Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Brick, Myhrwold, Humke, Olson, Christie
----Source: Greenwood Gleaner (Greenwood, Clark Co., Wis.) 30 Jul 1964
(Written by Arvid Myhrwold)
Several weeks ago the Gleaner ran a picture of two men who combine ages was 175 years. This is the story of the other half of the picture.
Chris was not born here; he came from his birthplace, Manitowoc County, when he was 3 years old, in 1876. His folks settled five miles northwest of town on the cutover area. It was practically all wilderness then; people just farmed for about as much as they consumed at home. They plowed, planted, and harvest in among the stumps. Chris is one of the few left who plowed with oxen, driving them "Gee" (to the left), "Haw" (to the right), and "Whoa" (Stop!).
When Chris was eight years old, his father was killed beneath a log in the woods. His mother died shortly after that, and he went to live with a neighboring family. After he was confirmed, he went to Lombard, east of Thorp, where there was a big sawmill in the 1880's. Joe Stirling was the boss when this "Gul-durned runt of a kid came and asked for a job. Joe suggested he carry water for the mill, so that was his job.
Christ left Greenwood (Clark Co., Wis.) in 1906, moved to Robinson, south of Christie. This was one of the showplaces of its time, though the barns are being demolished now. In 1910 he went to Glendive, Montana, to work for an oil company there. He drove an old Republic delivery truck, with solid rubber tires, and chain drive. It could even get up to 20 miles and hour. Then he bought out a transfer company in Sidney, Montana. But the doctor there warned him that if his daughter was to live, he should go where they could get the care of specialist, so they moved to Minneapolis.
Some folks wonder why Chris would come back to Greenwood after all these year. Yet this is home. His parents claimed Neillsville as their hometown, and they are buried at Neillsville, as are Chris' wife and daughter. There are not many of his generation left here, but a few – Theodore Humke, Henry Olson, and Mrs. Joe Christie.
Probably Chris' most family activity is that of walking. Most folks today would drive across the street, rather than walk; Chris walks two to three miles every day, and you can often find him swinging along the streets, or down by the bridge. Not bad for a man who is ninety-one-years young, as of last February 10.
