Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Erpenbach, Roberts
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/22/2013
Clark County History Book (Local Authors Create – 2013)
Local Authors Create Clark County History Book
Authors Natalie Erpenbach and Steven Roberts display their new book “Images of America: Clark County” which officially goes on sale Monday, May 27, 2013. (Todd Schmidt/Clark County Press)
By Todd Schmidt
Just in time for Clark County’s 150th anniversary this year. Local authors Natalie Erpenbach and Steven Roberts have published a new book chronicling the history of the county through historical images.
Clark County was organized in 1853. The first settlers, primarily lumbermen, arrived in the 1830s.
After seeing the massive forests of standing timber, they built sawmills and lumber camps; soon, towns and villages sprang up, complete with businesses, hotels, homes, schools and churches.
The railroad arrived by the 1880s, starting a new chapter for Clark County. As the timber was logged and the land was cleared of three stumps, the fertile farmland attracted new settlers. People in pursuit of the American Dream, including immigrants from European countries, arrived to homestead the land.
The authors discussed their experiences working together on the first book for either one during an interview Friday at The 1897 Clark County Jail Museum (Jail Museum) in Neillsville.
They decided to start the project of 2012, making contact with Arcadia Publishing of Mount Pleasant, SC, which had previously published books covering La Crosse County and Marshfield.
Erpenbach and Roberts received permission to use photos in the Jail Museum archives and contacted historical societies in Willard, Loyal and Stanley about additional pictures. They also reached out to major businesses, including Grassland Dairy of Greenwood.
“I don’t think anyone turned us down,” Roberts said.
The began the tedious process of scanning hundreds of photos, deciding on categories for assembling them into the 128-page book. The final product includes 232 photos, including the cover.
The unique cover photo was taken from a postcard image in front of the local drugstore. Period-correct postcards can be seen in the window, including one depicting the 1907 tornado north of Neillsville.
Roberts estimates he did 90 percent of the scanning work, with Erpenbach doing more of the writing It took about 300 hours each to get the project completed.
“It might have been more work than we thought going into the project,” Erpenbach said. “We stayed with it and didn’t get overwhelmed.”
They used the Clark County History Buffs website to gather information to identify some photos.
Their first publication run is 1,200 copies. Arcadia Publishing actually underwrites the cost of printing. Proceeds from book sales will benefit the Jail Museum and the Clark County Historical Society.
The authors got the project on the fast track, so the books would be available for summer festivals, fairs and dairy breakfasts.
“I like the final version,” Roberts said. “I think we did an admirable job presenting a cross section of the county, reaching readers of many interests.
Erpenbach was born in La Crosse and moved to Neillsville with her family at age 11. She is a graduate of Neillsville High School and a 1983 graduate of UW-Eau Claire with a degree in accounting. She is now a retired certified public accountant.
Erpenbach has always had a love of history and the communities of Neillsville and the surrounding Clark County area. She has been a member or volunteer in several area organizations and professional societies.
In 2005, she became a volunteer for the Jail Museum in Neillsville. She has held various leadership positions with this organization and is currently the administrator and curator for the Jail Museum.
Erpenbach was looking for a way to share many of the wonderful photographs in the Jail Museum collection and raise funds for area historical societies.
“The publication of a book filled with historic Clark County Photographs seemed like a great idea,” she said.
Roberts was born in St. Paul and moved to Neillsville with his family age three. He is a graduate of Neillsville High School and is a Vietnam ERA veteran. He attended UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls before entering the workforce. He is now retired.
Roberts has always found history to be an interesting subject, especially the historic businesses of Neillsville and the surrounding area. He is a member of Merrillan Masonic Lodge.
In 2011, his research project brought him to the Jail Museum looking to fill gaps in data. He became a member and volunteer and is currently the president of the Jail Museum Board of Directors.
Sharing information from his research and coupling that with the wonderful pictures available from the museum and other contributors and helping raise funds became a worthwhile project.
“I hope the pictures and text found in this book spark interest in people to reconnect with their pasts,” Roberts said. “We were able to tell their stories because someone had recorded the names or information about these windows into our past on the photos or postcards backs. I urge people to share and record their saved memories.
“Images of America: Clark County” is available locally at The Thirsty Bookworm in Neillsville and at historical societies throughout the county. It may also be ordered through online bookstores or Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or 888-313-2665.
