Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

May 15, 2019  Page 11 

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled and Contributed by Dee Zimmerman

May 1909

 

On May 13, the E.I. Du Pont Powder Co. will give a public demonstration of their dynamite in Neillsville by blasting some stumps. The exhibition will take place on the Joe Mayer farm, south of the Catholic Cemetery, and the charges of dynamite will be fired by electricity. This will be a very interesting exhibition. The Du Pont dynamite is handled by A.F. Radke.                                              

•••••••••

Buggies of the latest style, buggies of our own make, buggies that will last longer and will wear better. Buggies that will be sold cheaper because we cut out the middle-man, also surreys, spring wagons, milk wagons, and farm wagons. In fact, we have the largest stock of vehicles ever shown in one place in this city. Please call and see for yourself.  Wolff & Korman                                             

•••••••••

The meanest man has been located. He went into a hardware store and asked the proprietor for a pound of nails. The small package was made up and the price, a nickel, handed to the merchant, when the customer asked if his purchase could be sent to his home. The merchant assented, and calling the delivery boy, handed him the parcel and a dime saying: “There, sonny, take this parcel up to Mr. Blank’s house.” “What!” exclaimed the customer, “Are you going to give a boy a dime to take that parcel up?” “Why certainly,” said the merchant, “go so far for nothing.” “Well,” said the meanest man, “”If you would just as soon give me my nickel back, I will take it myself and you will save five cents.”

 

(Rather than call him “the meanest,” I would refer to him as to “the greatest penny pincher’ or “the big cheapskate.” DZ)                                                                                                

•••••••••

For Sale: Rich farmland along a good Railroad, also town lot in county seat of 1,500 people. Blue grassland with walnut, oak, hickory and cedar trees. Terms, $10 down and $10 per month.  E. H. Manning.

•••••••••

Tony Schiller, who is working for the Owen Telephone Co., will play ball with the Owen league team. The Enterprise last week said the following about Tony: Tony Schiller, who will play an infielder position with the Owen leaguers, arrived early in the week and will juggle the sphere on the game next Sunday.

•••••••••

Split Log Dragging – Authorized by Towns.

 

The legislature has passed a bill authorizing town boards to have clay roads dragged at any season of the year. Below are all the important provisions of this new law.

 

“The town board of any town is authorized to have earth roads dragged at all seasons of the year whenever they may deem it beneficial to have such work done; and may contract, a preference to be given adjoining land owners or tenants, to have a given piece of road dragged at a rate not to exceed 75 cents per mile for each dragged, provided that the width required shall not be less than twenty feet, if the width of the roadway will permit; provided also that the dragging is done as nearly as practicable in accordance with the instructions of the town board.

 

(A large split log, secured with a heavy log chair, was dragged behind harnessed horses that pulled it, going over country roads. It was an effort to level off the ruts that had been cut into the wet roadway during spring breakup or from heavy rains that made muddy roads. At that time, the side roads hadn’t been graveled. DZ)

•••••••••

Neillsville now knows what the peril is. We are confronted with it on every hand – at home, on the streets, at the schools, in fact, most anywhere one may look. If the dandelion isn’t a yellow peril I don’t know what is. The city is covered with a gorgeous yellow mantle and the man who devises some method of getting rid of the dandelion will be a public benefactor. It is a most pernicious weed to get out of the lawn, for one can go over them with a lawn mower and every half hour and still not exterminate them. The back-breaking method of taking a knife and pock marking the lawn by digging the roots out may be efficient but hard work.

 

(Neillsville and its surrounding area still have dandelions. Certain Chemicals can be sprayed on the plants to kill them, but somehow this time of the year, the familiar yellow blossoms again appear as though having to announce, “It’s spring!”

 

Little kids often pick few blossoming dandelions, enough to make a small bouquet that is then proudly given to their mothers. DZ)                                                                             

•••••••••

On Sunday, June 20, a picnic will be held in the Grove next to Beyer’s Church, and a children’s day program rendered. All are cordially invited to attend.

 

(What was then referred to as the “Beyer Church” is now known as “Pine Valley Zion Lutheran,” located on the intersection of County Road G and Granton Road. DZ)                       

•••••••••

The North Side Store, J.W. Herrian, Proprietor, General Merchandise.

Groceries – Salmon 10’, 11’, 15’, 16’. Tomatoes, 1 can for 10’; Prunes 1 lb. 4’.

Milk Crackers 6’, Soda Crackers, or Oyster Crackers 5-1/2’.

Dry Goods: Calicos, per yd. 6’; Gingham, per yd 10’; Danish Cloth, per yd. 25’.

Men’s Work Shirts 43’; Men’s Fine Shoes $1.85; Ladies’ Fine Shoes $2.75.

 

April 1944

 

Louis W. Dux of Neillsville has been given the right to the exclusive use of the name “Duxdale” as a herd name in registering his Holstein purebred cattle.

 

 Glen H. Haas of Withee has acquired rights to the name “Glendale.”

•••••••••

A baseball game between the Public School Boy Scout Troop No. 43 and the Indian School Troop No. 64 was played Monday evening at the Indian School. Final score for the Indian School was 31 and for the Public School Troop  28. E.H. Ruedy was the umpire and N.J. Dechant acted as scorekeeper. The boys brought sandwiches and milk. Scoutmaster Ruedy and Dechant were supper guests at the school.

 

Following the lunch, a meeting was held, at which Mr. Ruedy invested two of the Indian School boys, Irvin Christjohn and Kenneth Little George, with the rank of Tenderfoot. The meeting was closed with singing “Taps,” and all joined in the scout benediction.                                      

•••••••••

The Greenwood High School is sponsoring the Annual Rural School Day for all the graduating 8th-graders in the Greenwood School patronage area Friday, May 5. The activities will be under the direction of the Homemaking and Vocal Agricultural Departments.

 

The purpose of this annual event is to acquaint prospective high school students with the high school program, including co-curricular activities.

 

Following a general assembly, the morning will be spent in attending high school classes, especially those of the 9th grade.

 

The Home Economics department will served a few lunch to the visitors at noon.

 

In the afternoon, a program of music, declamations and other numbers  will be presented.

 

 (During that time, after receiving an eighth-grade diploma, some of those graduates didn’t go on to high school. The invitation for the eighth-graders to attend the Annual Rural School Day was a program designed to encourage them to continue their education by attending the four-year classes program starting the forthcoming fall, so as to become a high school graduate. DZ)                        

•••••••••

Dr. A.H. Kulig inserted the following notice in last week’s issue of the Thorp Courier:

 

“People here in Thorp have a tendency to borrow and forget to return things. Among the items I have lost from my garage is a pair of crutches, something very handy for some of my patients. Also, a hammer, saw, draw knife, pair of rubber boots, a double barrel shotgun and all my fishing plugs and flies.

 

“Now if these borrowers would kindly return those articles, I would be much obliged, as I have neighbors who might want to borrow something.”                                                      

•••••••••

Young cheese-makers of Clark County, who are really key men in cheese factories, will have a stay of induction until August. At that time other cheese-makers, such as aren’t key men, must respond immediately to the call.

 

This is the result of the discussion, which has followed refusal of the local draft board to make an immediate general induction of cheese-makers under age 26. The local board spent some time on this problem last week, receiving a representative of the state office. It then appeared, after a careful investigation into the vital need of the cheese producers had been made by the state office, and perhaps in consequence of the strong position taken by the local draft board. The result of the inquiry was to confirm, at least in part the urgency of the cheese situation as understood by the local draft board and to justify the course, which that board pursued.

 

However, it also became evident that the manpower situation is much more urgent and pressing from a military standpoint than is easily understood in this somewhat isolated community. Here, where the war contracts are few and the action seems far distant, there is evidently inadequate understanding of the difficulties of the labor problem.                                                                                        

•••••••••

The Rev. George W. Longenecker borrowed a team of horses and himself plowed his garden on May 16. He had calculated on having this done by his neighbor, Charles M. Musil, being 67 and who has had some health issues of late, was unable to get at it, and Mr. Longenecker, being a mere young thing of 82, borrowed the team and did it himself. Mr. Musil’s team had been trained to make time, and so Mr. Longenecker had to hurry to keep up. But he finished the job and was ready to rest when the evening rolled around.

 

This whack at the garden of Sunset Point reminded Mr. Longenecker of his earlier experiences, when he was even younger. At the age of nine he took over the job of managing the plowing on his father’s farm in Median County, Ohio. His father was a carpenter, and worked at it, while George, assisted by a brother of seven, did the plowing. The place where the two of them were needed was at the turns. Then it was more than George could do alone, in getting the plow moved around and headed in another direction. But together, he and his brother could manage.

 

When George was 16 he hired out to run an 80-acre farm. He did everything on the place, not only the plowing and harrowing, but even the threshing. At the same time, he was pursuing religious training, traveling five miles for instruction, and in those days, one did not travel by auto.

 

Once before, during his life in Neillsville, Mr. Longenecker borrowed a team to plow his garden. That was in 1900, and he got the team from his neighbor, Mr. Hoesly. This neighbor had his eye on the preacher who was a plowman, for Mr. Hoesly knew something about plowing, even though he did not take much to the other phase of Mr. Longenecker’s activities. So, Mr. Hoesly commented to Mrs. Longenecker that he would have to go to the church the next Sunday and hear Mr. Longenecker preach, to learn whether he would preach as well as he could plow. At that time Mr. Longenecker raised corn on a city block.

 

When George Longenecker was pastor at Minot, N.D.. from, 1905 to 1916, the Longeneckers with their four children lived on a homestead of 160 acres and worked it. At one time he rented three other 160s. Thus, he had plenty of experience in breaking prairie sod.

 

Since returning to Neillsville in 1916, Mr. Longenecker has continued his agriculture by raising a garden. Last year he raised six kinds of sweet corn and a great variety of other vegetables.

•••••••••

Mufflers & Tail Pipes – For All Makes of Cars

These are not rationed & nothing has to be turned in,

Just Buy Them & And Use Them!

Available at Gambles Store, Authorized Dealer.

 

 

A circa 1950 photo, taken of the 400 block on the west side of Hewett Street. Shown left to right are the businesses of Russell’s Hardware, Gambles Hardware, Red Owl Agency and the First National Bank.

•••••••••

Pearl Beads for Mom

On Mother’s Day!

No Gift Can Be More Acceptable!

At Moldenhauer Jewelry Store, Neillsville, Wis.  

•••••••••

Our Boys With the Colors:

 

Pvt. Dick Van Gorden, son of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Van Gorden, arrived here Thursday on a 10-day delay enroute. Pvt. Van Gorden has finished his basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, and is on his way to Camp Hale, Denver, Colo. His parents met him at the Merrillan train depot.

 

Kenneth K. Kannenberg of Loyal has been promoted to sergeant. He is in England, a glider mechanic, and member of the Ninth Air Force.

 

Edward Lehman of Owen is helping to fight this war by learning a language. He has made a specialty of German in the University of Illinois, and has been recently visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nick Lehman of Owen.

 

Record time was made by a letter written by Pvt. Ralph Seefluth of the loyal community, who is stationed in the Marshall Islands. He wrote a letter on April 16, and it arrived in Loyal April 21. It was addressed to Mrs. Joe Schultz of the Big Four neighborhood.

 

Pvt. Kenneth Short, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Short, is attending Radio Mechanics School at Truax Field, Madison. He was able to visit his parents this weekend. Kenneth, now in the military service, is a member of the senior class of the Neillsville High School.

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