Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

May 10, 1995, Page 32

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Good Old Days

 

By Dee Zimmerman

 

May 1875 Clark County News

 

Mr. S. F. Chubb, who has driven the Loyal stage for the past year or more, has accepted a situation in Hewett and Wood’s store in this place, and will enter upon its duties during the first of next week.  Mr. Chubb has had considerable experience in the merchandise business, and if competence, honesty and energy are of importance, he will prove a valuable hand.

 

The school board of Joint District No. 1, Levis and Pine Valley, are evidently wide awake and know how to prosecute business with dispatch.  Under the direction of Mr. Satterlee, work has begun on the new school site, the twelfth.  Stumps were removed; logs rolled away, brush burned on the first days work.  On the 20th, after eight days of hard labor, the District had a neat and comfortable frame school house erected on the ground; school organized; Miss Emma Berrien installed as teacher, and the scholars at work.

 

Messrs. Sawyer and Youmans have been enlarging their quarters by extending their dominion over the room formerly occupied by Mr. Ring, as a law office.  They have remodeled the room, painted and papered it, and converted it into a sleeping apartment.  They are now decidedly the best lodged unprotected orphans in town, and if anything should happen to either or both of them that might carry them hence to happier homes, we should be happy to keep those rooms in order.

 

At the last election Chas. D. King was elected a Justice of the Peace for the Town of Pine Valley.  He has accepted the office and qualified for the discharge of its duties.  The office is one of far greater importance, and it is a fortunate occurrence that Mr. Ring has been inducted to enter upon the discharge of its duties.

 

Fires in the woods are becoming quite general, and unless we have rain soon, great damage to timber and possibly to other property will be occasioned there-by.

 

Too much care cannot be taken to prevent fires of that nature at a time like this.  It is but a few years ago when, in a portion of our own state, everything that fire could destroy was swept out by some thoughtless person who did not stop to consider the damage that might follow.

 

The anniversary celebration of the American Odd-Fellowship held at this place last Monday by the lodges of that order was a success in every particular.

 

Over 100 members of the order formed a procession at the Hall and, headed by the Neillsville Brass Band, marched to the church where they were entertained with music by the choir and an able address by Rev. Bert E. Wheeler.  At the close of the exercises, the procession re-formed and marched back to the hall for more speeches.  Guests were entertained with supper at the restaurant of Mrs. Tibbetts by the Neillsville Lodge.  The celebration was closed with a grand dance at the O’Neill House, in which about 60 guests participated.

 

A change in the time of the Greenwood state: stages will leave Greenwood at 7 a.m., reaching Neillsville at 10 a.m. and returning to Greenwood directly after the arrival of the stages from Humbird and Mormon Ripple, or at half past in the afternoon.

 

On Tuesday evening a good number of citizens assembled at the court house, pursuant to a notice, to discuss the merits and demerits of incorporating the village of Neillsville; under the general law of 1872.  Capt. J. W. Tolford was chosen chairman for the evening, and Merritt C. Ring as secretary.  All but two were strongly in favor of the proposed measures of being the only way of insuring the safety of the persons and property of our citizens, and controlling the transient, disorderly element, which is the cause of numerous street and saloon brawls during the spring and fall months.

 

A committee of three was elected to have a survey and map made of the territory to be included and a census taken, and to transact all needful business previous to the incorporation.  The committee consists of R. J. McBride, James O’Neill, W. C. Allen, to which were added, upon motion, Wm. T. Hutchinson, and B. F. French.

 

The German dance given at Eyerly’s Hall last Friday night was not well-attended as anticipated, owing to another dance, by the same nationality, being given a short distance from town, on the same evening.

 

There was too much snow last Saturday to admit our young men and maidens prancing around a telegraph pole as are generally supposed to be their custom on the first day of May.  May Queens were not in great demand that day, nor were flowers in abundance.

 

Quite a number of splendid fish have been caught in Cunningham Creek during the past week. 

 

Indian street musicians are becoming quite plenteous in this locality.

 

Neverman & Co. will furnish the first lager-beer of the season on Wednesday.  It will be on tap at all the saloons in the village and at their brewery.

 

(The second segment of the Shortville history will be run in a later Press issue.  There can be a great deal of information, which ahs to be brought together, some from here and there, and this story is one of those.)

 

The Forest City (Neillsville) Band of the late 1800s who led the many parades of organizations, etc.  (Photo contributed by Mrs. W. Lauer)

 

The Neillsville Grade School which was located in the four hundred block near State Street, built in the late 1800s.  The high school building is partially visible, to the left and behind the grade school.  (Photo courtesy of Joan Buddinger)

 

The Opera House was first erected by a private fire company in 1876 and called Fireman’s Hall.  In 1885, the building was moved onto Fourth Street and the place of amusement was then changed to its title of Fourth Street Theatre of Neillsville.  The theatre was owned by a stock company, consisting of J. W. Hommel, the manager, C. C. Sniteman, H. W. Klopf, R. F. Kountz and the two Lowe Brothers.

 

Collars, collars and more collars - there had to have been every size in that assortment at Matt Marx’s harness shop.  His shop was stocked with all the horse harness needs and he repaired harnesses for his customers at the downtown Neillsville location.  (Photo courtesy of the Clark County Historical Society Jail Museum.)

 

 


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