Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

February 1, 2017, Page 9

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

February 1877

 

It was “Lige” Meyers, last Wednesday, that turned the corner too short like, tipped over, ran his horses into a show window at Hewett & Woods store, playing smash, and then let them run, which they did right lively until they became divided in opinion as to the direction to be taken at the southern terminus of Main Street, which brought them up and to a standstill against a fence, with no other damage than breaking the dashboard of the cutter.

•••••••••

“A looking-glass is kinder to us than the wine-glass, because it reveals our defects to ourselves only, while the latter reveals them to our friends.”                                                                                         

•••••••••

Lyme Rodman says, if the fellow that borrowed his bear-trap last fall, without his consent doesn’t return it soon, he will conclude that he meant to steal it and proceed against him accordingly.

•••••••••

This past week has been more noted for its mildness, hereabouts, than any lumbermen we have met can remember during that time of the year.  The weather has been too nice for anything, and particularly for that needing of snow.  The snow disappeared from the roads several days ago, and is to be found only where it can do no good.  Lumbering operations have been entirely suspended for several days, and must continue so until snow comes again for sledding.  Everything has been traveling on wheels here for the past few days and will likely continue so.

 

Most of the logging roads are as bare as in June.  The present breakup hasn’t been known in this region within the memory of those who have been longest on the river.

 

(Later, the winter of 1877 was referred to as ‘The Brown Winter,’ as Mr. Brown, a lumberman, went broke that season due to not being able to use sleds to haul the cut logs out of the woods to the Black River, where logs could have been put into the river and floated downstream to market at La Crosse. DZ)

 

The above photo, taken in the late 1800s, was of a load of 23 virgin pine logs being hauled out of an area woods.  The logs were strapped onto the bobsled with heavy log chains to hold the load in place.  A team of shod horses pulled the bobsled over iced trails out to a landing.

 

•••••••••

The steamer, Mountain Belle, a raft boat belonging to Messrs. Hewett and Wood, was burned last Monday at the mouth of the Black River.                                                                                      

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. James Hewett and Mr. M. C. Ring, of this village, were of those who attended the Governor’s reception Friday evening of last week.                                                                     

•••••••••

Valentine’s Day was passed over without the usual number of those interesting tokens of remembrances having been sent out, at least we failed to have received the number to which we felt entitled. Tus, one by one, the hard times force us to give up the honored customs that once marked the progress of our Christian civilization.

•••••••••

There is a Loging Camp Man on the river this winter, who feeds his men on corn beef and potatoes for one month, and pork and beans the next month, so the men can’s very well grumble.

•••••••••

F.C. Hartford, of Loyal has sold his branch store at Spencer to S. D. Graves.  Mr. Graves will remove to Spencer to take charge of the business.                                                                                         

•••••••••

New maple sugar and syrup have been quite plentiful in this market for the last week.  It is not often that these articles are manufactured in this climate in the month of February.                      

•••••••••

The third week in February, Mr. Walter Pedrick, of the Town of Loyal, commenced putting in his crops last Wednesday, by sowing wheat.  We have heard that many other farmers in the county have done the same.

•••••••••

Many logging camps have left the woods during the past week, and present indications are that the rest will follow soon.

•••••••••

Oscar Jaseph now has in his possession a calico skirt, supposed to be the property of some female who ventured out with insecure fastenings, which was picked up in front of Jaseph’s harness shop on Monday evening.  The owner can have the same by calling at the place last mentioned.                                                  

•••••••••

The bill was introduced into the Legislature for the forming of the County of Forest, which was to have embraced a portion of the territory now in this county, has been withdrawn, and thus the matter ends for the present, and probably for all time.

•••••••••

A bill is now pending in the Legislature for the establishment of a county road from some point on the Wisconsin Central Railroad through to the “twenty-six road” leading to this place.  Such a road is greatly needed, and it is to be hoped that it may be put through.                                                                                                 

•••••••••

The Supreme Court of this state had decided that it is assault and battery for a teacher in a public school to inflict corporal punishment.  It may be a crime under the law, but it will be difficult to manage a great portion of this rising generation without the method of appealing to their sensibilities.

 

February 1942

 

Mr. and Mrs. Gustav Kaddatz of Levis Township and Mrs. Ruth Lindow, Chili, have taken over the management of the Neillsville Nursing home, the home being moved Monday from North Hewett to South Hewett Street.

 

Fourteen patients are being cared for in the home at present.

 

Mrs. Lindow is well known throughout a large section of Clark County as a splendid practical nurse.  Her kindly and sympathetic nature and her understanding of the aged will add much to the comfort of the patients.

•••••••••

The native talent of a Winnebago Indian from Clark County’s rugged western reaches has captured the fancy of art and wildlife lovers who have been attending the rural life art exhibits this week at the University of Wisconsin.

 

It is around the group of seven pictures, drawn in crayon, and watercolors by Clarence B. Monegar, whose home is near Willard, that the lovers of wild life art are gathered.

 

People of Neillsville had a preview of Monegar’s artistry before the opening of the exhibition in Madison; for the seven pictures now on formal exhibit were on public display in a local bank window for a week prior to the Madison showing.

 

All ae pictures of animals in their natural habitat, skillfully done and complete unto the most minor detail.  Sportsmen and conservationists have praised the accuracy of detail; all who have seen the work have complimented the artist on the life-like creations.

 

The story behind the paintings, if they might properly go by that name, is largely known here.  Monegar is Clark County’s counterpart in the art world of the literary field’s Edgar Allen Poe.

 

Monegar, unlike many artists, has done sketches now and again.  But it remained for his close association in recent weeks with Bruce F. Beilfuss, youthful Clark County district attorney, for the talent to be brought out before the public in beautiful and expressive force.

 

With friendly encouragement and help from Mr. Beilfuss, Monegar turned his temporary abode at 149 East Fifth Street, where he has been a guest of Clark County, into a studio.  He was unable at the time to take his easel out into the wild country to paint animals in their natural grounds.

 

But the fertile and accurate mind’s eye pierced the thick drab walls of the “studio” and brought the wild life to him.

 

All seven pictures now on exhibit in the University of Wisconsin salon at Madison were produced, thus from memory, without the aid of a model.  Yet they are accurate, even down to the coloring of the tail plumage of the partridge.

 

In the company of Mr. Beilfuss, Monegar accompanied his pictures to Madison last Friday.  There his works were immediately accepted.  Before the exhibit had opened formally, the seven pictures had been sold.  They brought a total of $150.  And, in addition, Monegar had been commissioned to paint three or four others.  The number may have grown by this time.

 

The picture of the partridge, was purchased by the University of Wisconsin.

•••••••••

The purchase of $800 worth of defense bonds, with funds that had been earmarked for building a new church building, was voted on by the congregation of St. John’s Lutheran Church at its quarterly congregational meeting Sunday.

 

Voting to put the entire reserve into defense bonds, the congregation doubled the recommendation of the church council.  The council, proceeding with proper caution, had recommended that one-half of the building fund be turned into the purchase of bonds.

 

But, when the proposition was brought before the congregation for discussion and decision, it was received with enthusiasm.  Congregation spokesmen quickly accepted the suggestion, expressing the wish that the entire fund be converted to defense bonds.

 

The result was a unanimous vote for all-out support to a people engaged in an all-out war effort.

•••••••••

The eight-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Struensee fell from a haymow to the barn floor last Saturday while playing with his companions.  He sustained a bad fracture of the bone in the elbow.  The Struensee family resides on the M. Lastofka farm at the east end of the city limits on Fourth Street.                                           

•••••••••

Mining operations have been started in Clark County.

 

No hole in the side of a hill will bear testimony to this.  Nor are hillsides being slowly crumpled by the constant pounding of a heavy stream of water, as is done in placer mining.

 

No Clark County’s mining operations are being done, and will be done, at home, on the farm, and in the business houses.  For in these places will be found the materials most urgently needed for the war effort.

 

Scrap metals, such as an old, broken piece of hay rake, or a discarded automobile cylinder head, will be made into metal for guns, tanks, planes, and ships.   Clark County residents can pull more scrap metals right now out of their scrap piles than can be mined in a week at an average mine.

 

Right now, too, scrap metals are particularly required, for old metals must be added to fresh metal if the strongest of steel is to be made.

 

Waste paper, too, is needed.  And, although there is a shortage of paper, there is not a single house in Clark County in which there is at least a pound or more of old newspapers, or catalogues doing nothing but gathering dust, and taking up space.

 

If this paper could be place immediately into the proper channels, it would relieve the shortage.  It would be turned into paperboard in which would be shipped munitions, clothing, and food for America’s fighting men at home and overseas.

 

Old rubber is on the list of materials to be mined here.  With conditions as they now stand, it would not be amiss to say that Clark County can now produce more rubber, in worn-out tires, tubes, hot water bottles, etc., than the nation could get from Malaya in months.  And from this old rubber would be made new rubber for our motorized forces.

 

Thousands of tons of these materials can be found in Clark County without much trouble.  If the United States and its allied nations were to be there with the “fustest of the mostest” of tanks, planes, and other material of war, then Clark County’s waste materials will have to be counted “in” on the job.                                         

•••••••••            

An 80-percent saving of sugar consumed has been reported by a local restaurant owner.  Since the restaurant staff removed sugar bowls from the tables, O. W. Lewerenz reported that sugar used by customers has dropped from about five pounds to only one pound daily.

 

Local restaurants have removed sugar bowls as a matter of self-rationing and protection.  They are no longer able to buy sugar in the quantities that was once available.

 

A customer is asked, “Would you like sugar?” If the answer is, “yes,’ one or two cubes of sugar are brought with the order for sweetening of coffee.  The equivalent of two teaspoons of sugar is provided for cereals.

 

(Sugar was rationed during World War II.)                                                       

•••••••••

Red Cross Benefit Card Party & Basket social to be held at the Greenwood High School Auditorium Monday, Feb. 16, at 8:00 o’clock p.m.

 

Each lady is asked to bring a prepared “Basket Lunch” sufficient for two.

 

Free Coffee will be provided.

 

(A “Basket Social” was one of the customs for a fundraiser in the “hard times era.”  A colorful basket could be made, such as using an empty shoe box, covered with crepe paper and ribbon, which was then filled with a lunch, such as sandwiches, fruit, and dessert, enough for two people.

 

Someone acted as an auctioneer, selling each basket to the highest bidder.  The winning bidder of a basket then shared eating the lunch with the lady who had made-up the basket and lunch.

 

Whenever my parents made plans to attend a basket social, mom would show my dad the prepared basket and then tell him, “Now take a good look at this so you know it is the basket you are to bid on.”  Dad would teasingly say, “I’m supposed remember what that looks like?”)                                                       

•••••••••

The March selective service quota for Clark County calls for 38 men, according to word from Miss Martina Davel, chief clerk of the local selective service board.

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