Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

February 10, 2016, Page 9

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

January 1901

 

A majority of the people living on the east side of Black River in the Town of Pine Valley who have heard of the article printed in the Times of last week comment very unfavorably upon its plan to divide the town and set the east side into the city of Neillsville.  In fact, some of the remarks on the question would not look well in print.  For one, I wish to say that I think it is a very frivolous idea, to say the least.  It looks more like another Adams Land Co. scheme to sell river beach lots to soft-heads.                                                                                                      

•••••••••

Wilcox Community news:

 

H. S. Chase has sold his farm to Webb Winn for $2,000.  Rumor has it that Mr. Chase intends to go to Canada.

 

Abram Vanderberg tipped over with a load of wood bolts last Monday afternoon, and sustained some painful injuries.

 

Fay Livingston has a horse and cutter, and if the girls don’t get a ride, it won’t be Fay’s fault.

•••••••••

Logs are being hauled to the various landings and the Jordan’s mill at a gait that would surprise the man who claims that timber is all out in this country.  But the faster it goes the quicker will this Greenwood section get down to dairy farming, where can be found far better and surer profits than are realized from the sale of logs.

•••••••••

The spoke factory is accumulating logs and bolts at a rapid rate these days.  Monday’s receipts showed something over 65,000 feet.  These are mostly oak and basswood being hauled down on the ice of O’Neill Creek.

•••••••••

Roosters often crow over eggs they did not lay.  Same with people who sell an imitation Rocky Mountain Tea, made famous by the Madison Medicine Co.’s advertising, 35’ at C.C. Sniteman Co.

•••••••••

A new steel bridge consisting of one span about seventy feet long was place in position over the North Fork of the Eau Claire River, three miles west of Thorp on Wednesday of last week.  The work occupied about three hour’s time, after which trains were running over the new structure.                                

•••••••••

W. J. Marsh is having rock hauled for the basement of a new residence to be built next summer on his lot on Clay Street, next to L. M. Sturdevant’s residence.  The location is a good one and a fine addition to Neillsville’s homes to be looked upon.                                                                                                         

•••••••••

C. S. Stockwell is putting in considerable time lately in camp where he and S. M. Marsh are doing quite a stroke in logging in addition to their cordwood business.  Mr. Stockwell does anything along the line of work from pulling a saw to taffler for Mike Conlon, the cook.

 

(In the early logging days, a taffle was a camp cook’s helper. DZ)

•••••••••

Edwin Montgomery, who purchased the La Flesh farm in Pine Valley in the fall of 1899, gives us the following milk record.  From April 1st, 1900, to Jan. 1st 1901, he received from the creamery $257 in cash, the income from six cows.  The cows also supplied his family of seven with milk.  With the skim milk he raised six calves and six pigs.  The cream was taken to the creamery of H.B.M. Andrus, west of Neillsville.  While Montomery claims nothing extraordinary for his cows, he gives it as an example of what an average farmer may do here in the dairy line.

•••••••••

Bob Boullion received several fine pictures of the Eilert Brewery at Fresno, Calif.  One shows the building to be a mammoth seven story structure with Mr. Eilert and Will at the entrance.  Fred Huntzicker is leaning against a chimney at the top of the lofty building.  The other views are interior scenes showing Will and Fred at work among the massive machines.  The plant is fully equipped and in operation, being one of the finest in the U. S.  It has ice machines and refrigerating apparatus of the latest patterns thereby enabling them to get along without O’Neill Creek.

 

(Ernest Eilert purchased the Neillsville Brewery in 1884, operating the business until 1898 when he turned the business over to his daughter Marguerite’s husband Kurt Listeman who had been his brewmeister.  He then moved to California to pursue building a large brewery in Fresno.  DZ)                              

•••••••••

He sighed, she sighed, and the wind sighed for a Leason built Wind mill and pump, made in Neillsville.

•••••••••

Cabbages and onions wanted by the Warehouse Company.

 

 The above photo was taken in 1904, a typical Clark County farm scene of that time, taken in York Township.  John and Julia Vincent purchased the farm from Joe Kubat in the fall of 1900, taking possession in the spring of 1901.  Shown in the photo are: Julia Vincent with baby Gertrude, son Victor and the family dog, Rover.  The pioneer log house was later razed and replaced by a frame, brick-faced house.  An addition was built to the barn and other improvements were made.  The farmstead is located on Halle Avenue and now owned by Dan and Ruth Clark.

 

February 1941

 

There was a time in Neillsville when Hewett Street was East Street, and Smartweed Avenue was something more than an alley.  But that was back in 1881.

 

A map showing the layout of the city at that time and now is in the hands of City Clerk William F. Hemp, which reveals that but very few streets in Neillsville retain today the names they were known by then.

 

Just why the alley, which runs beside the Zimmerman block was called “Smartweed Avenue” is not entirely clear; yet that was its name.  The suggestion has been made that Satterlee and Wells, proprietors of the old Neillsville Times, might have had some influence, either directly or indirectly on that, for their business was located on it.

 

And, although it extended north to south through the city, the present Hewett Street, was known as East Street.  The supposition is that it formed the eastern boundary of the city at the time it was named.  But in 1881, Court and State streets were located east of it. 

 

When the name of East Street was changed to Hewett, it entailed some revision of street names by necessity; for in 1881 Seventh, or “Snake Street” was known as Hewett Street.  The road running beside the Condensery apparently was associated with O’Neill Creek, too, of instead of Eighth Street, it was known as Water Street.

 

At that time, Clay Street extended but a single block between Fourth and Fifth Streets.  But Fifth Street at that time carried the name of Third Street.                                                                               

•••••••••

We’ll Re-build your old Cotton Mattress into an Innerspring Mattress comparable to most $39.50 Mattresses for a Fraction of That Price!  Pickup & Deliver!  All Work Guaranteed.  For Information Write: Direct Mattress Co., Loyal Wisconsin

•••••••••

Five of eight volunteers who will fill Clark County’s February selective service quota were selected Tuesday night at a meeting of the local board in Loyal.

 

They are Glen L. Wright, Granton; Lawrence Drescher, Neillsville; Archie Radke, Greenwood; Jerome Bertz and Oscar Fricke, both of Loyal.  Those who are to be inducted will leave from Loyal at 10:38 a.m. next Thursday, February 20.

•••••••••

A recent fire scare at the Merchants Hotel had its humorous side, as well as its serious one.

 

Relating to the incident, Clarence Peacock, former local resident, who was staying at the hotel at the time, told a traveling salesman of Semitic stock, who really became excited.

 

As smoke from a smoldering mattress filled the second floor, the salesman appeared in the hallway.  In each hand he clasped a suitcase.  Over one arm was draped his trousers and his coat.  Over his body was draped something less substantial.

 

Although he was assured that there was really no danger, the excited salesman insisted on leaving, and did.

 

The fire, which broke out about 4:10 a.m. February 10, was started by a lighted cigarette, which had dropped onto bedding in a second story room.  Damage to bedding, mattress and the floor amounted to exactly $82.05.

•••••••••

About 50 members of the local Otto J. Haugen Post American Legion, have registered under the preparedness registration move of the national legion, Commander Harry Roehrborn said this week.  Registrations will be continued through Saturday at the office of John M. Peterson for all ex-servicemen, whether legionaries or not.

 

Of the early registrants, commander Roehrborn said eight indicated that they would be available for duty anywhere in the United States should the need arise.  The others, he said, indicated that they would be available for home duty.  Among the registrants of the Haugen Post were a toolmaker, a lathe operator and an aviation instructor.

 

Registration is voluntary and is looked upon by the legion as an inventory determining the talents and qualifications of ex-servicemen, which would prove of value in case of a national defense emergency.

•••••••••

Workers this week were dismantling machinery and equipment in the J. B. Inderrieden Co. plant here, marking the close of the canning plant.  The machinery is being trucked to Hampshire, Ill., where it will be reassembled for use in one of the company’s plants.

 

The dismantling is expected to require about three weeks, according to Clarence Peacock, former plant manager, who is in charge of the work.

 

The Inderrieden plant started operating here in 1929, and made its last pea pack in 1938.  During the peak of its run here it contracted 1,200 acres of peas and about 700 acres of beans.                                    

•••••••••

The business of training ski troopers isn’t all slaloms and balance.  Sometimes it can be largely made up of bunged up ankles and arms.

 

Note the case of the 220 men and 10 officers who started out in the advanced patrol training on the old CCC Camp Globe site, 10 miles north of Fairchild and on the western boundary of Clark County.

 

When the unit converted the abandoned CCC Camp into a base for ski patrol unit work, the place fairly hummed with activity.  That was the first day.

 

But on the second day, a few more than 40 men were loaded gingerly into army transports and were returned to Camp McCoy, near Sparta; there to rest sprained ankles and wrists and broken toes.

 

The trouble wasn’t so much that the troopers were not able to properly handle skis and snowshoes. Rather, an ice crust covered the snow, making travel by skis treacherous.  Although the mess hall attendance took a severe drop in the first few days, it is picking up again as troopers return from resting their injured parts.

 

For nearly a month prior to taking over the abandoned CCC camp, the men were given basic training in skiing and snowshoeing at Camp McCoy.  They were selected from all units of the Fifth Battalion, Second Army, excepting the artillery; and all of them said they had had some experience with skis.

 

When the colonel tells you that, he smiles a little.  And after hearing the soft Kentucky drawl of some troopers, you know the reason for his smile.

 

But the majority of troopers at Camp Globe are northern-bred boys, many of whom claim this section of Wisconsin as their home.

 

For several years the training of troops for ski and snowshoe operations had been conducted in isolated posts by the army.  One such was at Fort Snelling.  Another was in Alaska.  But since the brave Finnish ski troopers proved their worth in spectacular style in the Russo-Finnish War, the army has taken up the problem of training ski units with more purpose and seriousness; Thus, the reason for such training at Camp Globe, and Camp McCoy.

 

The advance training at Camp Glove is by way of experiment in almost every way.  Officers and men are there to learn for themselves just what the tactical possibilities of ski and snowshoe troops are; what sort of maneuvers they are capable of carrying out; how these fit into the whole scheme of army operations; how to take care of themselves in sub-zero cold; what clothing is the best; and what ski troopers and snowshoe troops would have to carry.

 

It is a big problem, and army offers at Camp Globe hope that the training there will provide the answer to many questions.

 

An illustration of the thoroughness with which each problem is being examined is to be shown in an experiment being conducted at Camp Globe by a lieutenant and a few of the men.  In the quadrangle and directly before the officers’ quarters is a ring of pup tents, various sizes, weights and colors.  The problem is to determine which type of tent is the best and what type of sleeping bag is best.

 

The lieutenant and men sleep each night in a different tent and each night in a different type of sleeping bag.  They spent those nights of 20 degrees below zero last week in them and found themselves entirely warm and comfortable.

 

Another problem of importance is the method of moving up supplies for troops, which can advance over snow as rapidly as those on skis and snowshoes.  Toward anserine this problem, the unit at Camp Globe is experimenting with large toboggans propelled by a caterpillar on a motorcycle motor.

 

How fast are these? 

The colonel said they are too fast and estimated their speed at from 40 to 45 miles per hour.  This, he explained may be too fast for the load the toboggans will have to carry.

 

As for the troopers, they are a hardy looking lot.  Most of them wear several days’ growth of whiskers for protection from the windburn and cold.  A few of them though, have not yet attained their full whisker-production capacity, and must wear their faces at the mercy of the elements.

 

(CCC Camp Globe was located five miles west of Rock Dam Lake, on Camp Globe Road, bordering Eau Claire County.  A marker designates the former site. DZ)

 

 

€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€

 

 


© Every submission is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

 

Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.

 

Become a Clark County History Buff

 

Report Broken Links

A site created and maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
and supported by your generous donations.

 

Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke,

Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,

Crystal Wendt & Al Wessel

 

CLARK CO. WI HISTORY HOME PAGE