Grant Township

Changes

Clark County, Wisconsin

by James W. Sternitzky PhD

Ross Paulson Road Crew (1913)

From Sternitzky Family History:

This picture was taken about 3/4 of a mile East of Mapleworks (which can be seen in the distance) of the Ross Paulson Road Crew in 1913. They were building the gravel road East of what is now Granton, Wisconsin. At that time, Mapleworks was on the hill west of the current Zion Lutheran Church. It shows the cut in the hill East of the Williams Maids home about 1/2 mile West of the Albert Sternitzky home.

This in now U.S. Highway 10. Some of the crew members were:

William Albrecht (close up photo),

Mr. Riedel (close up photo),

Oscar Sternitzky Sr. (far right of close up photo),

Rudy Sternitzky (left side of close up photo) and

Alvin Sternitzky (right side of close up photo). 

Clark County began working under a new system of State aid for road building in 1911. The ratio for funding was 1/3 by the State, 1/3 by the County and 1/3 by the Township.

Additional comments by Delmar Sternitzky:

Robert Ure, was 19 years old at the time and did the dynamiting of the rocky hill, always at night as the State of Wisconsin wouldn’t give them permission to use dynamite. Robert Ure told me he wasn’t present when this picture was taken. This highway was being cemented at the time of my Grandfather Albert Sternitzky’s funeral in September 1931, and his casket had to be taken through the field west of his house in order to get to Zion Lutheran Church and the cemetery at Maple Works, Wisconsin.

This highway is now known at Highway 10 and goes from the East to the West coast. In the West it is known as the Lincoln Highway. My father, Alvin Sternitzky also worked on this road when it was cemented in 1931.

Oscar Sternitzky Sr. was 27 years old when this picture was taken. Alvin Sternitzky was 21, close to 22 years old when this picture was taken. Rudy Sternitzky was 16 ½ years old when this picture was taken.