Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

August 9, 2006, Page 16

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Good Old Days" Articles 

 


The Good Old Days
  

August 1876

 

Who Wants It? $1,000 will buy a good farm in Clark County, situated in the Town of York, five miles from Neillsville; 160 acres of land with 35 acres well-cleared and improved.  Apply to J. L. Gates, Neillsville, Wis.

••••

Jesse Lowe has purchased Mr. Townsend’s interest in the business formerly carried on by Lowe & Townsend and will continue the business alone.  He will continue to keep constantly on hand all kinds of fresh and salt meats, fresh fish, flour and feed, etc.  Mr. Lowe keeps a first-class market and is deserving of the liberal patronage he is receiving.

••••

Here is a synopsis of the game laws of Wisconsin again, which it may be well for our sportsmen to observe: Woodcocks, July 4th to November 15th; Prairie chickens or grouse, August 15th to November 15th; Quails, ruffed grouse and pheasant, September 15th to January 15th; Ducks August 15th to December 15th.

••••

Begley has sold his trotting horse “Albert,” the winner of the race on Friday of last week, to John Palmer, of Sparta, and Clark County is out one fast horse.  Mr. Palmer has also purchased Robert Christie’s running mare, Gray Green.

••••

Last Thursday’s petition was presented to the County Board, signed by citizens of the Town of Perkins, praying that the name of that town be changed to “Sherwood Forest.”  The petition was granted and the Town of Perkins is known no more by that name.

••••

While in Humbird, a few days since, we noticed considerable improvement in our neighboring village, the principle object being the new schoolhouse, which is really a fine building.

••••

Mrs. H. B. Dore, step-mother of John S. Dore, of Grant, with whom she resides, went black berry picking, last Saturday, and got lost, near Mrs. Noyes’ place, south of Jack Creek.  In the course of her wandering through one of the worst old pine “slashings” in the county, she reached the house of Mons Scranton, where she remained all night.  There was no one around at the time to assist her in finding her way home.  Mr. John S. Dore and several other parties spent the entire night in a vain endeavor to find her.  On Sunday morning, the case was made known in this village and in a short time over two hundred persons started to join in the search.  With the light of the morning, Mrs. Dore was able to find her way to the residence of Mr. A. W. Clark, who kindly returned her to her home.

••••

Rev. Geo. Andrews, the clergyman and blacksmith of Greenwood, has had the carpenters at work completing his new blacksmith and wagon shop, which was commenced before haying season.  It is just the building the village has long needed, and they are glad that they have a citizen who knows their wants and needs.

••••

Bruley is building a buckboard for Tom Chadwich (Chadwick), which measures twenty-three and one-half feet from the end of the pole, back to the hind wheels.  It is a marvel in the shape of rolling stock, but it is after Tom’s notion of a buggy for use on rough roads, except that he would have liked it to be six feet longer.

••••

The wheat crop through out the greater part of the state, owing to the ravages of the bugs, will come far short of what was promised in June, or even as late as July.  In many places it is almost a failure, and in some localities totally so.  In this county, we have heard no complaint of injury as complained of elsewhere, but it is claimed that the crop was injured by the continued wet weather during the early part of the season, and that may have damaged the yields.

••••

According to a recent report, the village of Colby was visited by a frost on the night of July 20th.  Very little damage was reported, however.

 

The man who predicted a cool summer is now deserving of being locked in an icehouse.

••••

He who whispers scandalous reports concerning his neighbor is a destroyer of society.

••••

Cut the weeds out of the fence corners and save a vast amount of labor that will follow next year, from that neglect.

••••

The time for holding the county fair is drawing near.  Farmers should bear that in mind and prepare something for exhibition.

 

August 1936

 

The daily number of forest fires in Wisconsin has been increasing steadily.  There was one big fire near Brule, Douglas County, which swept several thousand acres before it was definitely brought under control.  Fanned by a high wind, the fire traveled five miles in three hours before it could be halted.

 

Sunday, a fire started out in the field of Herman Braatz, in the Town of Grant, burning over an acre or two before it could be stopped.

 

It was said they thought that the fire started from a cigarette stub thrown out by an airplane passenger, a place having passed over the field some time before the fire was noticed.

 

A number of farmers have reported fires in their fields, which may have been started by careless motorists throwing out burning cigarettes.

 

Fifty years ago, Saturday, August 8, Hewettville burned and the cut-over area west of Neillsville was a mass of flames.

 

Smoke darkened the skies and cinders from the holocaust dropped in Neillsville.

 

Marshfield burned that summer.  Even in Thorp, surrounded by un-drained lands, the saw mill closed down several times to let the mill crew fight fires along the railroad track, east of the village.

••••

Notice—to the residents of Neillsville and surrounding vicinity:

 

We estimate that two more weeks will finish our work here.

 

Do you know you and your family spend at least one-third of your life in bed?  Why not make that part of your life as comfortable as possible.

 

Don’t throw away your old cotton mattress.  The cotton in it is very valuable.  Our work is to clean and re-fluff the cotton and rebuild it like new with new cover for as low as $3.95.  We also make, using your old mattress, a beautiful innerspring.  The cost to you is as low as $8.95.  They are wonderful!  Yes, like sleeping on a cloud.

 

We build, like new, any 1/2, 3/4 baby bed or innerspring mattress, any daybed or duo-fold pads.

 

We guarantee our work to satisfy the most particular people.  Call us in the morning and have your mattress returned that night.  The Mattress Rebuilding Company, the Howard Building, 119 W 5th Street, Neillsville Phone 239.

••••

One of the most comprehensive relief programs ever undertaken, as a means of relieving drought sufferers in Clark County, was announced Wednesday morning, by Elmer Anderson, chairman of the Clark County Board, and Director of the Relief Department Harold Trewartha.  They then revealed plans for giving PWA employment to between 800 and 1,000 farmers in this county.

 

Back from Madison, where they conferred Tuesday with Governor LaFollette, Director of Public Welfare Alfred Briggs and Resettlement Administrator Arllie Mucks, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Trewartha rushed to set machinery in motion for registering farmers, beginning Monday.

 

By their alertness in being at Madison ahead of officials from the other 20 counties designated in the drought area, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Trewartha got in on “the ground floor,” with the result that Clark County will be the first in the state to receive help and will have men actually at work before any other county is able to get its projects under way.

 

The work to be done, under this set-up, will consist almost entirely of improving farm-to-market roads by widening, ••part of Jackson and all of Clark County.

 

Farmers to be eligible to work under this program must be operative farmers who have exhausted their resources and are without sufficient feed.

 

Farmers who failed to work out their former drought relief aid will be ineligible for work under this new plan.  It is said about 10 percent of the former beneficiaries failed to work out their debts.

 

It is stated that a farmer will be permitted to work a maximum of 100 hours a month with the pay rate fixed at 40 cents an hour.

 

According to Mr. Anderson, 10,000 farmers will be given work in the 21 counties now in the drought relief area.

••••

Two camp sites for tourists will be established along Highway 10, in Section 2, Mentor, and Section 5, Hewett, under the direction of the Clark County Forestry Department, according to Allen Covell, forester.  These grounds will be graded, cleaned up, fireplaces erected and roads built.  The object is to discourage camping at unauthorized sited so that fire wardens can exercise greater control over fire hazards.

••••

All persons interested in golf are incited to attend a meeting in the clubhouse at the Hawthorne Hills course on Friday night at 7:30.  There will be no solicitation of funds.  The club is having a very satisfactory season thus far and everything is going fine.

••••

There will be a free dance for the pea growers and employees of the J. B. Inderrieden Canning Company, at the Silver Dome Ballroom, Thursday, August 13.

••••

The Seif & Byse Sales Co. reports the following new Ford car sales, the past week: a 1-1/2 ton truck to George Kuehn; a 4-door sedan to Lieut. Ennis, of Merrillan CCC camp and a 2-door, with trunk, to Mr. Arden of Wisconsin Rapids.

••••

Tuesday afternoon, Archie Van Gorden of Neillsville, Floyd Potts of Christie and Dr. Wm. Olson of Greenwood, took the train from here for Canada where they plan to spend about 50 days hunting and fishing in the Canadian Rockies.

 

This is Mr. Van Gorden’s third trip into this wilderness and he has definite knowledge of where the game country is.

 

As on previous trips, he plans to take many pictures and make films of the scenery and wild life in that region.

••••

Marriage Licenses:

Bert Dresden, Neillsville, Kate Holland, St. Paul; Paul J. Persiko, Agnes T. Waterhouse, Neillsville; Leland Hansen, Levis, Dorothy Rennek, York; George Hammond, Granton, Adeline Gall, Loyal; Hosea Youmans, Colby, Lena Anderegg, Loyal; Frank Cieslik, Jr., Longwood, Helen Kovaloski, Owen; Roy T. Young, St. Paul, Bertha M. Hansen, Withee; William R. Spencer, Nora Sackett, Seif; Mack W. Vornholt, Grant, Grace M. Baumel, Hewett; Harold Bertz, Elaine Lucht, Loyal; and Wilbur Schlinsog and Natalie Gerber, Grant.

••••

The roof on the city hall and fire station is finished so that the interior work can now be carried on regardless of weather.

 

The John Widi Company of Green Bay, which has the contract for the floor, now has workmen busy laying a composition known as tarrazo, being the finishing coat.  It is made of marble chips mixed with pure cement.  This will be ground down and polished, making a beautiful and substantial floor.

••••

Wisconsin not only can boast of being the greatest dairy state in the Union.  It also is the home of three of the greatest amusement enterprises in America.  Three of America’s most prominent circuses, Ringling-Barnum, Gollmar Bros. and the Seils-Sterling, have originated in the Badger State.

 

Seils-Sterling 4-Ring Circus, which will exhibit in Neillsville, August 29, for afternoon and night performances, is operated and directed by Billy, Pete and Al Lindeman with general offices in Sheboygan, also being the city in which the three brothers reside.

 

The winter quarters of this particular show is naturally in a State where the winters are no nearly as severe as those in Wisconsin.  They have established quarters in Southwestern Missouri, but in Wisconsin are the offices, paint machine and printing shops.

 

Seils-Sterling is now recognized as the largest and finest motorized circus touring America.  The show moves on 56 new all-steel semi-trailer trucks, has a 36-cage menagerie, including 3 herds of elephants, 87 beautiful ring horses, several zebras, and camels, along with dens of huge tropical reptiles.

 

This organization employs in the neighborhood of 700 people, 314 are residents of the State.  A majority of the paraphernalia and equipment is manufactured in Wisconsin.  Stakes, poles, seats and other properties of wood construction are turned out of mills of Northern Wisconsin.  The four monster lighting plants come from an Oshkosh manufacturer.  The huge trailers and truck bodies are from Edgerton and Stoughton.  Various appliances and equipment are furnished by Eau Claire, Green Bay and Kenosha plants, which are in use on the “rolling stock,” that moves Seils-Sterling.  A portion of the publicity and advertising is printed in Milwaukee.

 

(Back then the large circuses were mobile, traveling the countryside giving every one the opportunity to attend on of  their shows.  Now, with our present means of convenient travel, it is the people who travel to the zoos and parks to view the menageries.  At the age of eight, I saw a Ringling-Barnum 3-ring circus, which was a most thrilling experience. D. Z.)

••••

Dine and dance at the Four-Corners Tavern, 4 miles south of Neillsville (with) dancing every Saturday night with piano, accordion and violin music.

 

A Concertina Troup, from Germany, is coming to the Lynn Pavilion Saturday, Sept. 5. Dance at 9 p.m.

 

Howard’s Tire Shop was located on the southwest corner of West and W. Fifth Streets in the early 1900s.  The shop’s owner is pictured in his new Studebaker.  (Photo courtesy of the Bill Roberts collection.)

 

 


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