October 13, 2021, Page 9

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

 

Extracted by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

 

Index of "Oldies" Articles

 

Clark County News

October 14, 1937

 

County forest land increased

 

Total of 960 acres is added in six townships

 

A total of 960 acres of state land was added to the Clark County Forest in the towns of Levis, Dewhurst, Mentor, North and South Foster, and Butler, bringing the total land in the county forest to a figure well over 112,000 acres.

 

Twenty-five forties of this were put under the forest crop division which will increase the county's income by about $200 per year. Of each dollar income from the forest crop income, 40 cents will go to the county, and 20 cents to the forestry department.

 

County Treasurer J.H. Fradette, Wm. Schlinsog, and County Forester Al Covell, spent Thursday and Friday in Madison attending to the matter of taking up this balance of state-owned lands and completed the transfer.

 

*****

Grade schools to close Oct. 14-15

 

All grades from kindergarten to 8th inclusive, of the Neillsville public schools will be closed Oct. 14 and 15 to permit the grade teachers to attend the Eau Claire Teachers Convention. The high school will not close until Nov. 4 and 5, at which time the high school teachers will attend the teachers convention at Milwaukee.

*****

City council meets

 

At the meeting of the city council Tuesday evening C.S. Gassen was given the contract for a complete snowplow outfit of the V type, so the city hall will be well prepared for snow removal.

 

*****

 Married

 

Charles Marden of the Town of Hewett and Miss Emma Gehrt of Pine Valley were married Tuesday, Oct. 12.

*****

Speakers at Colby

 

Senator Walter J. Rush and Assemblyman Vic W. Nehs of Neillsville along with Congressman Gerald J. Boileau of Wausau spoke at the pavement celebration held at Colby Saturday, Oct. 9.

 

*****

More schools robbed by burglars lately

 

School buildings in four different cities, including Neillsville and Durand, have been entered lately, so it appears some of the same burglars who made the rounds of schools some years ago, may be busy again. In the Neillsville school the safe was not locked and a sign stated there were no valuables in the safe.

 

At Durand several days ago the high school safe was blown open with nitroglycerine and the thieves obtained $8 in cash. Considerable damage was done to the safe. Prin. C.P. Larson had taken $90 in cash home with him. It seems that periodically burglars work throughout upper Wisconsin looting school safes and offices.

*****

Home Economics Dept. here praised

 

Miss Dorothy Johnson, state supervisor of Home Economics departments, spent several hours last week checking up and watching the work being done by the Neillsville High School Dept.

 

The following is a brief report left by Miss Johnson at the end of her visit: Your Home Economics teacher, Miss Ruesink, is doing a very fine piece of work. It is most gratifying to see how well the homemaking department is being kept up with new equipment and how home like its appearance is. Your reference library is to be considered among the best I have seen. The homemaking teacher is to be complimented on the excellent collecting done in the way of bulletins, illustrative materials, etc. These all add to the efficiency of teaching.

 

I am recommending that the Neillsville schools continue the good work.

*****

 

October 9, 1947

 

Transparent "thing" falls from the sky; the mystery is: What is it?

 

Large synthetic "blanket" descends near school in Town of Washburn

 

A milky-white, transparent sheet about 14 by 16 feet, fell from the sky and landed near the South Washburn school a few days ago.

 

And thereby hangs a mystery: what was (or is) it?

 

It's a question which has raised a lot of curiosity, particularly in the neighborhood; and one for which there has as yet been no certain answer.

 

The "thing" sparkled in the morning sunlight, and caught the eye of Charles Havlicek, Jr., who was filling silo on his father's farm. He called the attention of Mrs. Havlicek, and they watched it descend slowly, much in the manner of a parachute.

 

Mrs. Havlicek went to the school house, now closed, and near it found the sheet on the ground.

 

Tony Hantke of Neillsville, who was razing an old Lutheran church building a short distance to the north, also saw the "thing" descending, and drove to the school.

 

He said he also saw a second one coming down through the air southeast of the first one. It was believed to have been approximately over the old, abandoned Hart farm; but no evidence of it was found.

 

The sheet appears to be of some new synthetic material. It is light (the whole 14 by 16-foot piece probably weighs less than a pound), it is tough, and it has a certain amount of elasticity.

 

The material has been gathered at the corners with transparent tape, such as used on torn books, and was shaped like a huge box top. There was no evidence of strings having been tied to it, and both Mrs. Havlicek and Mr. Hantke said they did not see that it had been carrying any weight.

 

The ideas that it might have been a parachute carrying radio instruments for observing weather has been discarded. All such parachutes found around this area have been of red silk, and the instruments have always been securely attached.

 

About six weeks ago, however, there youths and their grandmother, living on the north side of Neillsville, reported seeing several transparent objects move slowly over the sky at night. These objects might have been of the same, or similar material.

 

*****

What you should do to help save food

 

Americans have been asked by President Truman to co-operate with the plan for aiding Europe as follows:

 

The public: Meatless Tuesdays

 

No poultry or eggs on Thursday

 

Save one slice of bread each day Public eating places:

 

Observe the Tuesday and Thursday requests as made to the public

 

Serve bread and butter only when specifically requested by patrons

Farmers:

 

Reduce amount of grain fed to livestock and poultry

 

Bakers:

 

Save grain in the manufacture and distribution of bread such saving to equal one-tenth of the normal use of wheat

*****

 

Warns first resident of county to get deer

 

Jack Warns of Owen has become the first resident of Clark County to shoot a deer in Clark County with bow and arrow.

 

Warns took his deer, a 100-pound doe, near Rock Dam about 3 p.m. September 30, according to Game Warden Alva A. Clumper, who tagged the deer.

*****

 

Clark County teachers meet tonight at Loyal

 

E.H. Boetcher of Wausau, former Granton High School teacher, will be one of the speakers at a meeting of Clark County teachers in the Loyal High School gymnasium this evening. The program is scheduled for 8 p.m.

 

Mr. Boettcher's talk will be on the role of extra-curricular activities in the school community.

 

Miss Muree Applegate of La Crosse State Teachers College will discuss the language arts program in the elementary school.

*****

 

October 10, 1957

 

Several reports of bear in county

 

Carol Keskimaki, 17, and her brother, Dale, attack with fine shot

 

Martin Keskimaki's dream came so nearly being true that he shudders to think about it even today.

 

Saturday morning he awakened in a cold sweat, shouting:

 

"Kurt, Kurt, come back! There's a bear in those woods."

 

Kurt is the Keskimaki's four-year-old son, who had been accustomed of late to take the family's dogs into a small woods across the road from their farm home, in the northwest section of the town of Longwood.

 

Sunday, just before noon, there WAS a bear in those same woods. Only it wasn't little towheaded Kurt who came upon the huge animal. It was two other children of the Keskimaki's: Carol, 17-year-old Owen - Withee high school senior; and Dale, 12-year-old student at the Longwood State Graded School.

 

Carol had a brand-new hunting license, secured the day before. She was anxious to show an older brother, then in a fishing trip into Canada, that she was a hunter as well as her teasing brother. So she and Dale struck out for the woods across from their farm home to hunt for birds. Their shotguns were loaded with No. 6 fine shot.

*****

Bear chases dog

 

They weren't far into the wood before their dog, King, came running toward them. Crashing through the brush behind him was a huge black bear.

 

Carol and Dale stood their ground, their shotguns at ready, and tried to put courage into their frightened dog:

 

"Sic 'em, King," they commanded.

 

The dog turned and charged the bear. He turned about and ran for the nearest tree. He climbed up. The girl aimed and fired. As the second fusillade of fine shot hit him at the back of the head, the bear's head flew back violently. He started down the tree. Dale let loose a blast that apparently struck it in the back. The bear gave vent to an enraged noise.

 

Both boy and girl started running for home, for their fine shot was no more effective than an irritation. At home they breathlessly told their father about the bear he had dreamed of the day before. He gathered up his high-powered rifle and went out into the woods, with Carol and Dale tagging along.

 

They found a spot where the bear had bedded down and built a "nest" of grass and sticks and manure. He apparently had been in the area some time. Farther on into the woods they found the bear. He headed for another tree, with King hard on his trail. Mr. Keskimaki shot twice for the head.

 

The bear fell out of the tree with a loud "whoom" as it hit the ground. But still alive, he went to another tree and clawed at it. Heavy bark was peeled as though it were fragile tissue paper.

 

Mr. Keskimaki shot again. This time the bear dropped for good.

 

The Keskimaki's telephoned Warden Arthur Schroeder in Neillsville, who, with another warden, went to the scene. The wardens, Mr. Keskimaki and a fourth man cut a pole, tied together the bear's feet and tried to lift it up to carry it out of the woods. The pole sagged. They couldn't budge the animal.

 

Finally they drove the Keskimaki truck into the woods and loaded the bear onto it and brought it to Neillsville.

 

Weighed here, rough dressed, it went 382 pounds. It probably weighed 425 pounds or more before it was dressed out, Warden Schroeder estimates.

 

*****

 

Here are a few of about 600 aspiring "Junior Fire Wardens" who have been checking their homes for fire hazards this week. This picture was taken at what appeared to be the proudest moment of their young lives. Neillsville's fire chief, Harry Frantz, drove the truck out of its garage in the city hall, and allowed them to ride on it for the few yards it moved. Later, many others had an escorted "tour" of the fire department in connection with Fire Prevention Week, now in full swing. (Press photo October 10, 1957)

 

*****

 

 

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