October 1901

The railroad offices at the Merrillan depot have been removed, preparatory to the enlargement of the Blair House.  This enlargement was made necessary by the increased and constantly increasing patronage of the very popular hotel.

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Considerable uneasiness was felt here the latter part of last week at the continued absence of Ed Bruley and Hiram Hart, who started down the Black River the first of the week in a small boat to search for the span of the Black River Bridge taken out by the flood, the week before.  The uneasiness grew out of a report that they did not pass the Dells Dam, and it was feared that the frail boat in which they had embarked, had been swamped, and that they had been drowned.  The fact that they were considered two of the safest men on the river for such and (an) undertaking, both being good boatmen and fearless swimmers, was all that had kept the fear that they had drowned, from becoming a belief.

As it was Emery Bruley and George Hart who started out on Wednesday to find Ed and Hiriam, they soon learned that the reason they were not seen to pass the Dells Dam was that they had procured a team of horses and a wagon above the dam.  Then they loaded their boat on the wagon taking an overland route until they were below the rough waters of the Angles and Mormon Riffle, though no boat could have survived on that stage of water.

The news was telegraphed back, but did not wholly relieve the anxiety created by the first reports circulated, nor was that doubt fully removed until the boys themselves put in their appearance last Saturday evening.

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The repairs on the Black River Bridge have been completed so that the omnibuses are able to cross, going to the train last evening, and this is glory enough for one day.

The work of repairing the Dells dam will be commenced as soon as the waters subside.  Past experience has taught the lumbermen that damming the Black River at the Dells is an expensive job.  They will wait for the olive branch before they tackle the dam business again in that area.

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The coupling pin between the engine and passenger coach worked out on the up trip, last Sunday morning, leaving the said coach standing on the track about one and one half miles from the railroad station.  The engineer discovered the loss of his train after he had gone about half a mile, and of course, went back and towed it in.  The occurrence created no little merriment among the passengers.

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Under the above heading of the La Crosse Chronicle, of last Friday, says:

W. C. Shean, of Black River Falls, has just completed an investigation along the Black River of all the logs, which have been carried to the bottoms by high water.  These must be hauled to the river, this winter.  He states that 14,300,000 feet of logs have thus been carried away between Black River Falls and Gale’s Ferry, about 12,000,000 feet less than last year.  Mr. Shean will have charge of the work.

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The German Lutheran Church in the Town of Grant is so far completed, that services will be held therein for the first time next Sunday morning.

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The high waters of the past few weeks have been destruction to the flood dams on Black River and its tributaries.  Due from the damage sustained at Hemlock Dam and the Dells Dam, two of the dams on Rock Creek have been ruined.  The dam on Gile & Holway’s farm, on Rock Creek, is the only one on either stream not destroyed or damaged by the flood.  The damage to the lower Rock Creek Dam consists chiefly in the creek having cut a new channel through the north bank, wider than the original channel of that stream.  Driving shanties on the north bank were carried away by the high water.

October 1956

People who missed the high school football game, last Thursday, missed a good game, despite the 12 – 39 score.  Also they missed some excellent half-time entertainment as well.

The marching work of the Neillsville High School band, under the capable direction of Gavin Upton, was worth the price of admission, alone.

For one of its numbers, the band formed a clock, hands and all, and played “Walk Around the Clock,” an intricate formation and a catchy tune.  They also formed a letter “C” for Cornell and “N” for Neillsville, and played the school songs.

It was a delightful performance, and deserves the commendation of the community.

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The lead in a race for the top producing herd among members of the Clark County Dairy Herd Improvement association cooperative was taken over last month by the Danielson Bros. of Loyal.

Their herd averaged 475 pounds of butterfat.  Trailing closely, but four pounds behind, was the herd of the Clark County Hospital farm at Owen.

The herd average for the United States is 375 pounds per cow, and for Wisconsin the average is 366 pounds.  Only about 40 herds in the entire nation exceed 500 pounds, according to a report form (from) Irnfried F. Harder, DHIA fieldman for Clark County.  Two more members of the county cooperative, completed tests during September with herd averages of 400 pounds or more.

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Presidents, secretaries and committee member representing the 66 Homemakers clubs of Clark County attended the Fall Council Homemakers meeting held Friday afternoon at the Greenwood High School.

Mrs. Reno Herdrich of Loyal, Clark County Council president, introduced the speakers.

Mrs. Heron (Pink) Van Gorden of Neillsville told of plans for continuing the county Homemakers Chorus.

It was decided to have a tour with a tentative schedule at Neillsville Tuesday, October 30, at the courthouse, the Indian School and Memorial Hospital.

A dinner will be served at noon, at the Methodist Church.  Reservations and remittances should be sent not later than a week before to Mrs. Albert Wilson, 614 W. 4^th St. Neillsville.

Frank Kunar, Farm and Home Development agent, spoke on “How homemakers can improve the farm income.”

Miss Barbara Ray, county home agent outlined plans for the new year, with these projects: “Planning your living room,” “Freezing pre-cooked foods,” “Buying electrical equipment,” “Hospital and Medical insurance,” and “Fruit Desserts.”

Miss Richert, district leader of home extension, spoke.

Plans were made for a round robin letter “to pass on good ideas to the clubs” and to again have the Christmas newsletter.  Articles for this letter should be submitted before November 1.

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D. Duane Schultz of Neillsville will take up new duties October 8 as Clark County traffic officer for the north end of the county.  He will fill the vacancy left by the resignation of William D. Nelson.

A native of the Town of Levis, Schultz has been connected with a Neillsville livestock dealer for the last nine years.  Prior to that, he was employed by a local highway construction firm for five years.  Probably more people will recognize him by his nickname of long standing: “Gabby.”  He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Schultz of the Town of Levis.

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Location of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary “Thrift Sale” to be held Friday and Saturday of this week to be held at the Krantz building at 139 W. 6^th Street, Neillsville.

The building is open daily to receive further contributions for the sale, and a committee of auxiliary members is on hand sorting, pricing and arranging the articles being brought to them. The chairman, Mrs. Ivan Lauscher, expressed pleasure at the response already given, and urged everyone in the community to do some thorough house cleaning, this week, and bring in more items for this worthy project.  Articles of clothing, personal items, household equipment and house furnishings, garden and farm tools, can all be used.  If transportation is a problem, call Neillsville 22 for free pickup service, which is being arranged by Mrs. E. A. Georgas.

Sale hours will be from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, and from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday Oct. 6.  Mrs. Lauscher urges everyone to shop early for best bargains.

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Bob Shramek and Sam Newton drove to Whitehall, where they picked up and brought back a bell for the Methodist Church at Humbird.

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Pvt. Jack L. Corey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Corey of Greenwood, and brother of Gary Corey of Neillsville, is scheduled to leave New York Thursday, October 18, for Germany.  He left Monday from Fort Carson, Colo., where he took his basic training and has been stationed since he entered the army in April of this year.  He is a graduate of the Greenwood High School in 1954 and attended Stout Institute at Menomonie.

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Wings and legs of pheasants shot in Clark, Marathon and Wood counties during the season, which opens Saturday, October 20, are sought by the State Conservation Department.

The game division of the department requests hunters to enclose the outer ends of both wings and both legs, cut off at the first joint below the drumstick, in an envelope and send them to the conservation department.  Special, postage-paid envelopes are available for this purpose from many sportsmen, sportsmen’s organizations, and several feed mills and hardware stores in the area. Additional envelopes also are available from Warden Arthur Schroeder.

In making the request, the conservation department stated:

“By sending in the wings and legs of pheasants killed, hunters can help the conservation department gather important and much needed information on the age, composition and hatching dates of our pheasants.  “Mr. Pheasant Hunter,” the department continued, “this is your opportunity to aid in research for a fine game bird of Wisconsin.”

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All seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Wren of Sidney, two miles southwest of Neillsville, were present Sunday for the celebration of the couple’s 55^th wedding anniversary.

The Wrens were married at the Methodist parsonage, in Neillsville, by the Rev. A. V. Ingham, on October 15, 1901.  They have made their home at Sidney since that time, with the exception of two years, which they spent on the West Coast.

A widely known figure in this area, Mr. Wren is probably equally well known among the residents as “the Mayor of Sidney.”  His office, he says, is a lifetime one to which he was “elected by 40,000 mice, which is quite a story, and a long one.”

Sidney once held much more importance than it does now.  In fact, today it is just a place where the Pine Valley town road crosses the Omaha railroad tracks.  In Mr. Wren’s early youth, however, it was a booming community.  Besides offering a siding, for the then important to the area railroad, it was the center of a charcoal burning operation of considerable proportions.  “Coal” kilns “burned” hardwood into charcoal, handling 14 cords of four-foot wood at a time.

“The smoke and the smell were terrific,” Mr. Wren recalls.  He lived across the road from the kilns then, as he does now.

The kilns, however, burned their last in 1888, he recalls.

For a long time, too, Mr. Wren served as the “lamplighter” of Sidney.  Each evening, he climbed a pole to light an oil lamp, which was the one touch of urbanity in this otherwise quiet country scene, and each morning he remounted the pole to blow out the light.

Until a few years ago, Sidney was marked by a sign on the railroad track.  Mainly, it was there for the edification of the trainmen.  It marked the top of the grade from Merrillan.  The rest of the way into Neillsville was a downhill grade.  A siding, since removed, was located at Sidney.  When the freights were too much for the engines to handle, they would pull part of the train to the Sidney siding and return for the other part before going further.

With the exception of their two years in the West, the Wrens have made their home in their present house near the inter-section of Sidney road and the railroad tracks.

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More than $800 was realized by the Hospital Auxiliary in its two thrift sales, held October 5-6 and October 19-20 in Neillsville.

In behalf of the Auxiliary, of which Mrs. Richard Albrecht is president, the following statement was made:

“The considerable amount realized from the sales will go quite a way in providing useful equipment or furnishings for our hospital, and we are very happy about this; but also feel that the sales, by providing so many very reasonable prices, did a lot to help many worthy people in this community who have rather limited budgets.  In fact, some of the people told us that the sale was a real God-send to them.”

“So, we who worked on the sales feel well repaid for all of our efforts, and we would like to thank everyone who helped us in any way.”

“Perhaps since this year’s event was such a success, the Auxiliary will decide to make it an annual affair.”

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The long awaited Grand Opening of the new and modern I.G.A. Foodliner in Neillsville will be held this weekend, with the opening of the store scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.

More than $500 in free gifts will be given during the three days of the opening, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and a special grand award of $100 in groceries.

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The Kiwanis Club members and Neillsville Senior Girl Scouts worked together in the Kiwanis Club’s grilled chicken stand at the 1956 Clark County Fair.  Proceeds from the sales were used to purchase a TV set, which was presented to the Memorial Hospital for the patients to view.  (Kneeling left to right) Erma Stucki, Sharon Morley, unidentified, Frei, Sandra Buddenhagen and Jeannie Mabie, (standing, left to right) Judy Reese (who is hidden), Corrine Braatz, Donna Burr, Nancy Jenni, Mona Hoesly, Mary Ylvisaker, Kathleen Krause, Dolores Burr, Carol Rosenberg, Doris Warren (hospital administrator), Betty Ylvisaker, Judge Oscar W. Schoengarth, Elmer Georgas, Henry Rahn, Milo Mabie, Ralph Bauer, Al Devos, Dr. Kenneth Manz, William A. Campman, Cara Jean Jones, Morris Blodgett, and Hubert Quicker.  (Contributed photo)

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