Good Old Days

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman 

News of Clark County

October 1897

For Sale, 1,000 pressed brick, $1.50 per 100. Inquire at the jail.

Big heating stove in good condition to trade for wood or potatoes.  Inquire of Fred A. Rossman, the barber.

The new Clark County Jail is finished, all but the steam pipe connections.  The day for its acceptance is Oct. 20.

Arthur Dudley finished a job the other day of large extent and climbed down to earth again, glad to feel mud beneath his feet and grateful no bones were broken.  It takes a man of nerve to climb all over the courthouse roof, and put 25 gallons of paint on it evenly and come away unhurt.

Harry Robins has purchased a gramophone, and has arranged to give a concert, with it at the Presbyterian Church on the evening of Oct. 20.  It is a machine that gives songs, instrumental music, makes speeches or reproduces a dog fight, or any other thing of which sound is the expression.

Henry Meyer is building himself a new house on his picturesque farm down on the Cunningham, south of the Ans Green place.

Gus Nelson of Washburn bought a handsome new two-seated spring wagon at Wolff & Korman’s shop Tuesday and drove home a proud and happy man.  It is the wagon that won first premium at the recent fair.

Walking Cloud or Silent Hunter, a famous Indian, age 101 years, is dead at his home eight miles north of Black River Falls.  He was a noted hunter when young.  It is said he was the only hunter who could walk to a sleeping deer without the deer hearing him, so soft were his footsteps.

The law firm of O’Neill & Marsh was dissolved by mutual consent on Dec. 1.  The senior member of the firm is going on the bench Jan. 1 as circuit court judge, succeeding W. F. Bailey of the 17^th District.  Marsh will continue the business at the rooms long occupied by the firm.

For Neillsville this change in the work of our esteemed fellow citizen, James O’Neill, is a very historic event.  O’Neill’s fairness has bridged many a chasm.

The Bruley Spoke Mill wants to purchase the following: 500 cords white oak, 24 inch, Spoke Bolts -- $2.50; 500 cords white oak, 30 inch Spoke Bolts - $3.00; 500 cords white oak, 24 inch - $2.00; 500 cords Basswood Bolts, 38” -- $2.00; Also No. 1, 12 ft., No. 2, 8 ft. and No. 3, 4 ft. white oak Spoke Logs.

Bartell Bros. new meat market will be opened and ready for business this Saturday.  A fine choice of fresh meats, as well as sausage and game will be in stock.  Bartell’s is on the corner of Hewett and Fifth Streets.

Schwartz (Schwarze?) Bros. have opened a black smith shop in the Kerns building, corner of Grand Ave. and Fifth Street.  Repairing is done cheap and all work guaranteed.

Hon. Jos. Marsh, statesman and lumberman combined, is out hustling and will put in two or three million feet of logs at his Spokeville mill.  Last winter, his voice was heard in the assembly halls at Madison for his constituents; this winter it will be heard in Clark County for Joe. 

While coming down Dewhurst’s hill on his wheel (bicycle) Tuesday evening, Morton Tompkins collided with A. M. Harreman’s horse, throwing Mort several feet.  He landed on his head and shoulders cutting a great gash over his right eye, being badly shaken up.  The rig was not damaged further than giving the horse a scare.

Last Saturday the Pine Valley town board met with the county committee on roads for the district.  A decision was made to put in a massive stone abutment at the north end of the Grand Avenue river bridge.  Committee members will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday at the bridge to let the contract.  Contractors should be there with machete in hand if it’s a job they’re after.

The John Paul Lumber Co. will sell their lands in the following towns: Lynn, Levis, Eaton, Beaver, Withee, Green Grove, Warner, Mead, Hixon, and Hoard, land improved and unimproved.  For particulars call or address W. L. Hemphill, Neillsville.

October 1917

Neff-Hemp Wedding, At noon on Oct. 11, Mr. Charles Neff and Miss Alvira Hemp wee united in marriage at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Hemp in this city.

Greeler-Rupprecht Marriage, Mr. George Rupprecht and Miss Florence Greeler were quietly married at the Lutheran parsonage Sunday, Oct. 14, Rev. H. Brandt officiating.

Double Wedding in Granton, Oct. 18, a double wedding took place at the Mapleworks German Lutheran Church: the contracting parties being William Dankemeyer and Miss Ruby Martin, Arno Ross and Miss Gertrude Martin.  The two brides are sisters, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. John Martin, of Lynn.  William Dankemeyer is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Aug. Dankemeyer, Town of Fremont.  The other groom, Arno Ross, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Ross, also of the same town.  The ceremony was performed by Rev. M. Hasz. 

Paul Pernod will hold a public auction at his farm, the former LaFlesh farm, located one mile east of Neillsville or just opposite the county fairgrounds.  All property will be sold on Thurs., Oct. 25.

Trustees of the Unitarian Society; known as the Peoples Church met last week and voted to put the principal of the church funds, $2,350, into Liberty Bonds.  A few years ago their church building was sold to the German Reformed Congregation and the proceeds put at interest.  Most of the interest was donated yearly to the Neillsville City Library.  The amount of $116 interest money was turned over to the library last week, when the principal amount was put into bonds.

On Monday, the County Council of Defense sent out a letter to the chairman and supervisors of each town, city and village in the county.  They were informed of the government command to secure a house to house canvas to obtain the signing of a food pledge card by each family, ensuring all families (will) be signed up.

Quite a few of the farmers in the county have their potato crop in cold storage failing to get dug before the freeze.  This early winter makes the farmers in a bad situation.  With prices soaring and a scarcity in nearly everything, what can we expect for spring?

October 1942

On Friday, Oct. 9, 78 men will leave for Army Service representing the September group of Selective Service in Clark County: 

Neillsville, Joseph M. Resong, Ward A. Lockman, John H. Roberts, Edmund Statz, Howard S. Stilwell, Marvin W. Benedict, Hugh F. Stoffel, Herbert C. Henchen, Mike Finder, Ernest Ziglinski, Henry G. Zastrow, and Lawrence L. Struble. 

Greenwood, Leo W. Wehrman, Laverne Brown, Ralph H. Seefluth, Verland W. Schorer, Glenn L. Howard, Allen L. Luber, George E. Finkle, William E. Joyce, Fred H. Decker, Edward F. Potter and Harry E. Steffen.

Granton, Leroy F. Todd, Robert G. Howard, Roy J. Kleinschmidt and James C. Engebretson

Humbird, Harold B. Aanerud, Joseph N. Cooper, Robert A. Smith and Vernon L. Smith

Chili, Charles L. Selk, Marlyn I. Lindow, Norman E. Miller and Burr A. Woelker

Willard, Roger Djubenski

Loyal, Ewald W. Hinklemann, Glen F. Clouse, Edmund J. Hinklemann, Robert A. Bugar, Albert Oestreich, Edward J. Groh and Leo N. Bertz

Owen, Lester F. Jens, John E. Winslow, Merlin A. Behringer, Harold Krarup, Arthur C. Johnson, Cecil J. Schmidt, Walter A. Alexander, and Christopher R. Berg.

Thorp, Ellery B. Freese, Steve J. Kosikoski, Herbert H. Breeren, John S. Dudra, Maxmillian G. Beller, Harry F. Quelle, Anton S. Harycki, Hugo J. Roesler, Albert E. Morrison, Stanley J. Sokolowski and Dewey Andrews.

Dorchester, Ray W. Quealheim, Harry H. Robinson, Philip Haugen and Clifford Hanson

 Withee, Ira L. Baker, Anthony F. Laski, Hans C. Paulson, Otto Rohland, Albert F. Beilfuss and Jacob E. Ahomaki

Curtiss, Kenneth C. Herrick and Elmer E. Durbin

Spencer, John Schoolman

Abbotsford, Melvin G. Nikolay, Sylvester Mittlestedt and Saul Krom 

The men will leave from Loyal, Friday, to begin army training at Ft. Sheridan.

No canning sugar purchase certificates may be issued by the local war price and rationing board after Oct. 15, according to Leo W. Foster, executive secretary.

Neillsville city trucks will be picking up scrap metal set out along the city streets.  Each household and business institution is encouraged to participate in the drive to send scrap metal to our steel mills to keep them going in production of war material.  Check your attic, cellar, woodshed, garage and back yard for any old scrap metal, gather the metal items and place them in a pile by the curb to be picked up.

Fuel oil rationing is to be conducted in Wisconsin.  Plans will be explained at a meeting in Whitehall on Friday.  Officials and office personnel of the war price and rationing boards of area counties will attend.

After Nov. 15, all operators of farm trucks must have the certificates of war necessity for hauling farm produce.

An old dump on the east end of Ninth Street in Neillsville produced 2,280 lbs. of metal for Uncle Sam.  With unbounded enthusiasm, two shovels and a crowbar, three Neillsville mothers and five children pitched into the scrap.

Mrs. Claude Ayers, Mrs. Ray Eggeman, Mrs. Irving Marden, and the children, Wendell, Melvin and Donald Ayers, Bobby Eggeman and Keith Marden were proud of their achievement.

They cut through a five year growth of vines, matted grass and dirt the city crew had used to cover the old dump.  The mining production was good.  They uncovered aluminum, brass, copper and iron.  There were bed springs, bedsteads, chunks of iron and pieces of old automobile motors.

Finally they came to the frame of a large automobile.  They uncovered it and with great combined effort rolled it to the top of the pile.  Then they found the frame of an old truck.

With the help of the scrap collecting truck, and its drivers, the following afternoon, the old truck frame was pulled from its resting place to finish the whole load totaling 2,280 pounds.

The dump had been unused for about five years.  It had been gradually covered over by excess dirt to improve its appearance of O’Neill Creek and the large sandstone rocks which border it.  The city crew will have to put some more fill in there now.

(Those of us, who remember the 1940s war-time, tend to have forgotten the “rationing days” and the “scrap metal drives.”  We drive up to the gasoline pumps and “fill up” the vehicle tanks whenever we want.  The rationing days allotted a minimal amount of gasoline over a period of time, the amount that wouldn’t get us far in this day and age.  In fact, we would have trouble dealing with gas rationing today.  Dee Zimmerman)

A factory building was located in the 500 block on South Main Street, Greenwood, circa 1910.  A lumber yard occupied the lot in the later years, after removal of the factory.  (Photo Courtesy of Clark County Historical Society Jail Museum)