June 1883

While exploring the countryside in the vicinity of Kurth’s Corners Monday we were taken in hand by Charley, after which he showed us the premises. His new hotel is for one, for that size, decidedly well arranged and well built, in fact could scarcely be improved.  The rooms are large and the dining room especially attracted our attention, the floor being of fine matched ash with oiled finish.                                                              

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Friday afternoon at a quarter past 2 o’clock a fire was discovered in the rear of Wells’ livery stable, and by timely and prompt action was extinguished.  The fire had started at several places on the manure and straw piles, which lie behind and against the stable. There was no doubt that sparks from Gallaher’s planing mill were the cause. Last year George Lloyd’s tenement building was burned to the ground by a fire, which originated in the roof, several years ago Gallaher’s old mill was destroyed by fire, last year the Everett Bacon residence burned to the ground and now comes this livery stable fire.  In view of this we remark; first, that the buildings in that locality are mostly of a kind, which easily falls prey to fire; second, that therefore extraordinary precaution should be taken by everybody in the locality to prevent fire.  Mr. Gallaher informed us only a few days before this fire that he had taken the precaution to have all waste steam from the boiler run into the smoke stack for the express purpose of killing the sparks and that he felt certain no live sparks from his mill ever reached the ground.

John Nichols, of Grant, has sold his farm, of 40 acres on the Ridge road to John Pope, who has returned from Kansas and has once again become a citizen of Clark County.  Mr. Nichols proposes to visit in the east.  He will hold a public sale of his farm tools next week.                                                                       

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John Furbur, son of R. Furbur, of the Town of Sherman, is the champion sheep-shearer of Dunn County, of his age.  He is but fourteen years old, yet in one day last week he sheared fourteen sheep, without assistance, catching the animals himself. The next day he sheared twenty sheep, another boy aided him by catching the sheep.  His movements are quick, and he does his work well, with the claim for the championship in his behalf seeming to be well founded.

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Mr. Youman’s chore boy, Robert Zimmerman, had a friendly wrestle at Mr. Youmans’ barn Sunday with B. F. French’s chore boy, the fracture occurring near the shoulder. Dr. Morley set the broken bone, but could not ‘minister to a mind,” and Robert feels worse over the accident than the hapless victim of his science.

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Last Saturday Mr. O. G. Tripp sold his elegant new house on Third Street to Mr. B. Dangers, who bought Fred Klopf’s store for a few months ago and who now owns as tasty and desirable a home as any in Neillsville. The consideration was $3,000 cash.  Mr. Tripp gives possession August 1st and by that time will have a new residence well along in construction.

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The city authorities have decided to begin the use of gravel upon our streets, stating on Third Street.

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We rejoice to announce that Neillsville is soon to have an establishment for the manufacture of hubs and spokes. Those who are moving in the matter are from Appleton and have demonstrated their earnestness by purchasing a large fill of lumber and making other preparations for building. The factory will be located at or near the railroad station west of the Black River a circumstance to be regretted but made necessary by the decision of the railroad people to keep the depot at that point.

We have often called for factories to work up our worlds of hardwood and citizens will rejoice with us to see an institution of this kind added to the enterprises of the place.                               

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A woman jumped from a farm wagon in front of the post office Monday afternoon and struck on her hands, the rest of herself remained suspended in air by her skirts, which caught on a spring in the wagon.  A crowd of large men stood around, and it finally occurred to them that she needed assistance and they helped her out.

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“If you don’t want the soot, don’t go up the chimney,” was the reply of an editor to “respectable” parties who requested him, not to mention the fact, that they had been arraigned in the police courts.

June 1943

Several young people of the Neillsville community are debating the wisdom of joining the navy. Application blanks were given to students Monday by Petty Officer Elmer Otte, who came over from Chippewa Falls. The prospects include girls for the WAVES and boys for the navy.                                               

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Coins and related objects worth not less than $10,000 were exhibited in Neillsville, Tuesday evening by Fred Lakosky of Loyal.  They were shown following an address, which he gave before the Kiwanians and Rotarians at a joint meeting.

The oldest coin shown, dated back to 700 B.C.  It was a Roman coin, known as the silver Stater Turtle. The most valuable coin shown was a $20 gold piece of 1887, which has a commercial value of $500.

The most interesting coin was a small half-dime, made of silver given from his private collection of plate by George Washington. This coin, with a face value of five cents, has a commercial value of about $90.  Mr. Lakosky told how he bought this con from Max Mehl of Fort Worth about 30 years ago and how Mr. Mehl recently asked Mr. Lakosky if he still has it.

Mr. Lakosky told how as a boy he came to acquire an interest in coins.  His father had a big farm, which was made up from a lot of little farms.  His father tore down buildings and plowed up ground around them.  Thus coins and relics of olden days were turned up and the young Fred, needing money, found that he could sell what he found. So he began dealing in coins. After a time he went into the business of organizing collections for beginners, being regularly in the trade.  More recently he has bought coins, but has not sold them commercially.

Among coins most recently bought by Mr. Lakosky is a collection of 1,000 coins owned by Ernest Holden of the Abbotsford area.  Mr. Holden had had his coins in safety deposit in Colby and had not seen them for 43 years. After looking at the coins, he and Mr. Lakosky made a deal. Some of these coins are rare.

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Clark County is entirely out of debt, according to announcement by Calvin Mills, county clerk. The final payment on the indebtedness was made on Wednesday, June 2, when $87.50 was paid for the last interest charges.

The last payment on principal was made on May 29, when $15,000 was paid.  This is the first time in at least 23 years when Clark County has been entirely out of debt. At one time the indebtedness, including asylum and highway obligations, mounted up close to a million dollars. The descent from that point has been steady, with curtailment proceeding through the depression.                                                                                        

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Robert Reimer has purchased the O’Brien home at 167 N. Hewett Street and will occupy it as his residence.  The house is a modern 9-room structure, constructed in 1937.  There is a connecting garage. The lot is 20 x 120 feet. The house is being reconditioned and minor changes are being made.                                 

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Arnold Gustman has bought the Jack Sprat business, together with the realty in which it is located at the northwest corner of South Hewett and Division Streets.  He will take possession the latter part of this week, the Gustman family occupying the residential apartment in the same building.

The sale was made by Harry Swanson, who will retire from merchandising.  Mr. Swanson expects to engage as a subcontractor in defense construction, working in Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago.  His family will for the present occupy the residence at 216 S. Hewett, which is being vacated by the Arnold Gustmans.

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Ship yard workers wanted at Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.  Many openings for the following classifications: Electric Arc Welders, Structural Steel Workers, Ship Fitters, Pipe Fitters, Electricians, Outside Machinists and General Laborers. Age limit16 years and up.  Men must be in draft-deferred status. Good Pay, Steady Work, Opportunity for Advancement.

Call or write to the company or stop at our nearest office of War Manpower commission, U. S. Employment Service.

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A representative of the U. S. Employment Service will be in Neillsville, Tuesday, June 22 for the Loyal Canning Co. These jobs are located at Loyal and the work will start with the commencement of the early pea pack, probably the latter part of June.  People in the Neillsville area not now employed in war or farm work should contact Mr. Richardson, at Neillsville City Hall on June 22.

The Selective Service Board has requested The Clark County Press to publish the following: “Because of severe shortage of labor in canneries and viners this season, any farmer who has sufficient units on his farm to warrant a farm deferment and who has time enough to work for a canning company as well as sun his farm properly, may take a job with a cannery this season without affecting his status as a farm laborer.”                     

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The George L. Lloyd property is now in the ownership of LeRoy Allen, whose farm lies just to the east of it. The sale was recently affected.  Included was farmland of about 40 acres, and it was to extend his own farm chiefly that Mr. Allen made the purchase. The sale was made by Clyde D. Lloyd of Bellingham, Wash., a son of the late George L. Lloyd.

This sale carries with it the ownership of one of the largest residences in Neillsville and a property, which was once one of the finest. The house is of brick, very large, with fine hardwood floors and trim.  It was the pride of Mr. Lloyd, who was a successful lumberman and merchant of Neillsville’s earlier days.  The house was built some 40 years ago.

Mr. Lloyd died about 25 years ago. As time passed it became evident that the residence, however well suited to the pride and family of a successful lumberman, was not suited to the size and viewpoints of modern families.  So the place has gradually depreciated, although it is still intrinsically a splendid building.

One of the assets of the property is a spring, which in the old days was harnessed by means of a ram to provide a private water supply for the Lloyds.

This Lloyd house is said to have cost about $15,000, at a time when the dollar was larger than it is now.  It is eloquent of the changing taste and viewpoint that the house and the whole forty acres should have been sold for $2,000, the price, which M. Allen is said to have paid for it. As for the house itself, its present value is highly debatable, as it is vacant, seemingly useless and depreciating steadily.

(Fortunately, the Lloyd house was purchased in 1988 by Ray and Mary Jo Meier, who with eight years of work and effort, full renovated the house back to it intended condition, with it remaining as a Neillsville landmark. This house also represents the wealth of the late 1800s lumbermen, such as Mr. Lloyd who left this legacy to our city. The house is located at 1209 Lloyd Street. DZ)                                                                   

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If it were ghosts, and if they could write for the Press, they would tell a story, having been driven out of their happy home in the old Lowe warehouse. The building, an ancient frame structure, has been torn down by the B. and F. Machine shop owners. Ghosts vacating there would have been well versed in the lore of Neillsville, for that building goes far back into ancient history.

Perhaps its most honorable use was an office and warehouse for the Neillsville Electric Company.  There, William Neff the manager of that ancient and honorable organization had his office and in the rear he kept such fixings as he thought were to be needed in those early days of electricity.  Probably the fixings would seem primitive to electricians of today, for Neillsville was among the first cities in the country to have electric service, due to the enterprise of C. C. Sniteman and the men associated with him.

After a time the frame building became too elderly for the electric company, the office of which was moved to the Richard Kountz building, where the Production Credit is now located.  In that brick structure the Electric Company dealt with the public, while its former office became a warehouse for the nearby Lowe furniture business.

The disappearance of this landmark is connected with the war.  The immediate occasion of its razing was that the B & F came to a lull in its manufacturing activities and turned is manpower to this use, pending the arrival of future orders.  Owing to the war, also, there is a shortage of lumber with demand for lumber taken from the wrecked buildings.

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The Clark County Chapter of American Red Cross helped a Thorp area family after a storm destroyed their house, barn, furniture and clothing.  Insurance was $5,000, resources 80 acres, mortgage $6,100.

Local Red Cross help given: Labor $45, furniture $34.10, $41.55; building material $97.89; equipment $38.

Thorp legion gave the family $100 as the man was a member of their post.  Award of $150 was made by committee.

Neillsville area widow with family of six children lost house, barn, furniture and clothing, due to storm. Two of her sons are gown men. Insurance $5,000, $4,400 adjusted.  Resources 120 acres, mortgage $3,000, note $400.

Local Red Cross help given: Free labor, clothing given from supplies on hand.  Bills paid: Labor $204.25, equipment $30.79, clothing $55.81, furniture $76.60, Medical help for mother who was seriously injured, $109.65.

Insurance ample, help given in the form of labor made immediate rebuilding of the barn possible.

(The above Clark County Red Cross notes were taken from the mid-1940 records, saved by Milo Mabie and his son, Steve.  These records now provide us with an awareness of what the organization did at that point in time. DZ)

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