THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Clark County News, July 1895

The frost, on the evenings of July 3 and 4, did considerable damage to millet and garden plants in the Shortville area.

There have been several remodeling projects on residences and other building enterprises in Neillsville.

Marshall J. W. Hommel is completely remodeling his house on Grand Avenue.  Now that it is finished, as to outline, one can see what the structure will be.  It will be a neat and comfortable home.  Part of the old house recently was badly damaged by fire, but the frame has been used in the rebuilding.  The structure is made as a 2-story throughout, modernized and so change as to make the place very handsome.  Hommel is one of our old settlers and it is gratifying to see him putting up a home that will meet his needs and make him comfortable.

The city lock-up has had a stone foundation put under it and it is being sided.  It is to be painted, also.  The foundation is a surface affair and is sure to be ripped apart by the frost, but still the transformation is a good one.  The city pound fence, next to the jail, has been taken out of the alley.

The Norwegian Lutheran Church is up and enclosed.  From the outline, it can be seen that when completed it will be a handsome building.  It is to be brick veneered.

The Ferguson building has been vacated and dismantled.  The proprietor, Peter Johnson, has determined to transform this property into a first-class block.  The C. C. Sniteman block is going steadily upward.  The Sniteman building and Pete Johnson building complete the solid, final fronts on Main Street between 5^th and 6^th streets, except the wooden tenements owned by Geo. L. Lloyd.  Now expansion must go on instead of reconstruction.

A rear extension, 32 feet long and the full width of the building, is being added to Marsh Bros. store, to give them room for their increasing business.  It will consist of basement, a floor about the same level with the side-walk at that point on 5^th Street, with an extension of the main store floor 32 feet back.  The addition will not include the upper, or Masonic Lodge story.  We are worried about the goat, which may get out on the flat roof of the new extension, and blab our lodge secrets.

James O’Neill has sold 80 acres of his farm, in section 30 in the town of York, to John Kotchy of Chicago for $2000.  The place is nearly all improved and has upon it, good farm buildings.  The land has a running brook that crosses the land and there is a never-failing spring, near the house.  Mr. O’Neill purchased this land about 15 years ago and has made all of the improvements.  Mr. Kotchy will move upon the farm this week, adding to the town of York, a young and enterprising farmer.

Four plants have applied for waterpower, at Black River Falls, within the last few weeks on condition that they have railroad competition, but will not locate in a one railroad town.  One of these factories would employ 110 men and the other three would aggregate 80 men.  If such a condition as this will hold down a town, let us have more roads.  The very prospect of the road from La Crosse to Neillsville will doubtless turn industrial eyes hither forth and if the road is built, Black River Falls will double her population in ten years.  If some new life and enterprise is not soon started to build up the tow, in a few years, children and flowers will have to be imported for the solemn occasion of Decoration Day.  There is not a piece of land in Wisconsin, unoccupied by a railroad that can furnish as much business for a road per average mile as that to be traversed by the proposed road between Black River Falls and La Crosse.  By rail to La Crosse now is 107 miles.  To La Crosse, by the proposed road, is about 42 miles.  Say nothing of one’s time in traveling this route would be a saving of 60 miles or $1.95 railroad fare. 

Neillsville City Clerk J. F. Schuster has finished the city census and the figures are as follows: Males 1102; Females 1104; total 2206; which is a gain of 270 in five years.  The birth of two boys, Selves’ and Johnson’s, since the enumeration, makes the sexes exactly balance.

For Sale: Some farms in the best portions of the town of Hewett, the Lawrence place, the Nutting place and two-quarter sections of Hewettville.

July 1950

The Globe baseball team defeated Willard in 11 innings, with a score of 9 to 7.

George Thoma’s scorching single, in the 11th scored two runs and gave Globe a victory over Willard in a Southern Clark County league baseball game on Sunday.

The defeat was the first for Willard, this year, in league play.  Willard won the first half of the schedule with four consecutive victories.

Globe was trailing, 2 to 7, when it opened a four-run rally in the eighth.  The tying run was pushed across in the ninth.

Credit for the win went to Arne Buchholz, who relieved Harold Prock in the seventh.

Lynn hung up its first victory of the league season by taking a 12 to 7 decision from the Stables club in the only other league game played Sunday.

Work was started, this week, on laying out an archery course near the Stables Nite Club, six miles west of Neillsville on Highway 10.

Behind the project, is the newly formed course that was formally organized here last week Wednesday.  About 30 archery enthusiasts who turned out for the meeting elected the following officers: Dan Brewer, president; Ray Tesmer, vice president; Mrs. Dan Brewer, secretary-treasurer; and Matt Gassen and James Hauge, directors.

On the Stables site, the club will have an archery course of 6,600 yards, with 14 targets.  Members set to work last Sunday by brushing out trails, placing bunkers and targets for the course.

Membership in the group is open to all interested in archery and the furtherance of sports in the area.

Thirty stars of the Southern Clark County baseball league will square off against the Neillsville Athletics Thursday night in the annual All-Star game at the Neillsville Athletic field.  Game time was 8:15 p.m.

The annual tilt is of strong interest for fans of Southern Clark County, because it brings together the representatives of the teams that fans of the area follow most closely during the season.

The Southern league stars have been selected from among the top players of each of the league’s players. 

Directing the All-Star aggregation is Victor Lehmann, principal of St. John’s Lutheran School, who is manager of the Stables team in the Southern Clark County League.

The All-Stars listed were:  Stables—Nibbe, shortstop; M. Wagner, second base; W. Wagner, third base and pitcher; Eddie Henchen, shortstop and outfielder; and Peter Pawelko, utility.

Grand View—Bernie Suel, pitcher; Hawley, catcher; Bush, shortstop; Suel, outfielder; Louis Kessler, utility; and Jenni, third base.

Lynn—Sternitsky, pitcher; Todd, shortstop; Ure, catcher; Stauffacher, outfielder; and Barth, utility.

Globe—A. Buchholz, pitcher; R. Buchholz, third base; Murphy, infield; J. Schoenherr, first base; Harold Prock, second base and Winkel, outfielder.

Willard—J. Korenchen, catcher; E. Arch, infield and pitcher; Janizich, first base; El. Laken, shortstop; W. Volovsek, outfield; J. Volovsek, outfield and catcher.

The single “Birds” of Globe nipped the Globe “Married Bucks” in a community baseball game last Sunday afternoon.

The single men proved themselves as elusive as ever by scooting around the bases four times; and the married men exhibited reflexes gained over a period of years by being able to duck most of the things thrown at them.

Richard Buchholz, who went seven innings for the Single Birds, was credited with the win.  He allowed one run, six hits and struck out four.  Arne Buchholtz, who relieved him in the eighth, struck out five, gave up one run and no hits.

Herman Hagen, carried the brunt of the mound duties for the Married Bucks and was credited with the loss.  He gave up five hits, three runs and struck out five.  Harold Prock, who relieved him, allowed one run and two hits and fanned two.

There are 238 members on the roll of the Haugen-Richmond Post No. 73 of the American Legion of Neillsville.  The membership is the largest in the history of the post.  This membership entitles the local post to four delegates at the state convention of the Legion, to be held at Green Bay on August 11-13.  The delegates elected July 20 were: Earl Siebert, John Bergemann, Dr. R. Peters and John (Hans) Brandt.  Alternates were; Harry Roehrborn, Herman Moen, Henry Naedler and Bruce Beilfuss.

Help came to three elderly Neillsville berry pickers at midnight Tuesday, hours after they had given up hope of being found that night in the trackless wilderness of the Clark County forest west of the city.

Lost for nine hours, or more, were Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Viergutz and Mrs. Albert Lichte.

When the shouts of searchers reached their ears from a distance, they were “tickled”, Mrs. Viergutz later related.

“We wandered around for hours; but always got in deeper and deeper,” she remarked Wednesday.  “We were wet, there was a thunder shower and oh, so cold!  The brush was wet, so we couldn’t build a fire.”

The three started from Neillsville about 11 a.m. Tuesday.  They drove to a spot on old County Trunk B, approximately two miles southwest of the Stables Nite club, in section 17 of the town of Hewett.

There, the three elderly people left the car and went into the woods.  Those who know the area say it is extremely brushy and swampy.  It is a likely place to get lost.

Mrs. Viergutz said they quit picking blueberries about 3 o’clock that afternoon and set out to return to their car.  But they wandered and wandered through the brush and were not able to find it.

They gave up about 8 o’clock in the evening, after searching vainly for five hours.  They remained together, hoping that relatives would miss them and a searching party would find them.

A thundershower in the evening soaked them to the skin and soaked the brush so that every time they moved they received another shower.

The search was organized about 9:30 p.m., after Ray Moen, whose wife is a relative of Mrs. Lichte, reported the trio missing.  County officers and conservation wardens, driving radio-equipped cars, scoured the roads between Neillsville and Columbia, for it was believed that this was the area in which the party intended to pick berries.

The car was located about midnight by Traffic Officer Harry Frantz, who radioed the news to the other searchers.  Among them were; Sheriff Ray Kutsche and Glenn Carlson in one car; Under-sheriff Frank Dobes and Tony Wieting in another; Wardens Mark Russell and Kenneth Coyle, of Stanley in a fourth car.

The searchers were joined by another group composed of: H. H. Quicker, Mervin Voight, Harry and John Flitter, Elliott Warlum, Lawrence Helwig and Mike J. Hopkins.

They set off through the brush, fanning out and shouting.  As they neared a spot about a mile south of Viergutz’ parked car, they heard a response from the party.

It took about an hour and a half for the searchers and the trio to make their way back to the car.  They were lost for a short time in a clump of pine trees; but soon straightened themselves out.  Guiding them for the last portion of the distance was a spotlight, which Frank Dobes turned into the sky. 

Wednesday morning, Mr. Viergutz, who has not been in too rugged of health, remained in bed.  Mrs. Viergutz reported that he appeared to feel good; but was tired.

As for herself: she felt “tired, and I ache all over.” 

The party hung onto their berries throughout their experience, and returned to the city with their full picking.

Naval Cadet George J. Vobora, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Vobora, started taking instructions in advanced flight training at the Naval Air advanced training command, Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi, Texas.  He completed his basic course at Cabaniss Field, where he did all his flying in trainer type ships.  He was graduated from the Neillsville High School with the class of 1945 and entered the service in 1949. 

The Sleepy Hollow School building, located two miles south of Cannonville Corners, will be sold at an auction on the school grounds Saturday, August 5, at 2 p.m.  The building must be moved or torn down.  For more information, call Dave Krutsch, Clerk, of the Joint District No. 1, Washburn, Sherwood and Levis.

Tuesday, July 25, was a red-letter day for Mrs. Emma Pinz, town of Levis, for on that day her son, Max Schicketanz, with his wife and two children arrived home for his first visit to the United States in 15 years.

Mr. Schicketanz, who is now 35, came to the United States with his mother in 1929.  His father was killed during WWI.

He completed his high school course here and entered the National Guard while yet in high school.  To complete his schooling, he returned to Germany, where there were funds to meet the cost of additional schooling, funds that could not be transferred here.

His job, in Germany, has been work as an agent for procuring goods from factories for reparations.

50 years ago—“We can’t afford to stay in a big city when motels cost $15 a night.” 

An overhead trestle bridge, which spanned the Black River on Grand Avenue, collapsed under the weight of vehicles circa 1920. Those who lived on the north side of the river, in that area, needed a means of getting provisions from Neillsville stores. A footbridge was built so the people could walk across, backpacking their groceries until a new bridge was built on Grand Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Marge Hanson’s family collection.)