Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

October 1, 1997, Page 16

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

October 1867

 

There are 70 voters in the Town of Weston.

 

Adam’s Drug Store came near receiving a visit from the “devouring element” of fire on Wednesday night.  A fire originated in a spittoon, caused by a lighted cigar being deposited in it.

 

Clark County contains 648 children over four years of age and under twenty-one.  The total number is apportioned as follows:  Pine Valley 18, Lynn 112, Weston 157, Loyal 85, Levis 62 and Mentor 47.

 

Wanted – This village is in need of a saddler.  Such an individual could reap a rich harvest in the business.  We would be badly fooled if some sensible man doesn’t take up the opportunity.

 

Neillsville wants a great many things.  One of those needs is a tailor shop; our town could support a tailor with much business.  A good tailor can get a home here on his own terms and will be allowed ample time to pay for it.  We, at the newspaper, will insert his business card three months for nothing.  Whoever comes here to be our tailor will never regret the venture?  In 20 years, when Neillsville is a proud and prosperous city, he will have the satisfaction of knowing that he clothes it in its Armour of strength, progress and usefulness.

 

The State pays a bounty of ten dollars on each wolf scalp presented to the clerk of the board of supervisors.  We should suppose this would have added revenue for the hunters’ pocket.

 

News is Neillsville will have a lager beer brewery erected within its confines early in the spring.  This will be good, because it will raise the price of hops and make a demand on the farmers’ industry.

 

Last week was a busy one for our land surveyors.  Many persons have been here to see their new dominions.  Extensive arrangements are being made for the coming logging season.  People are swarming here from a distance to make arrangements to go into a logging camp.  Several are expecting to settle permanently amongst us.  Surely these are good signs for our county.

 

To those, north of here, who do their trading in the county, Henry Huntzicker now has a store in Town Twenty-six, range two (which became Greenwood).  Huntzicker has a large and carefully selected stock of dry goods and groceries on hand.

 

The women in this county will do for keeping.  They have plenty of pluck, can drive horses, feed chickens (when they have some), cut cord wood, and shoot game.  All of these traits are highly commendable and equal to the essential demands of life.  Only last Tuesday morning, the lady of Charles Wendell shot and killed a large buck deer on their farm, a couple of miles from town.

 

The North Side Hotel opened up the beginning of this week and has many boarders.  Neillsville now has five hotels: O’Neill, Central, Reddan, Reunion and now the North Side.

 

The new Rossman-Bruley brick block construction is ready for occupancy.  The Rossman building will have a tobacco and cigar store in front and a saloon in the rear.  The upper story is entirely devoted to cigar making.  Bruley will use his facility for a clothing store of which he will manage, leaving his other store under the management of his brother.

 

Chas. Gates has rented part of his corner brick building to Chas. Thomas & Co., butchers, of Merrillan, who are now arranging the premises for use as a meat market.

 

M. Reil of Colby took possession of the first story of Ring & Youmans’ Third Street brick building yesterday.  By Saturday, he will be in business with a meat-market.  Our town will then have two meat markets.

 

October 1882

 

John L. Gates has gone out of the banking business here in Neillsville and in the future will devote all his time to the lumber business.  James Hewett, also of Neillsville, will join Gates as a partner in the business.  They have purchased a mill site at Eau Claire and will erect a large, first-class saw mill.  It will be located at the head of the Eau Claire Lumber Company’s pond.  Being one-half mile from the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha railway, there will be ample area for piling logs and switching tracks.  The company owns a large tract on the Chippewa River and expects to bank 25,000,000 feet of logs this coming winter.  The mill will be ready for business on the opening of the 1883 sawing season.

 

Colburn’s flouring mill began making flour by the new roller process yesterday.  With the vastly improved facilities, Colburn is turning out flour which is in every way equal to the best made at Minneapolis.  As a local enterprise, the Neillsville mill deserves every encouragement in its venture.

 

A four-year-old boy, who is compelled to wear his pa’s worn out boots, came to this city on Monday.  For the benefit of the pa, and the pride of the son, we remark that any man who will load down the legs of his little son in this way deserves to work in the La Crosse chain gang the rest of his life.

 

Assistant President E. W. Winter, General Superintendent Chas. F. Hatch and Chief Engineer C. W. Johnson of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Co., wee in town for the purpose of looking over the area in preparation of extending across Black River and into the city.  The men made an examination of the locality and proposed a site for the bridge.  R. J. McBride, their attorney, stated the road and bridge will probably be built and ready for travel by May 1st, 1883.  Some of the work will be done this fall.

 

Lynn News

 

The creamery has closed for the season.  School has started with 37 scholars registered in attendance.

 

The Opelt family has arrived from St. Louis and intends to make this their home.

 

D. C. Geary is building a new house and expects to have it finished to live in this winter.

 

October 1937

 

Forrest D. Calway has quietly been developing a major industrial project west of the city of Neillsville for several years.  The project is now assuming real proportions, the development of cranberry fields, in section 19, Town of Hewett and extending over into section 24, Town of Mentor.

 

Forrest D. Calway was born in Neillsville in 1880.  Calway started working as a stenographer for Sturdevant & Sturdevant Co. in 1902, later becoming court reporter for Judge James O’Neill.  In the early 1930’s he purchased land and developed Clark County’s first cranberry marsh.

 

 

Calway’s interest in the cranberry industry started many years ago, when as a court reporter, he took the testimony in a circuit court case involving the water rights on a cranberry marsh.  Later, whenever the opportunity came, he visited cranberry fields in Juneau, Jackson and Wood counties, talking with owners/managers, seeking information on the industry.

 

By the year 1935, dams, ditches, roadways, bridges, land cleared, leveled and planted, buildings erected and a canal more than a mile long were done with simple equipment.

 

The first cranberry plantings were done in the spring of 1935.  Ten acres have now been planted and the young vines of different varieties are well established.  Various varieties have been planted.  The third year after planting, a small crop will be harvested with a full bearing crop anticipated by the sixth year.

 

The Neillsville High School grain judging team won first place at the annual State High School judging contests in Madison on Oct. first and second.  Over 1,800 students from 158 high schools took part in the judging.  This is the third consecutive year the grain judging team, under the direction of J. W. Perkins, has won first place.

 

Members of the grain judging team were Eugene Heintz, Dale Gerhardt and Louis Worchel.

 

Members of the stock judging team were Robert Opelt, Basil Schmidt and Roy West who won 9th place in cattle judging.

 

Cheese Factories, condensaries, creameries and other milk receiving plants are prohibited from furnishing patrons with milk cans free or at less than actual cost under provisions of general order issued by the Department of Agriculture.  The actual hauling cost, when not borne or paid directly by the producer, is to be deducted.  The order provides that all milk and cream receiving plants shall at regular payment dates give each producer a statement in writing containing the number of pounds delivered, butterfat tests, price and other detailed information.

 

Van Gorden’s mill is running a contest on naming the select hard wheat flour they sell.  The person suggesting the selected name will be given five barrels of flour, or 20 sacks, which is more than enough for year’s supply.

 

Over 7,000 people attended the Peace Monument dedication ceremonies held at Greenwood last Sunday.  Ernest Durig, internationally famed sculptor, presented the peace memorial statue to the city of Greenwood on Sunday.

 

A paved highway all the way from Neillsville to Withee will be realized within a year when the 10.35 mile stretch between Greenwood and Withee is paved and completed in 1938.

 

An apple canning bee was held in the Neillsville Methodist Church kitchens Monday afternoon, Oct. 18.  The apples were donated by several families and others furnished sugar.  Hospital jars were used and the finished product, 39 quarts, which will be given to the Rice Lake Methodist Hospital.  The ladies had a fun time on the commendable project.

 

The concrete foundation walls of the new $70,000 post office building in Neillsville, has been completed by the Ebbe Construction Co.

 

(The 1937 cornerstone is once again visible since the removal of shrubbery on the southwest corner.)

 

Neillsville Planing Mill was located on Grand Avenue between Grand and Fourth Street.  In the late 1800s Grand Ave. was referred to as “Planing Mill Street.”  (Photo courtesy of Clark County Historical Jail Museum)

 

 


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