January 1876

Charlie Crocker has returned from his wanderings and is again on duty at Lloyd’s hardware store.

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The ice on O’Neill Creek pond affords good skating and a world of amusement is there for the skaters in our village.

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John Thayer took a tumble at the Brick Store last Thursday, falling from the top of a high stepladder to the floor.  He lost a little skin by the fall, skinning his elbow as he passed the top of the counter.  Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt.

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The opening dance at Robinson & Co.’s new hall at Greenwood, New Year’s Eve, more than filled the expectations of all parties.  The attendance was good, and a more jovial company never assembled.  The proprietors, in accordance with their announcement, had made all preparations for a grand opening, and nothing had been neglected that could add to the enjoyment of the occasion. The hall, though not the largest, is one of the nicest rooms to be found, and would do credit to a much larger place.  The music was furnished by the Augusta Band and the supper was provided by W. H. Begley.

Quite a number of from Neillsville were in attendance.  All appreciated the kindness of the people of that flourishing town, who did their best to make it pleasant for guests from here.

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Mr. Wm. Seeley has opened a new hotel in the house lately vacated by Al Stafford.  There, he proposes to dispense cheer to the hungry and the weary, at rates that, if universal, would make it cheaper to travel than to stay at home.

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Gates & Head, dealers in and packers of fresh and salt meats, have done the heaviest business in their line ever done in this village during the present season.

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Prominent lumbermen claim that the roads in the woods are better at present than they were at any time last winter, when they were blessed with too much snow.

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Will Marsh looks like a Norwegian, but he doesn’t speak their language worth a cent, as a Norsk learned who asked Will the other day whether he was of that nationality.

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Attention is called to the advertisement of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company.  The different roads owned by this great company traverse five states, making connections with the best lines leading east, south and west.  They are furnished with all the conveniences devised for modern travel, which makes their routes the best now offered to the traveling public.

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Ren Halstead, having disposed of his interest therein to Mr. Charles B. Hackney, retired from the Halstead House, Humbird last Wednesday morning.  Ren, with his jovial fun-loving disposition, made one of the best of hosts, and all who have known him in that capacity will regret to hear that he has ceased to provide for the wayfaring public.

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Leap Year parties are the rage in nearly every locality.  The girls appear determined to take advantage of the opportunity afforded.  (Years ago, proper etiquette required that the young men would ask the young ladies for dates in accompanying them to social events.  However, during Leap Year, which is every four years, an exception was made to the rule of etiquette when “Leap Year” events were held, with the young ladies doing the asking. D.Z.)

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Last Tuesday, one of the lead-horses of a four-horse team, belonging to D. J. Spaulding, of Black River Falls, became startled while crossing the Black River Bridge in the Town of Levis.  He plunged off the bridge when about in the middle of the structure, falling to the ice below, a distance of about 18 feet.  The strangest part of the matter is that the horse was not injured in the least, but after surveying the situation for a moment, he started for the shore.  He went down the river some distance, apparently looking for a place where the bank was not too steep for him to climb.  When he found such a place, he made the ascent, went back onto the bridge and took his place in the team, beside his mate, as if nothing had happened.

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The County Board met in the old courtroom, last Tuesday, from which the stove had been removed for use in the new courthouse.  The temperature of the room was much too low for comfort, and as there were just as many in favor in staying where it was uncomfortable as there were of those who favored a warmer locality; a little game of “freeze-out” was inaugurated.  That was kept up during that afternoon and resulted in a change of quarters.  On Wednesday morning, the Board assembled for the first time in the new courthouse.

January 1936

In an attempt to stop the number of game law violations in Clark County, Conservation Wardens William Cole, John Ruskauff and Walter Scott worked in the territory around Neillsville during four days last week.  In that time, nine arrests were made and the penalties resulting upon eight of those men apprehended, amounted in all to eight months in jail, $100 and costs and the seizure of two guns and various parts of venison.

The Wisconsin Conservation Commission is well aware of the fact that comparatively few deer are left in Clark County.  So in order to save the breeding stock, stricter enforcement of the conservation laws is necessary.  It is also estimated that but 50 percent of the hunters in the county have taken out a license to hunt.  Such a condition, along with all the other types of prevalent game law violations, can only be stopped with the help of the true sportsmen and citizens themselves.  Members of sportsmen’s clubs and every friend of Conservation should feel it his duty to help the wardens in their attempt to protect whatever wild life is left.  With such cooperation, there is little doubt that Clark County will soon again have its normal stock of wildlife, which means better and fairer hunting for everyone; even the man with the camera.

Walter E. Scott, Conservation Warden

(According to the present number of deer throughout our county and state, their projected plan worked. D.Z.)

Wisconsin has but one small elk herd and these animals roam the areas of Vilas County, living largely in the refuge.  Twenty elk were released several years ago and there has been a slight increase in number.  The Conservation Department plans to stock moose in places that they originally occupied.  Large refuges are necessary for these animals.

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Chas. Lee, the husband of Alice Wilding Lee, formerly of Neillsville, was the construction mechanic to check the steel from the mills in California that went into the five big gates of the Boulder Dam.  Each gate required 40 gondola cars to transport from the steel mills to the dam site.

This dam, on the Colorado River in Arizona, is now filling up the artificial lake, which will be the largest body of water of that kind in the world.  It will have a shoreline of 550 miles, and it is expected that so large a volume of water will modify the climate in its vicinity.  The power development will be something immense; the equipment for this purpose costing $17,700,000.  The dam itself cost over $70,000,000.

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The Neillsville Hardware Store, owned and operated by L. H. Howard and Paul Blum since 1932, was sold to M. A. Cockran of Chili, Jan. 2.  The new manager will take charge about Jan. 15.

Mr. Cockran is thoroughly familiar with the merchandising business, having operated a variety store at Abbotsford for some time.

Mr. and Mrs. Cockran and their three children will move to Neillsville soon, having rented the Mrs. W. L. Smith house on the North Side.

Mr. Howard and Mr. Blum will devote their entire time to the sale of tires and auto accessories, and servicing at the Neillsville Tire Shop.

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A fire, which broke out in the building occupied by the Gassen Welding Shop and the B&F Machine Shop, shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, destroyed the structure and contents at an estimated loss of $10,000.  The building, which was brick veneer construction, furnished the fire department with one of the most stubborn fires in many years.  For four hours, with five hose lines, the firemen poured about 700 gallons of water a minute into the flames.

A frame building owned by the Lowe Furniture Company and used as a garage, which stands just west of the machine shop building, was threatened but the firemen saved the building from more than a scorching.

Several cars were rescued from the shops and an electric welding machine was saved from the B&F firm, which was estimated at more than $3,000 and Mr. Gassen said his loss would run about $3,000.

The building was owned by the John Kintzele estate.  The history of the original frame structure is obscure, but W. J. Marsh recalls that Anton Barton built the present brick building about 57 years ago.  It was used as a wagon, sleigh and blacksmith shop.

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The drifted side roads Monday morning compelled rural mail carriers to get out their “snow-snakes” to make their delivery rounds.  Even with these, their time was somewhat slowed up, but with ordinary cars, the trip would have been impossible.  (A “snow snake” was a track-vehicle made from an old Model T Ford car.  A pair of skis was mounted under the front of the car frame, with tracks on the rear double-axle, extended-wheelbase, enabling the vehicle to travel over the snowdrifts. D.Z.)

Joe Zilk, with the help of some fellow mechanics, designed a vehicle that could travel over the snowdrifts, to be used in his business.  The above machine had a pair of skis on the front with only one axle on the back, equipped with a set of chains.  Another model was built with a double rear axle and extended-wheel base, the style that was used on the rural mail routes.  (Photo contributed by the Zilk Family Collection)

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For the first time in the history of bowling at the Masonic Temple, four left-handed pin crushers have been thrown together on one team, and what a team these southpaws have turned out to be.  Whether it is a psychological blight these left-handers put on their right-handed opponents, or whether they are physically better adapted to the game doesn’t matter.  But the fact remains they have left the bruised and maimed hopes of their adversaries lying in heaps along the back alleys leading to bowling fame.

In addition to establishing the supremacy of the left-handed hurler, their team demonstrates the superiority of the hook ball, all of the players but one using a curve.  Vic Nehs, captain of the aces, uses a hook ball that will turn around and come back up the alley if it happens to miss a pin on the way down.  Lewis Bradbury has trained his bowling ball to track down the alley like a sailboat moving into the wind and the only way a pin can escape is to crawl into the gutter and hide.  William Ruchaber puts a deadly twist on his ball and is particularly effective in cleaning up his spares.  Willard Allen is the only exponent of the straight ball, but whatever disadvantage this may be, is overcome by the speed he uses and when his eye is clicking he has no trouble keeping up with the hook-ball artists.

At present, Vic’s southpaws are two or three games ahead of their rivals, in the tournament and are openly predicting they ware (are) going to win the series without any trouble.

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Bruhn and Feuerstein, proprietors of the B&F Machine Shop have made a contract with the Kintzele estate to buy the lot on which the shops stood that were recently destroyed by fire.  They are cleaning up some of the wreckage and plan to put up a modern building on the lot.

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Tibbett Ice & Fuel Company has started cutting ice on the O’Neill Creek Pond, as of last Thursday.  Its ice is two feet thick and of excellent quality.

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F. O. Balch, Sunday night, caught the third flying squirrel in the attic of his home on the North Side.  The animals are being kept in a cage at the Balch Hardware Store and appear to be thriving in captivity.

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The old Henry Huntzicker home, 2 and ½ miles south of Greenwood on Highway 73, burned to the ground Friday evening.

Mrs. James Killian, her son Elmer, and her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Art Christie were living there.  Both Mrs. Christie and her brother Elmer were sick with pneumonia at the time, and Mrs. Killian had also been sick and was unable to help herself.  By the heroic efforts of the neighbors, they were bundled up and carried safely to nearby homes.

The fire, which was discovered by the hired man, Ken Rogers, is believed to have been caused by a defective chimney, which had become over-heated.

The house was built over 60 years ago by Henry Huntzicker, who was one of the three Huntzicker brothers: George, Jake and Henry.  They were early settlers along the road that is now known as Highway 73.  Henry’s old farm is now owned by one of his sons, Will Huntzicker, who lives in Greenwood.  The house was large and has always been kept in good repair, being valued at $4,000.  It was partly covered by insurance.

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Douglas J. Curran, Jackson County Resettlement Supervisor, conferred Tuesday with D. H. Crothers, Resettlement Supervisor of Clark County, on lining up help for work in the Sherwood game area.  There, a dam and recreational center are being established.  A lake of 400 acres will be formed with the dam on Hay Creek is completed.  A. J. Cramer of the Conservation Department plans to stock the pond with two carloads of pickerel and pike.  Fifty men are now employed on the lake project.

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For the third or fourth time in as many years, the fire department received a false alarm Monday Night, when called to put out a “fire” at the armory.  Reflections of light from the stoves in the upper front rooms of the armory, which are used by the Service Company, flicker against the windows and give the impression that the premises are afire.

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Wisconsin Trivia

Q. How many lakes are in Wisconsin?

A. About 15,000

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