Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

October 14, 2009 Page 16

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

October 1899

 

The J. L. Gates Land Company has purchased extensive land holdings in Sherwood, Grant, Lynn, Hixon and Green Grove.  These lands have been broken up into 80 and 160 acre lots and now are offered for sale.

 

Neillsville’s football team, its first, played against Black River Falls, the score was a 5-5 tie.

 

Harry Robbins returned Thursday from Chicago, where he purchased an animated picture machine.  He will give entertainments through the country.

 

The N. C. Foster Lumber Company advertises No. 1 cedar shingles at $1.25 per thousand.

•••••••••

John Klinke has sold his 80-acre farm in York, near the Clark County Farm, to Mont Moren, son-in-law of Prescott Dorr, for $2,050 and will move to Marinette.  It is as good of a piece of land as there is in the Town of York.

 

October 1919

 

A use has at last been found for face powder or rouge. It is strange to say it is for putting color into the face.  Try this: Get a pot of rouge and a rabbit’s foot.  Bury them about two miles from your house and walk out every day to see that the rouge and rabbit’s foot are still there. The walk brings color to the face.  

•••••••••

At a special election held last Saturday, to determine whether or not the village of Granton should build an electric light and power line from Neillsville to Granton, the voters unanimously upheld the action of the village board by casting 51 votes in favor of the proposition.  A crew of six men arrived early this week, preparing to set the poles.

 

Three carloads of poles and several carloads of wire and other material have already arrived.  Within a short time a large crew of men will be here to rush the work of setting the poles and stringing the wire.

 

Several rural electric companies are being formed in our vicinity, which are to be owned and operated by the farmers. By these organizations the farmers will get electricity with its many advantages of power and light and have all the conveniences of the city.

•••••••••

Emil Schoenfeld has sold his cheese factory in the Town of York and is moving on to his farm.  The new cheese maker hails from Pelsdorf and takes possession Oct. 1.

 

(This Town of York cheese factory was built in 1904 by carpenter Abie Turner for its owner Ernest Coats.  Emil Schoenfeld bought the factory in 1911.  Later owners were: Ted Heibel, Mr. Justman, Georgas Johnson, Herb Uttek, Lewis Gunia and Masanz. D. Z.)

 

The above Town of York cheese factory as it appeared after being built in 1904 by Carpenter Abie Turner. 

 

Later view of the Town of York Cheese Factory

 

The first owner was Ernest Coats, who sold it in 1911 to Emil Schoenfeld. There were other owners, later with occasional remodeling projects, updating the factory through the years of operation.

 

•••••••••

 A resolution resolved by the City of Neillsville Common Council Proceedings, Oct. 7:

 

That the Victory Arches across Hewett Street at 4th and 7th streets are herby dedicated to, and to be maintained in memory to honor and respect the soldier boys who were and are now in any branch of the U. S. Army or Navy in the war against Germany and its allies.

 

Moved and seconded the foregoing resolution be adopted.  Motion carried.

•••••••••

Someone must have gotten after Jack Frost last spring as he is rather late getting around this fall.

•••••••••

Auction Sale: Wednesday, Nov. 5th, 1919; located one mile north of Crystal cheese factory in Heintown and 1 mile west of McKenzie’s corner on the Jim Volkomener place.  Sale begins at 10 o’clock – J. L. Neverman, Owner, Wm. Bradford, Auctioneer; Neillsville Bank, Clerk.

•••••••••

Granton is putting on Style!  The businessmen of Granton held a meeting recently and have decided to install ornamental lighting posts in the business section of the village and will have a fine white-way when they get the new current from the Wisconsin-Minnesota Co.  In addition to that the fire company is going to put in a siren for a fire alarm.

•••••••••

A new allotment of trucks and other motor equipment from the war department, through the bureau of public roads, to the various states for highway construction will be made in a few days. A reporter that this distribution would be held up pending adoption by Congress of a suggested resolution ordering the sale of army trucks by auction is denied. The delay is due to a re-survey.

•••••••••

Ed Bagley, Jr. of Christie had the misfortune to break his arm while trying to crank his Ford truck one day last week.

•••••••••

Wisconsin faces a shortage of 50 per cent of its customary sugar supply, according to Marketing Commissioner Nordman, W. P. Jones representing the department, has been in Milwaukee conferring on the situation.

 

Estimates were that Wisconsin beet sugar manufacturers would be able to supply needs until February, when imported cane sugar would be available.  It appears that this is not true and that unless prompt measures are taken, deprivation may result.  The total produced by the state, according to indications, will be far below the needs.

 

October 1949

 

 Seven promotions to the grade of sergeant and corporal have taken place in the Service Company recently.  Promoted to sergeant are: Matt J. Gassen, Cpl. Milton J. Tock and Harlan W. Watenpuhl.  Promoted to corporal are: Pfc. Donald Ayers, Pvt. Harris J. Dux, Pfc. George Gress, and Pvt. Marvin Garbisch.

 

Fifteen recruits and privates of the Service Company, 128th Infantry, were boosted in rank last month, according to M/Sgt. Thomas Flynn.  Promoted to the rank of private, first class, were: Duane C. Anding, Chester H. Diercks, Charles P. Havlicek, Thomas A. Jacobs, Charles G. Meyer, Charles Sydorowicz, Walter E. Helm and Wayne W. Sternitzky. Promoted to private from recruit were: Albert Y. Burckhard, William H. Genteman, Adrien E. Hubing, William L. Schultz, Russell R. Seelow, George C. Van Tatenhove and Jimmy M. Vincent.

•••••••••

For the second successive year cheese made by the Stewart Cheese Corporation of Greenwood has won top national honors for cheddar cheese.  The second of the two awards has just been announced at Waterloo, Iowa, where national cheese competition is conducted in connection with National Diary Cattle Congress.

 

The entry at the national show was made in the name of Wilbur A. Stewart, who is the secretary-treasurer of the Corporation, and active in its national show.

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wegner observed their 25th Wedding anniversary last Saturday.  Mrs. Wegner was formerly Marie Ehlert. The Wegners were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church by the Late Rev. H. J. Brandt. Wedding attendants were: Laura (Ehlert) Biggs, Carl Ehlert, Gertrude (Lang) Ehlert and Clarence Anderson.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Wegner lived on a farm near Neillsville for 20 years, and have been in business in Loyal the last five years.

•••••••••

The construction of a new church edifice within a reasonable time has been made a stipulation in connection with the pending merger of Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church with the Congregational Church.  The stipulation was made at a Congregational Meeting of Zion Church, 12 noon last Saturday.  

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Selves of Pleasant Ridge have sold their farm, four miles east of Neillsville, to Mr. and Mrs. Nick Letsch, who took possession immediately.  This farm has been in the Selves family for nearly a century. When Mr. Selves’ father settled here he came in on an Indian trail and he brought the first team of horses into the community.  Mr. and Mrs. Selves have purchased the Herman Hediger home in Neillsville.     

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Grap celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary on October 12 at their home in Globe.

 

A special service was led by Rev. Adolph Schumann for Mr. and Mrs. Grap at the Lutheran Church at Globe where they were married 50 years ago.  Mr. and Mrs. Grap were the first couple married in the present church.

 

Mrs. Grap was dressed for the occasion in a black velvet dress with lace and gold trim, presented to her by her son, Paul. She wore a white orchid corsage, a gift to her by her oldest granddaughter, Beverly Grap of Milwaukee.

 

After the service at the church, Mr. and Mrs. Grap were transported to their home in a top buggy decorated with crepe paper streamers and drawn by a team of horses.

 

The bride and groom’s table was centered by a huge wedding cake, topped with a pair of golden slippers.  The cake, weighing 50 pounds, was presented to them by their oldest son, Walter Grap of Milwaukee.  The second table was centered by a very attractive old time carriage.

 

The children of Frederick Grap gave their grandparents a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums.

 

Present for the occasion were their children; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Grap and children, Beverly, Walter and Jennine; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Grap and Mrs. Carl Grap, all of Milwaukee; Marvin Grap of Rockford; Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Grap and children, Ronald, June, Frederick, Jo Ann, Lewis and Susan, on the home farm.

 

Three attendants from the original wedding were also present: Mrs. Ole Lowe, Mrs. Harry Klauer, and Frank Hemp. The fourth Theodore Kalsow is deceased.

•••••••••

Clarence L. Sturdevant has been back in the Old Home Town this week, after concluding a distinguished career in the Corps of army engineers. This is his first visit in Neillsville in 18 years.  It was 45 years ago that as a senior in Neillsville High School he went to West Point and began a life work, which led him to the rank of major general and which, at one time, gave him command of 283,000 men. As a professional soldier he holds the highest rank ever attained by a son of Neillsville.

 

At the upper end of his high school days young Clarence Sturdevant fastened his eye upon the army.  Knowing that he must pass a stiff examination to enter West Point, he centered his interest upon subjects required for that examination.  Thus he worked his way into the army school without finally graduating here.  He left it to George Zimmerman and to his other local friends to garner such laurels as commencement day offered in Neillsville.

 

But commencement day at West Point found Clarence Sturdevant standing so high in his class that he had the choice of coveted assignment to the engineer corps, regarded by most West Pointers as the choice service of the army.

 

As a member of the corps of engineers, he began after graduation the series of steps, which finally led to assignment as assistant to the chief of engineers, to the chief command in the construction of the Alcan Highway and to the command of the New Guinea base section of the service of supply of General MacArthur’s command.

 

But before beginning his wanderings in the engineer service, Clarence Sturdevant was married in Neillsville to Beth Youmans, a Neillsville girl, and it was in the Youmans’ home in Neillsville that John, their second child was born.

 

The first army assignment was to a battalion of engineers at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; then to the engineer’s school in Washington; then in 1912 to the Philippines, where he helped fortify Corregidor; then back to Washington as captain, serving in the office of the chief of engineers, then to the general staff school at Fort Leavenworth, where he was a classmate of Generals Eisenhower and Stillwell; then to the army war college.

 

He then followed various assignments to districts in the country, where he was in charge of river and harbor improvements.

 

During the First World War he was with the Eighth Division at Camp Fremont, Calif., but was pulled out of that organization upon its departure for European Service.  He was then assigned to training a regiment of engineers and that regiment was not yet ready for service when the war ended.

 

Upon his return from his second service in the Philippines, General Sturdevant was made division engineer at Kansas City, Mo., with river and harbor improvements in his charge all along the Missouri up into Montana.

 

He was made assistant chief of engineers in 1940, as this country was preparing for war.  He was in charge of the military division, his work being mainly the organization and training of troops for the war.  It was in that capacity that he had charge of the Alcan Highway.  He entered upon this project with the urgent briefing that it might become the only link between Alaska and the continental United States.  At that time the navy was hard pressed, and there was danger that, in the extremity, the navy might not be able to protect the service of supply to Alaska.  It was necessary, Gen. Sturdevant was told, to open a passage through the wilds in a single season.

 

To accomplish this task, Gen. Sturdevant used 10 regiments of engineers.  They were divided into four contingents, one working south from Fairbanks, Alaska, one working north from White Horse in the Yukon; one working south from White Horse; the fourth working north from the end of the railroad about 150 miles north of Edmonton.

 

The Alcan Highway was roughed out and made passage in the single season, according to orders.  It transpired that the extreme emergency did not arise.  The improvement of the route was turned over to contractors, and the route itself is now in the hands of the Canada and the Alaska road commission.

•••••••••

The sale of $50,000 of the Owen Theater was the largest transaction recorded in the office of the county register of deeds last week.

 

New owners are Mr. and Mrs. Virgil G. Callahan and Mr. and Mrs. Clarence W. Callahan. The transaction included all theater equipment and supplies, as well as the building and land on which the theater is located.

 

The former owners are Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stasek and Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Hamm.

 

(Correction on last week’s issue: it was Walter Aumann who was driving his milk truck over the Hewett Street Bridge when it collapsed on Sept. 17, 1939. D. Z.)

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