Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

June 21, 2000, Page 32

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

IN THE Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

June 1935

 

On Saturday, June 8, more than 600 8th grade students of the Clark County rural and state graded schools will assemble at the Clark County fairgrounds for graduation exercises.  Completion of the 8th grade work entitles these students to enter any high school and many of them do plan to begin high school studies next September.

 

The following program will be on the agenda: Invocation, Rev. Longnecker; Address of Welcome, W. J. Landry; Singing by Graduates, led by Assemblyman V. W. Nehs; Baritone solo, Lowell Schoengarth; Archery Exhibition, B. M. Ohnstad, Lake Arbutus C.C.C.; Rhythm Band, Willard School: Address, Al Devos; Vocal Solo, Miss Gertrude Clouse; Cornet Solo, Robert Dahnert; Presentation of Diplomas.  There will be a “kitten” ball game after the exercises between the Shortville and Neillsville Milk Pool teams.  (For those of you who are too young to know what “kitten” ball was, it later became known as softball. D. Z.)

 

Jake Hoesly, who is employed at the Neillsville Milk Pool Cooperative, left Wednesday afternoon for Madison.  It is reported that he will be married to Miss Harriet Getz, a Neillsville High School teacher, on Thursday.

 

The Neillsville Milk Pool Cooperative reports it is making 3,000 to 3,500 pounds of butter and 2,300 pounds of casein daily at its local plant.  The organization began operating its plant a year ago, June 1st with 92 patrons and 22,000 pounds of milk daily.  The plant now has 260 patrons who deliver 80,000 pounds of milk daily.

 

There will be a free dance on Saturday night, June 8 at Barney’s Place, 3 ½ miles south and 2 miles west of Willard.  Music will be provided by “Adrion’s Band.”

 

The Humbird High School marked its 50th year graduation on Thursday evening.  Instituted in 1883, the school’s first class consisted of a single young lady who graduated in 1885.  George F. Witter, now an attorney of Oakland, Calif., was principal of the school at the time and later his first graduating class student, Miss Mayme Carter, became his wife.

 

This year’s graduates were: Werner Amport, Vera Campbell, Eileen Creviston, Theo. Dignin, June Duerkop, Romona Holman, Marjorie Nibbe, Martha Trachsel and Wayland Waters.  Prof. Marshall Norseng of Madison was commencement speaker.

 

The unpaved streets of Neillsville will be treated with a coat of oil soon, following action taken by the city council on Tuesday night.  The cost of the project, including a “blotter” coat of sand will total $4,000 for the 12 miles of streets to be treated.  The cost will be paid out of the general fund, it was decided.  Officials reported many complaints against the dusty condition of the streets have been submitted.

 

Mr. Louis Meinholdt and Miss Agnes Wagner were married at Decorah, Iowa, June 5.

 

The bride, who is a trained nurse, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Wagner of South Court Street.  Since her graduation from a training course in nursing, she has been employed in Milwaukee and Neillsville.

 

The groom is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Meinholdt of Greenwood.  For some time he has had a position in the Wagner restaurant where he has made many friends among its patrons and other area residents.

 

An old North Side landmark, the A. S. Leason & Son pump and windmill factory, built in 1880, was recently sold to William Dux and his brothers who completed wrecking the building this week. The old structure, erected by A. S. Leason and W. A. Leason, was a busy place in the early days.  They manufactured wooden pumps, fanning mills, milk safes, water tanks and windmills.  A few years later, W. A. Leason left the business to take up dentistry.  E. R. Leason then became associated with his father in the business.  The last wooden pump was manufactured 25 years ago.  Up to that time, seven or eight men were employed in the factory and three salesmen were on the road selling the products.  When the plant was built, machinery was shipped by railway to Marshfield where it was picked up and hauled by teams and wagon to Neillsville.  The Main Street of Marshfield at that time was composed of sawdust, slabs and mud.  The crew sent to get the steam boiler, worked two days at getting out of Marshfield and about the same length of time hauling it to this city.  The coming of the gasoline engine in later years gradually crowded out the demand for windmills and the business declined.

 

When A. S. Leason came from Hingham, Wis., where he had been manufacturing pumps, Neillsville was surrounded by wilderness.  They often hunted for bear and deer behind the shop, in the direction of O’Neill Creek.  A. S. Leason died in October, 1919.

 

Build a new home now and pay no taxes on it until 1938.  Remodel an old home and pay no more taxes than were assessed in 1935.

 

On May 22, 1935, this new law became effective in Wisconsin, Chapter 97 of the Laws of 1935.  The Law reads:

 

“The assessed value of Real Property as determined in the 1935 assessment shall not be increased in 1936 or 1937 by reason of improvements made on such real property.”

 

So, now is the time to build or remodel your home, factory, garage, or apartment in Neillsville or the country.  Get your building supplies at Fullerton Lumber Co., D. A. Peterson Mgr.

 

Victor Turner (*Response below) of the Town of York reports that he and Pete Anderegg were driving along Highway 98 between Loyal and Greenwood last Sunday evening, at about 9:45, when they saw a perfect lunar rainbow.  They are anxious to know if any other person saw this strange phenomenon.

 

Lunar rainbows are caused by the rays of moonlight passing through the moist air, but do not seem to be very common.

 

Three young men from the Owen community were arrested and brought before Judge Dudley on Monday morning by Sheriff Hal Richardson.  They were charged with disturbing a dance Saturday night at Adolph Jackson’s dance hall.

 

The three all pleaded guilty and were fined $10 and costs, amounting to $13.75, or 30 days in jail.  They went to jail awaiting efforts of friends to raise money to pay their fines.

 

 

(The May 31st issue of “The Good Old Days” included an article about George and Caroline [Lichte] Howard’s 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration, held at their home in 1935.  Located on Ridge Road, ½ mile north of Hwy. 10, on Pray Avenue, then ½ mile east, is where Robert Howard settled and developed the farmstead in the 1850s.  Descendents of his family had lived on the farm for nearly 150 years, the last member being William Howard who sold the property three years ago.

 

The honored couple’s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Vernie (Bernadine) Howard baked the anniversary cake for the event.  She celebrated her 93rd birthday last week, on June 13, at the home of her daughter, Judy Ahlberg at Turtle Lake. D.Z.)

 

The honored 50th Anniversary couple, George and Caroline Howard, are seated in the front row, center, behind two little children, Vern H. Howard and Zona Smith, holding a basket of flowers.  Other guests are left to right, front row: Donald Hughes, James West, Ralph Blackman, Clarion Counsell, Lee Counsell, Daisy West, Doris Counsell, Vernie G. Howard, Ethel Geisler, Caroline Howard, Zona Smith, Gertrude Martin, Lill Howard, Robert Howard, Ray West, Gordon Vine, Douglas Buddinger, James Howard, Lois Howard, Eilean Trieber, Roy Suckow, Nina Blackman, Estella Buddinger (2nd, 3rd, & 4th row, some on the steps): George Huebner, Elinora Huebner, Irene Rowe, Marjorie Vine, Janet Short, Dorothy Vine, Rika West, Mrs. Ben Dudei, Clarion Howard, Margaret Lichte, Fred Lichte, Archie Howard, Ida Howard, Adolph Lichte, Len Howard, Belle Howard, John Howard, Racie Selves, Richard Selves, Lydia Slocomb-Barton, Carl Braatz, George West, Joe Buss, William Swann, Jay Muno, Patricia Muno, Leola Muno, Dan Hughes, George Vine, Bill Smith, Gerhardt Lichte, Alfred Magnuson, George Buddinger, Ernie Reimer, Fern Kuehn, Rose Smith, Marion Hiles, Mrs. Herman Braatz, Elsie Howard, Mrs. Henry Braatz, Ella Magnuson, Rev. Longnecker, Neva Swann, Ardith Hubing, Laura Drescher, Vernon Drescher, Edward Selves, Earline Broers, Mrs. John Broers, Merwyn Howard, Betty Howard, Merton Howard, Arnold Worchel, Bonnie Rae Worchel, Mr. Prange, Mrs. Prange, Fred Vine, Moritz Meinhardt, Norman Meinhardt, James Hughes, Paul Garbisch.  Those standing on the porch: (with several unidentified) Herman Braatz, Margaret Vine, Mrs. Roy Suchow, Mrs. Leander Olia, Leah Short, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Huckstead, Lila Hubing, Hazel West (Slocomb), Mrs. James West, Janice West, Helen Vine, Mrs. Arthur Hubing, Emma Schrieber, Garnett Bladl, Viola Johnson, Elgie Blackman, George Kuehn, Will Kurth, Charles Hubing, Willard Gerhardt, Glenn Gerhardt, Mrs. Alvin Eisentraut, George Howard, Marion Counsell, Alva Howard, Pauline Lichte, Ruth Hiles, Elmer Lichte, Irwin Lichte, Eugene Short, Mrs. Willard Gerhardt, Cliff Blackman and Doris Counsell.

 

Responses

 

The above clip brought back some memories. My dad (Kenneth Wood) had gone outside, after dark and saw a rainbow. He came back in and got us and people thought he had made up the story when he would tell it. I was about 5 years old when this happened and I wish he could have seen this paper at the time.

Kindness is never out of style
God Bless you--
Elaine (Wood) Greene/Jenson.

 

 


© Every submission is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

 

Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.

 

Become a Clark County History Buff

 

Report Broken Links

A site created and maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
and supported by your generous donations.

 

Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke,

Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,

Crystal Wendt & Al Wessel

 

CLARK CO. WI HISTORY HOME PAGE