Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

December 9, 2009, Page 14

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

December 1919

 

Erin Stevens and Miss Gladys Winters gave their friends more or less a surprise last week when they came to town on Wednesday and were united in marriage.  The wedding was expected, but the young people slipped one over on the Shortville friends by being married a few days sooner.

 

They left the same day for Evansville where they will spend a short time before returning home to take up housekeeping.

 

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Winters and the groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Will Stevens.

••••••••••

York Center News:

On Nov. 26, Mr. Ferdinand Dahl and Miss Frieda Garbisch were married.  The ceremony was performed at the home of Rev. Hasz near Granton. The bridal couple was attended by Harold Garbisch and Paul Lange and Misses Violet Dahl; and Anita Schlinsog.  We join their large circle of friends in extending to them best wishes.

 

H. G. Graves has traded his Ford for a Chevrolet.  No more cranking cars for Hubert as one black eye is enough.

 

Pete Hannon has purchased the Will Andregg farm.  Consideration was $14,750.  Mr. and Mrs. Andregg and family will move to Neillsville for the winter.

••••••••••

Last Satruday evening Mr. and Mrs. Ed Zschernitz, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hagie and Dr. and Mrs. Matheson drove out to Amos Kegley’s home at Shortville where they indulged in a big venison dinner, at which about 25 neighbors also partook.  The men cooked the venison, decorated the table and served the dinner throughout and their wives say they made a great success of the event, establishing a reputation for being real chefs, even to baking pumpkin pie.

••••••••••

How about a subscription to your friend as a Christmas gift?

 

The Saturday Evening Post, every week, $2.00 a year; The Country Gentleman, every week, $1.00 a year; The Ladies’ Home Journal, every month, $1.7f5 a year.

••••••••••

Wanted:

Man with team of horses and wagon, capable of earning $100 to $200 per month; selling Heinrich products, medicines, toilet articles, extracts, spices, and stock and poultry products.  Terms: Cash or time.  Address: M. J. Kelledahl, Stanley, Wis., giving age, occupation and references.  

••••••••••

O. F. Gruenke, an expert cheese maker at Granton, was the high man in the scores of the cheese exhibit at the Central Wisconsin Cheese and Butter Makers’ and Dairymen’s Advancement Association in Marshfield.

••••••••••

Jos. McKimm returned last week from Westboro where he took a bunch of his horses to work in the woods this winter.  He reports that the lumber camps there are well filled up with men who have been attracted by the high wages.  As logging conditions are very favorable this year, the indications of a big cut are very good.

••••••••••

Farm for Sale; $1,000 will buy 120 acres, ½ mile from school and cheese factory, ¾ mile from Lutheran Church; good level land with 30 acres being nice timber.  It has fine 10-room house, fine large barns with James stanchions, silo, garage and outbuildings; includes: 17 head cattle, team of horses, crops and farm equipment.  The milk average is 5,000 lbs. per cow.  

••••••••••

A. C. Wegner is having the old Rabenstein building, which has been a meat market for several years, remodeled and refitted for a show room for Buick automobiles.  Mr. Wegner expects also to fit up a garage and do general repair work.  The location is very good and when he gets through, Mr. Wegner will hve a model show room along with an automobile repair and accessory shop.

 

(The Rabenstein building is located on Hewett Street, second building north of the Neillsville post office. D.Z.)

••••••••••

Carl Allin of Sydney is canvassing the Town of Hewett neighborhood, selling Aladdin lamps.  The Aladdin is a fine lamp and he is having good success selling them.

 

(The Aladdin gave the most light of kerosene-burning lamps, used before availability of electricity.  Many of us read books or newspapers while seated around the dining room table with light of an Aladdin lamp, which was conveniently placed on the center of the table. D. Z.)

 

December 1949

 

Wisconsin Rapids is the new home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Volz who were married on November 26.  The bride is the former Lorraine Wagner, daughter of Paul and Lillian Wagner of Neillsville.  The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Volz, also of Neillsville.

••••••••••

Lefse can be made by ordering if you call Phone Blue 108, located on State Street, 2 doors south of the hospital in Neillsville.

••••••••••

There will be a New Year’s Eve Dance December 31 at the Legion Memorial Hall in Neillsville.  Music will be by Nemitz, Opelt & Nemitz.  There will be confetti, Horns & Snowballs, lots of them!  Adm. 50¢, tax included

••••••••••

Workers at the Farmers’ Union mill have been fighting a losing battle with a mine-foot hole.  With shovels flying, they sought to drive a nine-foot excavation into soil underlying the mill.  The hole was to provide a resting place for the mill’s new 75-horse-power hammer mill.

 

What appeared to be solid mother earth on the surface, however, proved to be quicksand. As fast as the hole was reamed out to a sizable depth, the walls collapsed and the work had to be repeated.

 

The project has consumed two weeks and it appears the hole has forced the fight to a draw.  The Farmers’ Union men have decided to affect a compromise.  They’ve dug a hole, but the revised model is only 6 feet deep, rather than the nine-foot depth originally called for.

 

It might be said that they couldn’t go the “hole” way.

••••••••••

About 200 lutefisk lovers disposed of 200 lbs. of the Norwegian dish at the Legion Lutefisk and Lefse Supper at the Legion Hall last week.  At the same time they consumed about 300 pieces of Lefse, each piece averaging 12-inches in diameter.

 

Serving began at 5:30 p.m. and continued until 10 p.m., Mrs. Otto Schlimme reported, that the heaviest traffic in lutefisk sales came between 6 and 8:30 p.m.  The cost was $1.25 per plate.

 

Along with the lutefisk and the 300 feet of Lefse, was served ham baked in wine sauce, but the Lefse was the biggest job preparing, it was reported.  A crew of five women began Sunday afternoon preparing potatoes, went back at the job Monday afternoon, and spent all day Tuesday getting this flat food ready for the table.

 

The Lefse workers were: Mrs. John Mattson, Mrs. Bill Schroeder, Mrs. Della Botnen, Mrs. John Gullikson, and Mrs. Otto Schlimme.

 

Preparation for the lutefisk wasn’t begun until Wednesday afternoon, the ladies said, since it only needed to be boiled and butter added.

 

Among those preparing the dinner were Mrs. Walter Borde, Mrs. Otto Schlimme, Mrs. Rose Milton, Mrs. John Gullikson, Mrs. Della Botnen, Mrs. Otto Dux, Mrs. William Seelow, and Mrs. Anna Kleckner.  Mrs. Minerva Viergutz was in charge of the dining room.

 

A group of 14 waiters did the serving and were assisted by Legion members.

••••••••••

Clark County ski addicts have everything they need except snow.  The Bruce Mound ski runs are ready for operation, ski club officials reported last week, whenever there is snow enough for good skiing.

 

A new tow-line has been set up on the beginners’ slope and this will pull skiers 475 feet up the gradient.  The new tow is powered by an electric motor and taps an REA power line.

 

This makes three tows available on the three types of slopes used by Bruce Mound skiers.  Above the beginners’ slope, there is a second tow that pulls returning ski fans another 970 feet toward the final experts’ slope.  The final tow is another 300 feet in length and puts the expert skier atop Bruce Mound.

 

From that point, formerly the site of a forest lookout tower, a skier with sufficient skill can begin a giddy downward race that will carry him 340 feet in vertical descent over the long downhill run.

 

A small shelter of the Quonset type, capable of accommodating 15 persons has been erected.  Ski club Vice-President Dick Van Gorden estimates that space for 300 cars can be made available in the parking area.  This area is kept clear during the skiing season by Heron Van Gorden using a jeep with snowplow attachment.  While the new ski tow is operated by an electric motor, the older tows on the intermediate slop and senior slop employ gasoline engines.  The 970-foot intermediate tow is powered by a 100-horsepower Pontiac engine, Dick Van Gorden said, and the tow on the senior slope uses a 50-horse power Chevrolet engine.

 

Recalling last year’s season, Van Gorden reported that on a record day 135 persons had used the 50-foot wide ski trails and that about 400 persons had gathered in the skiing area to watch the sport.  In the crowd were fans from as far away as St. Paul and Oconomowoc and nearly every city in Clark County was represented.

 

Since then, about $300 has been invested in replacing worn tow ropes and installing the new tow on the beginners’ slope, in the expectation that bigger crowds can be expected this year.

 

Plans for this year include some form of ski training classes, the patrolling of the runs by a safety crew carrying first aide equipment and a toboggan to serve as rescue vehicle if there are any bad falls.  No serious injuries have been reported in the past.

 

Already tentative plans have been made for next year.  Then it is hoped that a toboggan run will have been completed, as well as a ski jump with steel scaffolding, Van Gorden said.

 

At present funds for operating the Bruce Mound ski runs comes from two main sources.  Memberships may be bought in the Half-Moon Ski Club.  These are sold to senior members for $5, to high school age persons for $3, to grade school skiers for $2, members being entitled to free use of the ski tows.

 

Second source of income for upkeep and development of the ski runs is the return from tow fees paid by non-members.  These are $1 per day for adults, 50 cents for high school students, and 35 cents for younger people.

 

The annual meeting of the Half-Moon Ski Club is set for January 10.  At that time a new set of officers will be elected.  Present officers are: James Hauge, president; Dick Van Gorden, vice president; John M. Peterson, secretary; and Calvin Swenson, treasurer.

 

The Half-Moon Ski Club had its beginnings shortly after World War II, when a group of interested veterans began working together on the project, sparked originally by Dick Van Gorden, a former ski-trooper in the Italian campaign.

 

On land, donated by Mrs. Marian Calway through an easement, the group began the job in the latter part of 1947.  Then Heron Van Gorden and Jim Hauge were, along with Dick, carrying the project forward. A ski tow was installed on the north side of the Neillsville Mound, but the vast amount of clearing required, forced the crew to abandon this site.

 

A second try was made, this time using a portion of the local golf course, by permission of the Neillsville Country Club.  Here the veterans learned considerable about the operation of a ski tow.  Lights were installed for skiing in the evenings and the course became so popular that plans for enlarging were made.

 

The club now decided to incorporate, became Half-Moon Ski Club, Incorporated, under the corporation laws of the State of Wisconsin, and was certified as being formed “to promote winter sports.”  The organization could not, however, issue stock.

 

Just previous to the organization of the corporation, Dick Van Gorden and Attorney John M. Peterson arranged for the use of land on Bruce Mound, obtaining use of the property for a mere one dollar from Joe Pasek, rural Merrillan.  Joe later returned the dollar to Half-Moon funds.

 

The work of clearing the runs went ahead, and was boosted greatly when Thomas Svetlik joined up and supplied a power saw to push along the tree cutting.  Burning and cutting, the club forged ahead, putting the ski runs into their present fine shape.

 

The club numbers nearly 100 members and looks for an increase as time passes.  Yearly the number of persons using the tows, both non-members and members, is increasing and with it the club’s income.  The money will be used to better the existing trails.

••••••••••

For the third time in five years the Loyal County garage’s rampaging oil furnace blew its stack Wednesday evening, ripping the furnace door from its hinges and caving in furnace ventilator ducts, as the wave of explosive force bounced back from the walls of the small furnace room.

 

Results of the blast were discovered 7 a.m. Thursday, by Cullen Ayer, foreman in the garage.  He found the furnace had blown its smoke pipe, along with several other fittings.

 

It is believed that the trouble lay in the burning motor, which failed to reach a speed sufficient to mix oil and air in a burnable combination. It is thought that a pool of oil ran from the burner nozzle, hit the hot bottom plates of the furnace and vaporized.  When a spark came from the burner nozzle, the vapor exploded.

 

The time of the explosion has been placed at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.  Arthur Fravert, who lives across the road from the garage, had heard a dull repot at about that time but had been unable to identify the sound or its source.

 

This is the third in a series of blow-ups at the Loyal County garage.  About five years ago, Elmer Anderson, county highway commissioner recalls, an oil burning furnace there let fly.

 

The second furnace blowout followed about a year ago.

 

 

In the above photo, taken circa 1950, are (left to right) Jim Hauge, Pink Van Gorden, Dr. Milton Rosekrans and Herb Smith.  Hauge and Van Gorden, officers of the Half-Moon Ski Club, had taken Rosekrans and Smith, representatives of the Clark County Forestry Board, out to tour the Bruce Mound Ski Slope area in hope that the Clark County Forestry Department would take over the operation, which the county eventually did. (Photo courtesy of the Half-Moon Ski Club’s Archives)

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