Memories of Schilling
Beaver Township, Clark
Co., WI
Contributed by Ethan Scearce.
The Schilling Railroad Depot was changed
into the cheese factory, which is still standing and is a private residence, with
living quarters on second floor. Was to a garage sale here, years ago, and once
had opportunity to ascend (with invite) the stairs that
ascended from middle
of south side of building, to second story. Have never seen the whole interior.
It is just west of the Malm farm where Farm Tech Days will be held in July; unfortunately,
the road will not be open to public at that time. It is on south side of 153rd Rd,
maybe halfway? between Cardinal and Owen Avenues. And, I don't presently have a
photo of the building either.
They say main roads in Beaver twp years
ago were Cardinal Ave north to Stark Rd which goes east to CTH K east, CTH K east
past Oak Grove Rd, and Oak Grove RD south to Rock Creek Rd. Or, 153rd to Maple Center,
which used to go straight east from Maple Center school (not the SE jog at present)
to line fence (presently Malm farm and my parents) and south on Park Lane to Rock
Creek Rd. So when driving CTH K north from Rock Creek Rd to jct with CTH P,
note all the low swampy places and streams/ bridges, plus the hills, and you get
an idea of why it was so late in development. They also say the eastern stretch
of Maple Center Rd (Between Oak Grove and the next north-south road to the west)
was quite late to be opened/developed for traffic; that it was just a 'trail' for
years and muddy at that. I remember how bad it used to be for frost boils.
Lester Bloom cleared the farmland across
the road from her and up along CTH K. Used to bring a load of gravel home on the
can milk truck and use the weight to pull/uproot trees, or so they say.
My brother used to work for him. Seems
hard to imagine, since it's nice farmland now. And, talking about clearing
land, Arnie Gadke (now deceased but with whom I used to work on an area farm) helped
clear a lot of land on the north side of Stark Rd west of 'K' corners (junction
with CTH P).
