Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

April 11, 2012, Page 12

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

April 1877

 

There has been a general outpouring of men and teams from the woods during the past week, and we regret to say, the usual out-pouring and in-pouring of forty-rod whiskey with it degrading and damning effect.

 

Lumbermen have no intention of running their logs to market on the spring rise; they have concluded that June is the proper time for that business.                                                                

•••••••••

Last Monday, Jackie Campbell, a seven-year-old son of R. M. Campbell, of this village and one of his little playmates, while giving an exhibition what they could do in lofty walking, fell from the peak of O. P. Well’s barn to the ground, a distance of twenty-two feet. Aside from having the breath and senses knocked out of him for a few moments, he sustained no injury, and is all right again.  The escape from serious injury, if not death, was miraculous and is a lesson that will probably last him for life.                                                                     

•••••••••

The dreadful future predicted at the Methodist Church last Sunday evening for ladies who attended dances has not advanced the interests of the Christian religion in this community, “Evil be unto him who evil thinks.”

•••••••••

By request, Rev. W. T. Hendren will preach; No Dancing, Lotteries and Card Playing, at the Presbyterian Church, tomorrow morning and evening.                                                                  

•••••••••

There isn’t water enough in the Black River to float a beanpole and the prospects for getting logs to market on the spring water rise grows beautifully less every day.

 

The ice is out of the O’Neill Creek pond, but there is no prospect of getting logs out of that steam than there is on the river.

•••••••••

Clean up your door-yards and make flowers of them. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

•••••••••

George Lloyd has broken ground for his new building on the corner opposite Hewett & Woods Store.

•••••••••

What has become of our stalwart baseball players?  The streets are dry and should be monopolized.  The season for croquet and baseball is upon us.                                                                     

•••••••••

The annual removal of rubbish from the streets and the accumulation of winter should take place without delay.

•••••••••

Quite a number of our citizens are intending to start for the Black Hills.

 

The “commission” from this county to the Black Hills, which will start the first of next week, will consist of Messrs. James Furlong, W. C. Goss and W. W. LaFlesh of this village and E. D. Carter, Harry Howes and O. G. Tripp of Humbird.  These gentlemen are nearly all well known to the people of the county and number some of its best citizens. With wishes for their success and a safe return, we bid them Godspeed on their journey.

 

Highway men infest the roads leading to the Black Hills. They stop the stage coaches and rob the inmates, pounce upon the solitary traveler and attack parties banded together for mutual protection. The combined efforts of the “Road Agents” and the warriors led by Sitting Bull make it very lively for the adventurers seeking an uncertain fortune in the Black Hills.

•••••••••

During the first of the week, a middle-aged woman, hailing from somewhere and claiming to be nearly blind, also quite hard of hearing, did the best job of begging every done in Neillsville. The purpose, she wished to accomplish was that of raising money enough to purchase a cheap yoke of oxen that her son, a youth of twenty-two summers, and lately married, might be able to work a farm of which she claims to be the owner and “thereby support her in her old age.”

•••••••••

A sash, door and blind factory has been established in connection with the planning mill in this village and hereafter there will be no need to go abroad for anything in that line.                    

•••••••••

Put a stock of industrious old chicken hens for service in your neighbor’s garden, if you owe him a grudge; they can do more damage during the next month than during the balance of the year.

•••••••••

The law of the state requires that every room above the third story, in any hotel, shall be provided with a rope or other means of escape for guests, in case of fire. The law has been pretty generally disregarded, in the past, but the recent disaster at St. Louis, Mo., calls loudly for its observance in the future.      

•••••••••

Constantly worrying over hard times will not make them any better. Take off your coat and go to work with a hopeful disposition and there will be found little cause for completion.

 

April 1952

 

Miss Sylvia West, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James West of Neillsville, was awarded a certificate of merit and a year membership in the Wisconsin Jersey Breeders’ association last Saturday, at the annual convention of the association in Madison.

 

The award was made for her outstanding work in the 4-H Jersey dairy project. She is a member of the Shortville Hustlers 4-H club and has carried the Jersey project for five years. Besides dairying, she has carried projects of home ground improvement, food preservation and foods and nutrition. She has been a 4-H achievement member for six years.

 

Her parents accompanied her to Madison to see Sylvia receive the award.

•••••••••

Rev. Alfred Schewe, pastor of the St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church announces that on Sunday, April 6, a class of nine boys and nine girls will be confirmed at services held at 9:30 a.m.

 

Members of the class included Dale Appleyard, William Cook, Robert DeMert, Lewis Hoffmann, Ronald Klann, Kenneth Keller, Gerald May, James Quicker, Walter Schmidt, Gail Gard, Lois Knoop, Ellen Marg, Betty Meier, Caroline Moser, Jeannine Northup, Norma Payne, Sonja Schlimme and Maxine Stone.

•••••••••

The annual battle with mud was under way this week for farmers, milk haulers and all other venturesome motorists who strayed off the well-traveled highways.

 

Wind and rains of the early week, however, were aiding in the slow process of drying and settling the side roads and driveways.

 

Despite reports of roads on which the “bottom has fallen out,” sinkholes and sticky, gooey mud, a local milk processing plant reported only two trucks late with their loads Tuesday.  That was a better record than most motorists could boast in trying to travel side roads in light passenger cars.

 

For instance, Undersheriff Ray Kutsche was forced to cover four miles in the gumbo on foot Monday to deliver legal papers at one farm.

 

The location of an excavation of last winter on Neillsville’s main thoroughfare proved a trap for Albert (Pete) Smith’s car.  Parked there, with the front wheels resting on the dirt-filled spot, Mr. Smith returned to find the car resting on the frame, the wheels extended downward toward China.

 

Farmers living along hard-surfaced roads were parking their cars along these highways and blocking their own driveways.  Farmers living along side roads were mostly staying at home, or taking a big chance in trying to drive out.  Putting chains on tires was a necessity on the town roads; but even those were of little use in mud more than a foot or so deep.

 

In the city several streets were well cut up; and a few of them were blocked off as impassible. The worst of these were described by city Engineer James Hanson as “mud holes.”  It’s just another sign of spring.

•••••••••

Eighteen truckloads of dirt were hauled Monday to fill in a hole left when a well caved in on the railroad right of way near the American Stores Dairy.

 

The well, which was believed, dug 25 years ago for cooling milk at the dairy plant, had been recapped and re-pointed last year. It was bottle shaped, about 27 feet deep and had about 14 feet of water in it. It had been dug down to the granite layer.                                                                      

•••••••••

The Moose boxing matches, scheduled for this Saturday night, have been postponed, LaVerne Gaier, manager of the boxing team, has announced. The postponement of the matches came after the state boxing commission turned thumbs down on a proposal to hold the contest during Holy Week.

 

The date of April 12 had been originally suggested by the state omission. A future date is being selected in collaboration with the state commission.                                                                 

•••••••••

Spring began officially for state conservation department fire tower men Monday, when they climbed the towers of this area to keep their summer long vigil.

 

Behind them is last year’s record season, the lowest and best in their history.  An aid last year was the favorable weather, which brought frequent precipitation and thus reduced the hazard, according to Arthur Papke of the conservation department.

 

Twelve fires were recorded in the Fairchild district, which includes the Clark County Forest area. They burned over a total of 169.7 acres. The largest and worst, of the 12 occurred near Rock Dam last spring, when 40 acres of plantation stock burned over.

 

A second fire, which burned over 30 acres in the town of Hewett, near the William Ambelang farm, occurred during the weekend of the district scout jamboree at Wild Cat Mound last summer.  And thereon hangs a tale that is little told.

 

A troop of Menomonie scouts, wishing to “rough it” away from the others, made camp there.  Before going to church Sunday morning they transferred their fire to a dugout hole; but in doing so dropped a coal.  After they had gone the coal caught the grass around it and the fire started. Forest fire fighting equipment was called from the Fairchild ranger station. Some distance from the scene the trailer hit a soft shoulder in the road and the trailer, along with the tractor and plow it was carrying, overturned.

 

Another radio call brought a second tractor and a plow on a trailer.  Six miles from the fire a tire on the trailer blew out. The men with equipment started to “walk” the tractor and plow into the blaze, at the rate of about six miles per hour.

 

By radio, Black River Falls’ ranger station was informed and they sent out a third piece of equipment.  It arrived just as the men “walked in” the tractor and plow from the second rig. 

 

Before the fire was extinguished 30 acres had burned over, including all equipment of the Menomonie scout troop.

 

Mr. Papke has cautioned that a permit must be secured before any fire can be started in the county forest protection area.  In Clark County permits may be obtained from the following:

 

Donald Miller, Town of Worden, Ban Dallman, Town of Reseburg; John Kile, Town of Butler; Alvin Kippenhan, Town of Mead; Joe Plautz of the Town of Mead; August Stremikis, Town of North Mound fire tower; Lawrence Halbrader, Town of Seif; Harold Hart, Town of Mentor; Arno Durst and William Sollberger, Town of Hewett; Adolph Meier, Clark County Nursery; Edward Murphy, Town of Dewhurst; Ladd Holub, Town of Levis; W. E. Zimmendorf, Town of Sherwood; Robert Mortensen, Town of Washburn; Albert Flick, Town of South Foster and the Pray ranger station at Pray.

•••••••••

The Loyal Sportsman’s Club Sports Show will be given this weekend at the Loyal City garage.  The program includes an indoor trout fishing pond, free movies, conservation department exhibits, and fly typing. The doors will open at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and close at 11 p.m.  A dance will be held Sunday evening following the show. Proceeds will be used for the club’s conservation programs.                                                 

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Gregory have sold their farm implement company in Loyal to Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Noeldner. The consideration which included equipment and fixtures was $20,000. The company is located on Main Street in Loyal.

•••••••••

Before the bad storm on Wednesday before Easter, hundreds of geese and ducks landed on Arbutus Lake. There were even some swans with them.  They stayed there all during the storm and the next morning after the storm, they took off very early; but instead of heading north, they went south.                         

•••••••••

The days of the Wells-Fargo express and the Wild West were re-enacted between Madison and Neillsville last week.

 

There was the heavy black iron strong box, containing the “gold” shipment ($148,000 in negotiable bonds, to be exact) armed guards and the works. The only things missing were the Indians-on-the-warpath and the conniving bandits.

 

The modern enactment took place Wednesday, when City Clerk John C. Brandt guarded by Sheriff Dobes and Police Officer William Perrine went to Madison to bring back $148,000 in water department bonds. Thy carried the bonds in a black iron strongbox, 18x24x12 inches.

 

Unlike the Wild West thrillers, however, the trip was made without incident.

•••••••••

The total cost of the Mead Lake project to date if $78,155, according to a report presented to the Clark County Board by Otto Warren, chairman of the general property committee. This includes everything to date, including engineering and road building so far as it has progressed. There will be an additional cost to complete roads, bringing the total of $80,000 or more.                                                                                                    

•••••••••

Community Calendar:

Neillsville’s Home and Food Show will be held Friday & Saturday evenings from 7 to 11 p.m., as well as Sunday with a continuous show from 2 to 11 p.m.  There will be 24 Big Home & Food Displays, Continuous Music & Entertainment, held at the Neillsville Armory. There will also be 5 Great Stage Shows.

 

Rebekah Card Party, Wed. evening at the Odd Fellows Hall

 

All sportsmen urgently needed to repair Pheasant Pens; meet at the Christie Service Station on West Seventh Street at 9 a.m.

 

Sportsman’s Club meeting, May 1, at 8 p.m. at Courthouse, Courtroom

 

Pre-contest Concert with Band, Glee Clubs & Triple Trio, May 1, 8 p.m. in the Neillsville Armory. General Admission 50’; Reserved Seat Tickets available at Sniteman’s, 5’ extra         

•••••••••

Over 100 Greenwood students will take part in the annual Central Wisconsin Music Festival, which will be held at Withee this coming Thursday. The afternoon program will be climaxed by a parade and an evening program including outstanding contestants from the various schools.

•••••••••

 

 

 

Burkhardt’s Road Side Cabins were located near the Division and Hewett Street intersection on Neillsville’s south side in the early 1950s. 

(Photo courtesy of the Steve Roberts collection)

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