyal, from Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Pous, price $250.                                                                            

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With a “rough estimate” of from “$700 to $800” before it, the city council Tuesday night determined to make repairs to the water tower and to paint it.

Recent inspection revealed the need of repair work and some alteration, William Wilsmann, superintendent of the water department, told the council.

The work to be done will include the replacing of the old ladder on the inside wall of the tank, replacing the “flushing” valve, sealing the roof, placing a catwalk from the side wall to the intake below the base of the tank, and chipping and repainting both interior and exterior of the tank and its steel supports.

The work will be done by a Barron, Wis. concern on a time-pay basis, and will complete the cleanup of the standpipe, which was started last week. The work is expected to get under way within a few days.

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You may get Tricycles now for that lively girl or boy, various sizes, various colors, rubber tires, sturdy construction. Standard models $9.98 or Deluxe models $12.50 each; all at Russell’s Gamble Store.

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A & P Food Store: Fresh strawberries, qt. 40¢; Cantaloupe, jumbo, 2/35¢; Watermelon, 26 lbs. $1.24; Lemons, size 300, doz. 45¢; Peanut Butter, 1 lb jar 29¢; Cigarettes, 10 packs $1.65.   

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Arnold Wicklund has assumed his new position as superintendent of schools at Nekoosa. He formerly was superintendent of the Loyal High School.                                                                 

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Dance! Lake Side Inn, South Shore - Rock Dam - July 12 with music by Frank Buresh & His Troubadours

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The Grand View team won its opener in the newly organized Southern Clark County Baseball league Sunday by taking a loosely played game from the “Swamp Bucks” 13-12.

The second game scheduled for the new four-team league, between Granton and Sherwood, was postponed. The team managers are: Granton, Clarence Pannier; Sherwood, Donald Freedlund; Swamp Bucks, Louie Paun; Grand View, August Klann.                                                                                                   

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Albert Zank has taken over the management of the former Jenni Service Station, corner of West and Sixth Street, recently purchased by the local Farmers Union. The restaurant operated in connection with the station is now under management of Mrs. Arthur Tews.                                                       

•••••••••

Urban’s wrecker did a little wrecking all on its own Monday afternoon.

The vehicle was parked beside the garage on West Street when the brakes somehow gave away.  It rolled backward down the incline and veered diagonally across Seventh Street and crashed into the front of Helwig’s Tavern.  It narrowly missed a car parked in front of Shock’s barbershop. The west side of the tavern front was damaged considerably.

•••••••••

The shortage of gasoline and other so-called “light oils,” which has been pinching in the Neillsville and Clark County area in July, will be even worse in August, according to the fears of local bulk plant men.

A few local service stations already have experienced being shut down on gasoline for as many as two or three days. Some have been out for a few hours or out of either ethyl or standard gasoline at some time or another this month.

All bulk tank quotas have been cut, and they have been forced to allot their quota on a basis of the percentage of gasoline pumped by individual stations during the same month last year. The cuts range from 10 percent upward.

That, in and of itself, would not be too serious; but the real fact is that even these short quotas are not being met here. The reason is lack of transportation. There is neither tank car nor motor transport enough available to bring even the quota into the area.                                                                                                   

•••••••••

A most sensitive newcomer at the Neillsville hospital is an electrocardiograph machine, one of several new pieces of equipment installed in the hospital in recent months.

This machine is used extensively in determining heart conditions of all types and is reputedly as good as any similar machine in the state.

But it is sensitive; so sensitive that even such a thing as a plug in an electrical wall outlet anywhere in the hospital will throw its recording needle into hysterics.  Electric refrigerators and fluorescent lights give it tantrums.

Because of its acute sensitiveness Herbert Brown, hospital manager, has learned the necessity for a thorough check of the hospital before use is made of the machine.                                         

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Auction! Six acres of standing oats on the William Baumgartner farm, 1 ½ miles north of Neillsville on Grand Ave. Tuesday, July 29 - 2 p.m.                                                                         

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A shower and Wedding Dance were held last Tuesday evening at the Weston Town Hall in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Murphy, newlyweds. They were married about two weeks ago in Iowa.

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A wedding dance will be given on July 29 at the Weston Town Hall for Mr. and Mrs. William Hughes, who were married several months ago.  Mr. and Mrs. Hughes reside in Neillsville.  Mr. Hughes is a former resident of Weston.

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The big plant of Clark Mills, Inc. at Colby, successors to Northwest Distributing Co., is expected to begin operations early next week.

The resuming of operations in the plant will be welcomed by people of the Colby area, for it will end a critical and anxious economic period in the lives of several hundred of persons who had depended upon the plant for their livelihood.

The new organization will be under the management of Irvin Marcus, who managed the Northwest, which developed into a large organization before its unfortunate collapse.

Affected also will be the wholesale and retail warehouse branches in Alma Center, Abbotsford, Stanley, Riplinger and Taylor.                                                                                                    

•••••••••

Naval veterans of Clark County, both men and women, may now receive American Defense and World War II medals, if eligible, the naval recruiting service at Wausau announces.

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