Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

February 10, 1999, Page 24

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Clark County News

 

February 1879

 

Marsh Sturdevant became discouraged at the unseasonably warm weather of last week and broke up his logging camps on Friday.  Not having been able to fill his contract, he was unable to get money to pay his men, some fifty in all.  Subsequently, a lien was put upon the logs; Ross cut last winter, and put in the river by Sturdevant for John Paul, of La Crosse.  Other creditors then followed with their claims.  Like many other lumbermen, Sturdevant has had hard luck for several years.  If he had kept his men in camp a few days longer, he undoubtedly would come out all right; but who can be blamed for making a wrong guess on the weather?

 

The lumbermen along the Black River are once again more cheerful, and as full of hope and energy as ever.  Last Sunday afternoon, the weather turned cold and the next morning about five inches of snow fell.  The nights have since been very cold, so with the aid of sprinklers and snow shovels, each morning’s sledding has been better for hauling logs.  All the loggers ask for is ordinary February weather and they will do one of the best winter’s works ever done on the river.

 

A very bold theft was recently committed in Coleman’s camp on Four-mile Creek, near King’s mill.  A man slipped into King’s camp and stole sixty-five logs from the skidways while King’s crew was working nearby.  There seems to be one thing he did not attempt.  He did not ask any of King’s crewmen to help him load the logs.  The logs were recovered and, we understand, the thief paid dearly for his brief ownership.

 

It seems that the county dividers are being very greedy.  They propose, in their bill, to take ten instead of seven townships from Clark County and six townships from Marathon County. Even with a total of sixteen townships, the new county would be next to the smallest and poorest in the state.  If the dividers get their way, the new county will be named Webster.

 

Fred Buker, of Greenwood, is up and going again.  He has suffered with a bad ankle for some weeks, due to injuries he received in the war.

 

A concert was given at the church in Greenwood on Friday evening.  A large audience expressed pleasure in listening to the excellent musicians who provided the program.  The concert proved a success, both financially and otherwise.  The following Sunday morning, a very suitable gilt-edged Bible crowned the pulpit.  The object for the entertainment was given for the Bible purchase.  A snug sum on (of) $6.25 is the remainder to be put in the treasury.

 

The R. Rev. E. R. Wells, S.T.D., Bishop of the Episcopal Church, in the Diocese of Wisconsin, will visit Neillsville and conduct services of Sunday.  The services will be held in the church room in the high school at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.  The confirmation will be held at the 7 p.m. service.  Everyone is cordially invited to attend.

 

A bill is now before the Legislature to authorize “William T. Price, his associates and assigns,” to improve O’Neill Creek in Clark County.  The improvements would be for the purpose of facilitating log driving in that stream.  In case the parties expend the sum of $5,000 in said improvements, they are to be allowed a toll of twenty-five cents per thousand feet, board measure, for all logs floated out of O’Neill Creek.

 

W. T. Kountz appears to have picked up enough knowledge of the law to embark in the profession.  He is now a full fledged lawyer, having been admitted to the bar at the recent term of the Circuit Court for Taylor County.  Kountz will undoubtedly make his mark in the profession.  It is his intention to locate somewhere on the line of the Central Road.

 

Once again, Greenwood has a barber in town.  A barber shop has been opened up on Main Street, first door north of Brown & Hunt’s Store.  Those of us who have tried his professional work consider him first class.  He can shave customers, and that pleases us, by having a chance to rid ourselves of a chore we have been regretting.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Schofield traveled up to Greenwood lately, on a tour of inspection on their new “wigwam.”

 

The seventeen business firms of Greenwood are piling up dirt to wash or pan out of the streets this spring. When the snow, then rains fall to be followed by the floods which will carry the logs down river – then and only then, will the shop keepers know the extent of their investments.

 

Mr. and Mrs. John Gwin, of Loyal, were in Neillsville for a few hours this week.  It was good to see him, looking like himself again.  His wife, Ett, is looking even better than herself.

 

Tom Lowe came near making sausage of his fingers last week.  He got the ends of his fingers, on one hand, slightly clipped by a sausage machine.

 

The Milwaukee State Journal is the title of a new and very readable literary paper that has come to our desk.  We like it, as others must, and hope it will continue coming to our office.  The Journal is published by Pratt & Longworth, for $2 per year.

 

Good saw logs of any kind, delivered at Gallagher’s mill, will be taken at fair rates to pay any debts at this newspaper office.

 

The scholars of Mrs. C. L. Chandler’s School, joint District No. 3, York and Grant, gave a program last Friday evening.  The program consisted of recitations, declamations, tableaux, pantomimes, etc.  It was attended by a large and appreciative audience.

 

The bill creating a new county from portions of the counties of Chippewa and Lincoln has passed both houses of the legislature.  The bill had nearly become a law creating the county of Flambeau.  Mr. Scott happened to think it would please Mr. Price to have the county named after him, and so moved.  No one, not even the inhabitants, care what they called the new county, so Price it is.

 

The Old Settler’s reunion which took place at the O’Neill House last Friday was a success.

 

However, there weren’t as many old settlers from the lower river area as it was hoped would attend.

 

Many came from Jackson County and nearly every quarter of Clark County was represented.  Visiting among the old folks took place in the afternoon.  Everyone moved into the O’Neill House Hall in the evening to listen to the Hon. C. R. Johnson, of Black River Falls, the first school master along the Black River.

 

After Johnson’s address and a business meeting adjourned, the Quinette Band entered the hall.  Most of the old settlers participated in dancing.  Even though their hearts ware still light, their forms are growing heavy with the weight of years.  It may be thought that some of these old folks went on the dance floor for effect but the younger settlers waiting their turn, afterwards didn’t caper more nimbly, than the oldsters.

 

The dance opened with the following well-known characters on the floor:

 

First set –

 

Orson Bacon and Mrs. J. W. Ferguson; Capt. and Mrs. C. R. Johnson; Levi (Tom) Withee and Mrs. E. H. Markey; Capt. and Mrs. Tom LaFlesh

 

Second set –

 

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Mead; Mr. and Mrs. C. Blakeslee; Mr. and Mrs. Tom Reed; Mark Douglas and Mrs. Frank Darling

 

Third set –

Mr. and Mrs. B. F. French; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dewhurst; James Hewett and Miss Mattie Hewett; Geo. B. Marshall and Mrs. W. H. Marshall

 

Fourth set –

 

Robert Mooer and Mrs. M. W. Reddan; John Reed and Mrs. O. P. Wells; E., H. Markey and Mrs. Joseph Hill; Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo Brooks

 

Much of the enjoyment of the occasion was owing to the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. James Hewett, of the O’Neill House, who left nothing undone to add to the comfort or pleasure of their guests.

 

February 1959

 

The Neillsville High School Warrior Basketball team will close a successful regular season next week.

 

The Warriors swamped Loyal, 74-52 at their last game.  Chuck Glassbrenner came through with his best game of the season, scoring 20 points while Johnny Schwellenbach hit for 25.

 

Chuck and Johnny, hitting well from the outside, put the game on ice and coach Hank Lukes put in his reserves for the second half of the game.

 

Roder was high scorer for Loyal with 21 points, followed closely by John Rottjier with 19.

 

Other members of the Loyal roster were Meyer, B. Rottjier, Erickson, Brussow and Nysted.

 

The Neillsville Warriors team players for this season were: Duane Smith; Dennis Gall; Chuck Glassbrenner; John Flynn; Bill Perrine, Jr.; Bill Simek, Jr.; Craig Blum; Brian Schmidt; Chas. Bright; Bud Tompkins and John Schwellenbach with Hank Lukes as coach.

 

Morris Blodgett, superintendent of the American Stores Dairy company plant here, was elected president of the Neillsville Country Club at the annual meeting this past week.

 

Other officers elected were: Art Schraufnagel, vice president; H. O. Giese, secretary-treasurer; and Donald W. Johnson, assistant secretary-treasurer.

 

Johnson’s repot stated last season’s membership as being 298, the largest in the club’s history.  The roll numbered 253 the previous year.  The report also indicated a construction debt balance of $900.

 

The club voted to retain the $10 membership fee which has been in effect for the last three years, and $5 for high school students under 18 whose parents are not members.

 

The retirement of Vernard O. Kauffman, manager of O & N Lumber Yard in Loyal, became official the first of the year.  He had been associated with the company for almost 40 years.

 

Kauffman entered the Loyal yard as assistant manager to Harry Palms, April 1, 1920.  In 1923 he went to Riplinger, where he was manager for one year, returning to Loyal to relieve Palms as manager.

 

Kauffman’s son, Dale, will now become manager of the Loyal lumber yard.  Dale entered the business in 1940 as assistant.  He worked three years in the Medford yard.

 

Vern Kauffman was born in Hillsboro on March 24, 1889.  In 1901 he came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Kauffman, to Clark County.   The family settled on a piece of wild land three and one-half miles northwest of Loyal.  About 1906, the family moved to a farm along Highway 98, now owned by Mr. and Mrs. W. Butterbrodt.

 

As a young man, Kauffman worked in the Graves Mill and at Wuethrich’s factory.  He also worked in Stockbridge for five years.

 

Upon returning to Loyal, he entered the Army and served for 14 months in World War I.  One year of that service was overseas.

 

Returning from the service, Kauffman farmed the Graves farm for a short time.  In January 1920, he was married.  The next year he built a home across the street from the O&N yard and lived there since, except the year he was in Riplinger.

 

The Kauffman’s have a second son, Donald, in the Navy, and a daughter, Dorothy Steiger, in Neillsville.

 

Established shortly after the turn of the century, in 1904, the Riplinger Saw Mill was kept busy.  Situated in an area surrounded by excellent virgin hardwood timber, such as white and red oak, linden, maple, rock elm, birch, ash and some butternut, it was an ideal location for the business.  The mill was owned by Charles Duvall, and was located near Riplinger.  It was on the south side of Riplinger road where Cty. Hwy. Q dead ends.  All that remains on the site is part of the foundation.  (Photo courtesy of the Gurtner Family Photo Collection)

 

 


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