Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

December 11, 2002, Page 25

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

 

 

Clark County News

 

December 1902

 

Learn to do the five-step and circle two-step at dance classes being given by Mrs. Lydee.  The informal classes will be held Friday night at the Opera House in Neillsville.  Private class instruction will be from 7 to 8 p.m. with no extra charge.  The regular class lessons will be from 8 to 9 p.m.  Dancers and spectators are invited to attend 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.  Gallery fee is 10c each.

••••••••••

Let us abolish the term “working man.”  It is narrowly applied to those who use their hands in manual labor. Every man is a “working man” if he is doing any kind of honest work that needs to be done for the world’s happiness or progress.

••••••••••

Joe Green, mail carrier on Rural Route No. 1, frosted one of his thumbs on his rounds, Monday.  He was doing his route in an open sleigh as the new runners for his enclosed mail delivery rig haven’t gotten here yet.  Joe’s team of horses rush from one mailbox to the next, like the wind, stopping and starting on the jump.

••••••••••

Peter Bever, the Marshfield north side cigar manufacturer, returned from Loyal with an unusual story the other day and he vows it is true.

 

Charles Orton, a farmer living seven miles north of Loyal, drove to the village before daylight on Tuesday morning, with a friend who wished to take the train from Loyal.  After returning from the depot, Orton was greatly surprised to find that a row of chickens were perched on the reach under his buggy.  He recognized them as his own and after some difficulty, gathered them in for their return trip.  He penned them up in a dry goods box.  It seems that Orton’s wagon shed has been taken possession at this time of year by a portion of his fowls to be used as a coop.  When he drew his buggy out of the shed at five o’clock in the morning, it was too dark to see the feathered passengers.  The chickens held to their positions on the buggy reach underneath without uttering a protest during their seven-mile ride to Loyal.

••••••••••

Judging from the appearance of the stone sidewalks, in Neillsville, some people do not seem to have heard of the ordinance made by the city council against spitting on these walks.  Or else these people consider such an ordinance an unwarrantable interference with their personal liberty, to be ignored.  The storekeepers with business places adjoining these walks keep them clear of snow and some other people keep them bespattered with tobacco juice.  In freezing weather the walks cannot be washed.  Water poured onto them quickly turns to a sheet of ice.

•••••••••••

Coasting with sleds is the rage in Neillsville.  The Dewhurst, Hewett, MacBride, Dickey, and Ketel hills, along with other hills and declivities within Neillsville, are popular resorts for our young society people.

••••••••••

On this past Tuesday evening, Miss Blanche A. Ring, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. C. Ring, in this city, became the bride of Victor E. Huntzicker.  The wedding ceremony was held at the home of the bride’s parents.

 

The officiating clergyman was Rev. R. F. Niles of Menominee, Wis.  A wedding reception was held at the Ring home.  The Whitcomb orchestra played selections during the evening.

 

The bride was born and reared at Neillsville and is universally admired for her beauty and accomplishments.   She was educated in our city schools.  She attended Downer College, where she graduated and later took two years training at the Menominee Kindergarten Training School.

 

The groom is a son of Mrs. H. M. Root of Neillsville, having been a resident of Neillsville from his earliest youth until he reached maturity.  He was educated at Ripon College and at Leland Stanford University.  He established a bank here and ran it successfully for several years.  Later, he located at Salt Lake City, Utah, where he has extensive mining interests.  He and his bride took the midnight train, leaving to make their home in Utah.

••••••••••

On Tuesday, Dec. 23, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Cornwell celebrated the 50th anniversary of their wedding at their farm home, two miles southwest of Neillsville. They had sent out invitations to a large number of friends, so their house was about as full as it could hold of old acquaintances.  Everyone had a most enjoyable evening, congratulating the aged couple, admiring their presents and eating a supper that was fit for any king on earth.  The guests stayed, if the truth must be told, pretty late.  The children and grandchildren present made a goodly bunch themselves.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Cornwell have won a comfortable competence, their brick house, substantial barns and granaries are full of those things which make for a comfortable and peaceful life. Also, they are congratulated upon the fact that they are still well and happy.

 

December 1942

 

Miss Jeanette Zimmer of Neillsville, this week was awaiting a call to report for training in the WAVES.  She expects to receive her basic training at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the rating of apprentice seaman.

 

Miss Zimmer is the first Clark County girl to enter a women’s armed service.  Her application was accepted following examinations at La Crosse and Chicago.

 

A native of Neillsville, Miss Zimmer attended the local high school and La Crosse State Teachers College.  She has taught in the physical education departments in Galesburg, Ill., and La Crosse since her graduation four years ago.

••••••••••

While most Thanksgiving get-togethers were called off by the snow storm, two parties proceeded under difficulties. These were at the Hughes and Hake farms.

 

Guests of the James and Donald Hughes families made it out to the Hughes home, but the road was impassable when the party was over.  So Donald Hughes got out his team of horses to pull the cars through the deep snow until where the road wasn’t as badly drifted.  He towed Eugene Short’s and Margaret Ferrand’s family cars down the hill to Kurth’s corner and the William Vines family car to the north.  The Alfred Magnuson family was able to get through to Kurth’s corner on their own.

 

The Warren Hakes and Joseph Urlaubs, finding the approach to the Rush Hake farm blocked, left their cars at the old Counsell place and walked the rest of the way.  The walk increased their appetites for Mrs. Hake’s fine Thanksgiving dinner.

 

During Wednesday night, the main road, Highway 10, was lined with cars and transport trucks, bucking drifts and trying to fight through to their destinations.  This continued from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon.

 

Mr. and Mrs. V. Stout and sons and Marjorie Volovsek, of Milwaukee, had their troubles getting home for Thanksgiving.  They finally made it, but were late for dinner. Traveling from Milwaukee, Wednesday, they made it as far as Marshfield through the storm.  Then (they) were obliged to put up for the night at Marshfield.  On Thursday, they fought the tough roads and also a balky car engine.  Finally, three miles from their destination, everything stopped for them.  They got Roger Dillenbeck to pull them with a team of horses for the last three miles.  They arrived a little late for dinner, with the team of horses fastened to the front of their car, having moved along slow but sure.  (Mary Stout and Marjorie Volovsek were the daughters of Frank and Anna Volovsek.  The Volovsek farm was located three miles southeast of Willard, on what is now Sterling Avenue, south of the 26 Road. DZ)

 

Clark County is expected to invest $906,725 in war bonds in the month of December.  This is the quota assigned by the Neillsville savings staff; it is considered Clark’s fair proportion of the $112,500,000 quota.

 

This aggregate consists of two separate allotments: $64,100 as the allotment of the “E” bonds, the kind popularly bought by the average private citizen and $842,625 of the various other issues, most of which are intended for tax anticipation, for institutions and for the larger private investors.

 

The prospect is for a strong local effort.  In many counties a separate organization has been projected for the Victory fund campaign.  However, in Clark County, County Chairman James Musil has preferred to depend upon the organization that has been handling the popular “E” bonds.

 

Musil, being a banker, keeps reminding himself that he is doing a good chore when he gets these bonds – any U. S. Bonds -- into the hands of local people, for they seem to him a splendid reserve against the time when milk may not be as high as now and when jobs may not be so plentiful.

 

Neillsville’s Victory fund quota has been set at $230,040.

••••••••••

Arrangements have been made for handling the annual Christmas mailing rush at the Neillsville post office, Postmaster Louis W. Kurth announced this week.

 

The post office has solved its manpower problem by reaching into the high school.  Robert Beyer and Jack Casler have been secured as “extra” help and will be called in for after school and evening work when the flood of mail requires additional help.  In addition, S. T. Bracken, substitute clerk-carrier is back on the job.

 

Christmas mailing started earlier this year.  Kurth said, as a result of pleas made by the department.  However, the early mailing has been confined principally to Christmas cards.

 

The service is harder pressed this year than ever before to handle the flood of Christmas mail, he pointed out.  Many experienced postal employees now are serving with the armed forces and cannot be replaced by competent and experienced help.  In addition, transportation facilities are being called upon to handle a bigger load than ever before. 

•••••••••••

Damage, amounting to several thousands of dollars, was caused by a fire that swept through the lower floors of the Papierniak building in Thorp last Sunday evening.

 

The large Christmas stock of general merchandise was said to be a complete loss.  At the same time smoke and water caused considerable damage to office and equipment on the second floor of the building.  Among those occupying second floor offices was Dr. M. A. Foster, optometrist, of Neillsville, whose equipment was badly damaged by water and smoke. Others were Dr. Schief, dentist; C. C. Guell, attorney and the Thorp Finance Corp.

 

The fire apparently started in the basement of the large building.  It was discovered about 7 p.m.  The Stanley fire department aided Thorp volunteer firemen in extinguishing the blaze.

••••••••••

The salary of Oluf Olson, Sr., Clark County courthouse janitor, was increased from $105 to $115 per month at the meeting of the county public property committee last week.  The fixing of the janitor’s salary was delegated to the committee by resolution of the county board, adopted at the fall session. The new salary is retroactive to November 1st.

 

The committee also authorized County Clerk Calvin Mills to purchase a few chairs for use in the circuit court room. They also gave him authority to sell a motion picture machine formerly used by the county agent’s office.

••••••••••

Sheriff-elect Ray Kutsche, who will take office January 4, this week appointed Thomas Polnaszek, well known Thorp restaurant and bowling alley proprietor, as under-sheriff to serve during his term.

 

The appointment was announced Tuesday, when Polnaszek file his bond and took the oath of office before County Clerk Calvin Mills.  The term of his appointment begins January 4, 1943, and ends on the first Monday in January 1945.

••••••••••

Jake C. Korman, brother of Mrs. Susie Thoma of Neillsville, is working on a telephone line running along the recently completed Alcan Highway.  He is with the Hatfield Electric Company at Skagway, Alaska.

••••••••••

At the present time, over 1,400 Clark County men already are serving in the armed forces of the United States, according to the latest records of the local selective service board.

 

This number includes 729 men who entered the army through selective service.  The remaining 625 or so entered with the National Guard units of the area, or enlisted in the army, navy, marines, air corps or coast guard.

 

The revelation of these figures – of necessity not completely up to date – brings out a comparison of the Clark County manpower serving with the colors after the first full year of World War II, as compared with World War I.

 

As nearly as can be learned, approximately 1,650 Clark County men were across the seas and in the training camps dotted throughout the nation at the time of the Armistice in 1918.  That was just about 250 more than present records give for this war.

••••••••••

A group of 62 Clark County men left Loyal on Monday for Fort Sheridan to begin army life, as the selective service head- quarters workers were making arrangements to meet an anticipated call for 225 men in January.

 

Although the official call had not been received early this week, the local board had been notified that it should prepare to send the 225 men about January 18.  As a consequence, men have been called in to Loyal, every week recently to receive preliminary “screening” examinations.

••••••••••

Some sort of service record may have been set by Corp. Norbert J. Marshall, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ordie Marshall, of Neillsville.  He wrote that he received exactly 100 Christmas cards.

 

“There were so many,” he wrote, “that I can’t possibly thank everyone personally for the remembrances.”

 

The Press ran the addresses of local servicemen who are stationed in various camps. So now we can help by saying “Thanks” for him – and for every other serviceman. Those little remembrances mean much to the men away from home, this Christmas.

€€€€€€€€€€€

 

A turn-of-the century photo: of Hewett Street, Neillsville looking northward from the Fifth Street intersection.  It was the days of horse-and-buggies for transportation.  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ Collection)

 

 

 


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