Good Old Days

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

Clark County News

March 1875

We are requested by Mr. Campbell to state that there will be a hauling bee next Wednesday in the interest of the Presbyterian Society of this village.  It will be for the purpose of getting the lumber for their church, which is to be built during the coming summer season.  As long as sleighing lasts, with snow on the ground, the lumber can be easily hauled to the building site.  Boardman & Palmer’s mill is preparing the new lumber, so all who can lend a helping hand in the hauling of the materials, are cordially invited to do so. Dinner will be prepared and provided at the mill for all who take part in the hauling bee.  The construction of this church will be a decided improvement to our village and should receive the earnest support of all.

The weather prophets are out again and now they predict a general breakup within the next ten days, which would be between March 13^th and 23^rd.  Also, they predict hot weather will set in by April 1^st.  They were the same fellows who told us last December that we were not going to have any cold weather this past winter.

H. M. Weston, at R. Schofield’s, one and a half miles north of here, has just received a supply of flour from the celebrated Osseo Mills. There is a sufficient supply to accommodate the trade through the spring months.

Now is the time to procure your spring style of wall paper.  It is nicely trimmed and ready for hanging. Stop in at Crandall’s, as they just received over three tons of new wall paper, the largest assortment to be found in all of Clark County.

A new school bell has been installed at the Neillsville school house.  It is a great improvement over the old bell and is a genuine Troy bell.

Permanent land markers at the section corners and at all quarter posts should be erected before the original stakes and markers are lost.  The law authorizes the towns to employ competent surveyors who will perform such duties. The surveyors will be paid out of the general funds of the townships.  The markers, once permanently established, will be a great saving in the end and should eliminate the possibility of mistakes or disputes over boundaries. Questionable boundaries have often led to neighborhood quarrels. The corners, once established, will eliminate the need of employing a surveyor to determine the boundaries of an original tract of land.  The people of any township would be immense, as anyone will understand; a surveyor won’t have to be hired before every land sale. The permanent boundary markers will be a great benefit to everyone. 

March 1940

A celebration is planned by a new commerce group to mark the birth of the Neillsville Chamber of Commerce.  Last week an election was held to select the directors and officers of the new group.

Floyd H. Casler, unanimously elected as president of the Chamber by directors, indicated that arrangements would be made for such as observance, probably a free dance open to all.

Casler indicated that the function would be timed to correspond with the completion of organization formalities, which may require a short time.  He is expected to appoint a committee at the next meeting to work out arrangements. With the exception of a brief discussion on the celebration at the close, last week’s meeting was confined to the election of 10 directors and to the election of officers by the directors.

Members of the board are: Dr. M. A. Foster, George May, Pete North, Dr. M. C. Rosekrans, Floyd Casler, Arthur E. Russell, Joe Zilk, Gerry Halverson, Hubert Quicker and Lester H. Zaeske.  The first seven represent senior memberships or business interests of the city; while the last three represent junior members.

Officers elected by the board were: Casler, president; Dr. Foster, vice-president; Lester Zaeske, secretary; and H. Quicker, treasurer.

The directors were elected from among 17 names placed on a ballot by a nominating committee appointed at a previous meeting. No nominations were made from the floor, but results of an informal ballot taken earlier were used as a guide by the nominating committee.  Reconstruction of the front of the Adler Theater will be one of Neillsville’s outstanding improvements for 1940.  Plans have been prepared and approved for this reconstruction.  There will be a semi-circular canopy extending over the entire front of the building and reaching out close to the sidewalk line.

The canopy will be provided with electric display lights, with traveling effects.

The present electric sign will be lifted and rearranged.

The building will be given a porcelain front.

Several large building projects have been completed in Neillsville this past 12 months, to the estimated sum of $200,000.

Major improvements of the last year include:

The substantial and adequate St. Mary’s Catholic school building of brick standing on the site of the first Catholic school just north of the church.

A red brick booster station of Cape Cod design with a combination garage and storehouse; by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company opposite the Clark County Jail.

Modern concrete and steel bridge over O’Neill Creek on Hewett Street, now under construction.

Extensive remodeling and a new addition to the Neillsville Standard service station on the corner of Fifth and South Hewett.

Six blocks of pavement laid in the downtown area.

New sewer amounting to 2,566 lineal feet; on West Seventh, Ayres, West Fifth, East Second, Forest and North Johnson Streets.

Water mains totaling 5,062 lineal feet, reducing the number of dead ends to 12 from 24.

It provides water facilities on portions of East second, Seventh, Ayres, Sixth, Johnson, Seventeenth and Pitcher Streets.

There was the laying of 4,645 lineal feet of curb and gutter on South Oak, from Second to Fourth, Prospect and Sixteenth Streets.

Rough fish removal activities on Lake Arbutus has been the target for considerable discussion since the establishment of the $37,000 district WPA project camp set up there on February 19. The project is moving along about as was expected.

Lyle Dye, the state conservation warden is in charge. About 500 pounds of carp had been removed as of last Saturday. The catch of Monday morning increased that weight by approximately 100 pounds by the netting process.  This is an indication that carp abound in the waters of Lake Arbutus.

As for the number of carp in the lake, Dye estimates that there are approximately 500,000 pounds.  The trouble will be to try to get them out of the lake. 

By popular request there will be another Leap Year Dance at the Levis Bohemian Z.C.B.J. hall on Sunday, March 17. Music will be provided by Bill Fleischmann and his Concertina Orchestra. Admission will be 25c for the ladies and gents can dance for free.

There will be a St. Patrick’s Supper at the WRC hall, Saturday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m.  Roast pork and all the trimmings is on the menu. Adults pay 40c and children 25c.  (The WRC hall was located north of the United Methodist Church, a frame building which was originally built and used for worship services by the Methodist congregation before the present brick building.  The WRC was the Women’s Relief Corp., a women’s auxiliary to the Civil War Veterans. D.Z.)

The cows on the Alvin Pagenkopf farm are now quite contented. Pagenkopf has the honor of being the first in the Jack Creek Square area to install a radio in his dairy barn. As yet, he has not made known to the public just what kind of music his cows prefer.

There will be Easter services at the South Washburn Church on Easter Sunday, in both the German and English languages.  The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper will be observed.

The Neillsville Production Credit association office will be moved to its new location, the Leason building, on East Fifth Street, early next week.  A partition has been removed between two west rooms and the entire interior is being redecorated.  A new floor covering of inlaid linoleum will be installed in each room.  (The Leason building was razed about 15 or 20 years ago and now is the site of a parking lot. D. Z.)

In the records of 39 years ago, in the March 7 issue of the Press, the real estate transactions were spoken of as Levis area sales and buildings.  At that time Levis consisted of Dewhurst also. All of those fine buildings were put up in and around Columbia, which was a plan of a company of “boomers” of Graves and Company in Janesville.  City lots were platted and an artesian well was put in a Columbia.  Special trains brought hundreds of land seekers for the cheap land where lumber barons had taken off the forest’s trees.  Many people took up the cleared lands, where returns were expected to be immediate. 

Mary Ann Kintzele observed her 10^th birthday with a sleigh ride party. Third and fourth graders, classmates, were invited to join in the party, and also their teacher, Miss Sloveig Utoft, of the Neillsville South Side School.  Mrs. Kintzele served refreshments after the sleigh ride.   Mary Ann was ten years old on March 12.

The Easter rabbit, which has appeared on the porch at the home of the Neillsville City Clerk, William Hemp for many years, came again this year. Also, once again, the neighborhood kids were supplied with nests of eggs of every conceivable color.  The idea originated with, and has been revived each year, by the master of the Hemp house.  Mrs. Hemp and her sister, Miss Mary Kearned, spend many hours during the Easter season in coloring dozen of eggs for the Easter Bunny.

If you are in need of a new refrigerator, stop in at the Neillsville Maytag Co. store.  On display, you will see the genuine 6 cu. ft. Frigidaire at the low price of $109.50.

Seif & Byse Sales Co. is your Ford dealer in Neillsville. They have some used car and trucks at special prices, such as: 1935 Ford pickup, $225; 1938 one-ton truck, $575; 1939 Ford coach, $525; 1938 Frodo coach, $375; 1931 Willys sedan, $125.

Roehrborn’s Store specials of the week: 3 lbs. prunes, 15c; onions, 10 lbs., 23c; potatoes, 1 bushel, 85c; lard, 4 lbs., 29c; Sweet-sour German red cabbage, #2 can, 15c.

J. C. Penney Co. Spring Specials are: Jean Nedra women’s hats, from 98c to $1.98; Rayon gloves, dressy styles, 49c; handbags, in all shapes, new colors, 98c; men’s sanforized shirts, 98c and $1.49; Men’s pleated slacks, cashmeres or worsted weaves, $2.98 & $3.98; colorful neckties, 49c each.

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In order for a team to be invincible, there’s got to be collective skills rather than individual brilliance.

--Anthony O’Reilly Rugby great and head of H. J. Heinz

A Victorian style house was built on the southeast corner of the State and Fifth Street intersection in Neillsville in 1891.  Dickinson was owner of the house and he had employed George Trogner as the general contractor of its construction.  Marcus and Katharine Hoesly, after retiring from farming, purchased the home in December 1912. Their daughter, Ann, became owner of the property circa 1930.  Many will remember Ann as an employee of Schuster and Campman, for 57 years, when their offices were located above the C. C. Sniteman Pharmacy.  Presently, Allan Hoesly, a third-generation family member, is owner of the attractive well-kept home that symbolizes the 1890s era of Neillsville. Allan is an employee of the Neillsville Public Schools.