Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

October 8, 2008, Page 16

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled and contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

October 1928

 

It was 25 years on the 6th of September since the Reformed Church was organized. It had its beginning in Pine Valley and was first served by Rev. H. W. Schroer from Stratford, Wis.

 

Next Sunday, Oct. 7, the congregation will have a birthday celebration, with one of the former pastors as speaker for the day.  The pastor got out a little parish paper for the occasion in which a short history and other items of interest are given.  The program promises some interesting numbers for next Sunday.

 

 

The Reformed Church was originally located in the Town of Pine Valley, having started in 1903 (as the Prince of Peace Church).  Later its congregation made the decision to move into Neillsville, locating in the former Unitarian Church building on the corner of Clay and West Fifth Street, where it was located until merging with the Congregational Church in the late 1950s (when the building was sold to the Neillsville Assembly of God Church).

 

•••••••••

The Neillsville Canning Company is shipping cabbage in car lots to eastern markets.  Mr. Slinger, the manager, states that he does not think that any cabbage will be cut into kraut at the factory this fall, as cabbage can be disposed of more profitably by shipping.

•••••••••

Nothing could show more plainly the new era that is coming to the farms than the operations, which are now being carried on with electricity on a number of farms where electric power can be secured.

 

Recently a silo was filled on the Henry Sternitky (Sternitzky) farm, at Lynn, carried on by H. Hasz, his son-in-law.  The power used to run the filler was a five-horsepower motor.  J. C. Hoffman in charge of Rural Service for the Northern States Power Co., had the motor taken to the farm for a test.  This five-horsepower motor is mounted on a truck so that it can be easily moved about the premises and is know as the “Farm Chore” motor.  The silo contains 78 tons besides about 2 tons cut to feed the cattle now, making 80 tons in all, in 60-kilowatt hours, the power expense amounting to only 2 cents per ton.  Mr. Hoffman states that such a motor is economical power, provided the farmer has a sufficient amount of work to do with it.  It would hardly pay, of course, to have it just for filling one silo, but on many farms grinding feed, sawing wood, running a hay hoist and other operations might make such a motor economical power.

•••••••••

A new golf club is being organized at Owen.  At a meeting held last week it was decided to limit the membership to 100.  A committee, to be assisted by Mr. Maloney of the Eau Claire Country Club will lay out the golfing grounds.

•••••••••

More than 500,000 trees are being planted on land adjacent to Nepco Lake in Wood County, the forestry division of the Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Co.  This fall, for the first time since the division was created two years ago, transplanting will be done on a large scale.  Every available piece of ground is being planted with trees, which in forty years will provide a supply of pulpwood.

•••••••••

The Neillsville Milk Products Co. is making some fine improvements at the plant on Seventh Street.  A fireproof butter room, detached from the other buildings is being built and a new 125-horsepower boiler is being installed.  A smoke stack 73 feet in height is being put up.

 

The butter-making room is being remodeled and improved.  The new boiler being installed will furnish heat, hot water and steam for the new building as well as for the main building.  The only fire on the premises will be in the new boiler room.  The gradual increase in business makes these changes necessary to take care of the present patronage.  This company makes butter, ice cream, casein and also ships sweet cream.  It is a fine, clean sanitary plant.

•••••••••

Sunday evening, there was a gathering of relatives and friends at the Merchant’s Hotel to celebrate the sixty-sixth birthday of H. F. Wilsmann, the popular proprietor of the Merchants.  Mr. Wilsmann has owned and operated the hotel since 1921 and has gradually enlarged and improved it during the years.  He has widened his acquaintance and increased the popularity of the place, not only locally but also with the traveling public.  An incident that greatly added to the joy of the occasion for Mr. Wilsmann and also a matter of satisfaction to all his friends was the fact that the day previous he had paid off the last dollar of his indebtedness.  Mr. Wilsmann wishes to express his thanks and appreciation to all his friends both in Neillsville and the vicinity.  Also thanks for the patronage of tourists and traveling salesmen who have helped make the business a success.  He feels that he is now in a better position than ever before to give excellent service.

•••••••••

Sherman Gress, who makes a specialty of moving buildings, heavy and large pieces of construction work, recently moved a 140-foot long steel bridge from Marshfield, placing it on piers over the Yellow River.  He also moved and placed the new 150-horsepower boiler at the Neillsville Milk Products Company.

 

October 1958

 

Four schoolhouses and a variety of equipment went under the auction hammer in the Washburn School District last Saturday.  Charles Bright, district clerk, reported that the auction was successful beyond expectation, with approximately $3,500 realized.

 

“This will give us some money with which to get things we want in the new school, and which it would be impossible for us to have without this money,” he said.

 

While every item was sold, including an estimated two tons of old text books, which had been accumulated in the South Washburn building, the most popular items appeared to be the bells, which had called pupils to classes for a quarter of a century and more.  The four bells, which were sold, brought from $20 to $23 each.

 

“I wish we had a whole truckload of them,” Mr. Bright said.  “We’d been able to sell them all.”

 

The four old school buildings, which were placed on the block, were sold at prices ranging from $480 to $1,300.  Among the unsuccessful were several who had expressed advance interest in the buildings for specific purposes prior to the auction.  Two groups of unsuccessful bidders represented church congregations.  The Greek Orthodox Church, which currently is using the York Center Methodist church building under an arrangement with that church, and the Assembly of God congregation in Neillsville each had cast covetous eye at three of the available buildings.  But there were more enthusiastic bidders in the large crowd, which went from one property to the other as the auctioneer’s hammer worked through the afternoon.

 

Top price for the school buildings was $1,300 paid for the Cannonville School building by Ernest Kissling of Rt.1, Neillsville.  Earl Hanson bought the Cannonville School bell.

 

Bringing second high price was the South Washburn School, which was the last one room school built in Clark County, a quarter-century ago.  Robert Wucki, owner of the property on which the school building stands, paid $765 for the structure.  Everett Kauffman bought that bell.

 

The Carlyle School was purchased for $505 by Lewis Scholtz, formerly of the Town of Grant and now a resident of Neillsville.  L. G. Stevenson bought the bell.

 

Mrs. Alvin Krause, who lives north of Cannonville on County Trunk K, was the successful bidder for the Shortville schoolhouse and land.  She bought the brick structure for $480.   

•••••••••

Neillsville Kiwanians and Rotarians will hold a union meeting next Monday evening at the Neillsville Country Club to hear the Thorp Male Chorus present a musical program.  The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. with a dinner.

 

Its present conductor, Roy H. Brede, who is also the music director at Thorp High School, organized the Thorp Male Chorus in 1953.  The chorus has a membership of 33.  Rehearsals are held every Thursday evening in the high school band room for two hours.

 

The chorus has appeared in concerts at Thorp, in neighboring cities, has presented programs at Fort Williams, Ont., Canada, Rochester, Minn., at the St. Paul Winter Ice Carnival, in Chicago, Ill., and at the district mass sing at the Associated Male Chorus of America held at Eau Claire last spring.

 

Each spring the chorus ends its year with a banquet for members and their wives.  The organization is always ready for and welcomes the opportunity to present musical programs.

•••••••••

Construction was started this week on a one-story cement and block building on the old V.F.W. lot, adjoining the Masonic Temple to the west.  The lot has been used as a city parking lot in recent years.

 

The lot owner, Ray Tesmer, is doing the construction.  The building is expected to be completed in November and will be used for an automobile body shop operated by Marvin Pischer.

 

Mr. Tesmer bought the lot from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  The price was understood to be $2,100.

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hansen of the Town of Mentor celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Saturday at the American Legion Hall, Neillsville, with their 12 children, 48 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren present for the occasion.  There were 300 friends at the open house in the afternoon and 250 relatives and friends at the dinner in the evening.

 

Harry Hansen, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Hansen, and Miss Christine Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Johnson, of Denmark, Brown County, were married October 15, 1908, in the Lutheran Church at Gibson, with the Rev. Mr. Etzman, officiating. Attending were the groom’s brother Peter John, and the bride’s cousin, Marie (Osterloch) Hershman of Denmark, both of whom attended the 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday.  The bride and groom were raised in the same township and attended the same rural school.

 

After their marriage they took up housekeeping at Birnamwood, near Antigo, in a lumbering community.  From 1909 to 1914 they lived at Taylor, N.D., where they settled on a 160-acre claim.  Five straight years of drought brought five years of crop failure.  In 1910 from 100 bushels of wheat planted, they harvested 101 bushels of grain.  One of the years 100 acres of flax, which looked excellent in July froze on August 7, completely destroying the crop.

 

In 1914, they decided to return to Wisconsin, and sold the claim for just enough to pay the debts, which has accumulated during that period.  They had lost about $1,200 investment and five years of work.  Since that time, moisture has returned to that area.

 

They returned to Denmark, Brown County for a year and then located at Catawba, in Price County, where they remained until the spring of 1927, when they moved to Clark County on the “26 Road,” four miles west of Loyal.  In 1929 they moved onto the Kayhart farm, seven miles south of Greenwood on Highway 73.  The Heck brothers now own that farm.

 

Later they moved to the Herman Meyer estate farm in Levis, and also operated the John Ehlers farm in the Town of Levis.  They purchased the Fred Krumpeck farm, south of Neillsville, and later moved onto the Zindell farm, near Shortville.

 

An 80-acre farm was purchased from John Hrasky, in Cannonville, and they made there home there until 1948.  After working for other people for four years, they bought a 40-acre farm in the Town of Mentor from Asa Taylor and built a home there, which is their present location.

 

“We have been most wonderfully blessed,” said Mrs. Hansen.  “We sold springer cows for $9 each.  We saw many lean years when milk, butterfat and grain brought very little income.  Be we managed to raise all 12 of our children and today we have 48 grandchildren to add to our joy.”

•••••••••

Forest Larsen, the son of Gerelda Larsen of Neillsville, has been wrapped up in motorcycles since he was 11 years old; but it’s only within the last year or two that he has become a more consistent winner.  This summer he won 13 of his 18 trophies.  He took three of them last season, and had two before he went into the army in 1954.

 

One of the first two was for hill climb championship.

 

Since returning from army service in Germany, young Larsen has concentrated on the scrambles race.  Thus far no cash has been involved in his winnings, only trophies. But he hopes that the day is approaching when he feels he has enough experience to complete in the national races.

 

Few people in Neillsville or Clark County see Larsen riding on the county’s highways, as they did in the days before he went into the army.  The reason is that his machine is a special one, not constructed for road riding.

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Alf Spiegel, Robert Spiegel and Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Kissling arrived home Sunday evening from a week’s hunting trip to Wyoming and Montana.  They came home with their limit of deer.  They had quite an experience with a big snowstorm, which nearly blew their tent away.  Nineteen hunters had to stay at a ranch house one night.

•••••••••

Fifty-five junior and senior boys are enrolled this year in classes in archery, at Neillsville High School, under the direction of Henry Lukes, physical education instructor.  Last year was the first year for this project and the seniors are now in their second year of instruction.

 

The boys are learning the fundamentals of archery and some are displaying remarkable accuracy.

 

Target practice is held on the school football field with shooting being directed toward the high bank to the north.  Four targets are set up.

•••••••••

Farmers’ Store Specials; Fresh Cranberries, 2 lbs. for 35’’ Betty Crocker Cake Mixes, 20 oz. pkg. 2 for 59’; Libby Tomato Juice, 46 oz. can, 29’.

•••••••••

Jordahl Brothers Gamble Store is having a Sale on Snow Tires, 670x15 Tube Type, $13.95 each.

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