Day Corners (Ghost Town)

Levis & Pine Valley Townships, Clark Co., WI

By Sharon Short

DAY CORNERS TAVERN

A long one story, possibly cinder block, building was built on the Day Creamery property at some point in time, probably before prohibition (1920-1933). At some point in time, probably prior to the bank foreclosing on the property the tavern was known as “Whiskey’s Tavern”. (Could have also been during the Wucki ownership.) The tavern purchased by Walter and Mary Wucki from the Neillsville Bank just after prohibition was ended and was known as the “Four Corners Tavern”.  It was then purchased by Don and Dora Champoux in May 1947 and became known as “Don’s Bar”.  It was then sold to Irvin and Lois Marg in June 1972.  In April 1976 it was sold to Larry and Jan Turner and became known as “Turner’s Inn”.  The Champoux family had the old creamery, which was situated just behind and beyond the tavern, demolished in the summer of 1947.

The following is a list of the Day Creamery Company stockholders and suppliers of milk to the creamery in 1903 along with their July 1903 milk check income.  Some of the writing in the ledger was difficult to read so some of the names might not be spelled correctly.

DAY CREAMERY COMPANY BOARDING HOUSE

Day Creamery Company payment records show that a boarding house was built on the same land in 1904.  Miscellaneous March 16-August 11, 1904 expenses for that building: Wlm Meier, haul 15 loads sand $15.00; August Wessenberg delivering rock $37.12; Wlm Naedler hauling lime $2.85, 6 ¾ day work $10.57; Charles Kriarpa digging cellar $15.25; Henry Wedding 4 days work $6.00; John Owens filling in around wall $3.00; Royal Satterlee digging drain for cellar $6.73; August Kettlehaute mason work $50.50, hauling lime $1.50; finish cellar wall $9.00; Wlm Oldham 2 ½ day mason work $6.25; Nick Willger 4 ½ days mason work $11.25; Joe Herman 3 ½ days mason work $7.50; August Schoefner plastering house and chimney building $26.20, brick for chimney $6.34; Wlm Heiking labor and use of engine $9.00, labor $1.00; August Schoengarth 4600 bricks $30.20; Denis Touregney hardware, labor $4.76, lime cement $34.00; A. Radke (hardware store?) 26 bushels lime $10.08, harr & till $23.52, screen doors $4.50, 2 bushel cement, 8 bushel lime $6.14; C.W. Dewey labor and lumber $16.36; G.N. Phillips on contract to build house, including some material $545.06; and last but not least D.C. Neff 12 meals for masons $3.40.

There was nothing in the two existing ledgers to indicate the size of this house nor any records of running that establishment in the way of income and expenses.  (One could assume that the house was for the benefit of certain creamery employees such as the butter maker or cheese maker since all the principals of the company had their own farm homes.)  A 1976 article states that the house on the property was where the cheese makers lived.  At that time, 1976, Orville and Jean Turner were living in it.  An old photo shows an L shaped house of two stories on the long arm and one story on the short arm.

Related Links

1895 RR Map

Jun. 15, 1994 Good Old Days

Jun. 29, 1994 Good Old Days (Fire Works)

Jan. 24, 1996 Good Old Days

Aug. 10, 2005 Good Old Days

Bever, Mrs. Carl (1897 - 1923) (Obituary)

Epding, John (1853 – 1917)

McAdams, Mrs. JW (? - 1929)

Neff, Daniel & Lydia

Short, Ramona (Marriage – 1921)

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