Mead Township

~~History~~

Clark County, Wisconsin

Indian Tribal Remains

• Grinding Stone on the Kolstad Property

THE HISTORY OF MEAD LAKE

Mead Township, Clark Co., WI

Contributed by Dee Zimmerman, transcribed by Janet

(excerpt from The Clark Co. Press; Nov. 1947)

The building of a new dam and county park, in the town of Mead, has been authorized by the Clark County Board, with an appropriation of $30,000 for the dam. This amount has been included in the new budget.

The land area, which the county owns, or will acquire, is about 480 acres. The lake will be upwards of 300 acres in size. Of the land required, the county already owns all but about 40 acres. The resolution authorizing the project provides that nothing shall be done until the county owns the entire area needed.

That venture will be virtually self-financing, was the estimate given the board by Arthur Stadler, chairman. He anticipates a broad demand for space for cottages. The decision is to lease the lots at $15 per year, with a minimum advance payment for 10 years. Each lot will have frontage of 100 feet.

In authorizing this project and in setting up a new park authority, the county board headed into a problem connected with the management of such park areas. That problem was zoning. The forest and park area of the county is protected by a zoning ordinance, which was enacted in 1934. That ordinance sets up in detail the various things which land in the restricted area may be used.  The uses explicitly cited are 12 in number and included in the ordinances is a section of definitions, with the obvious purpose of removing doubt as to what can and cannot he permitted. Among the 12 uses there is no mention of taverns, but the Rock Dam park now has three taverns, two of them on land leased by the county. Such leases appear to have been granted by the forestry and zoning committee. So far as has yet appeared, such leases have been granted on the theory that the taverns fall within the permitted classification of "Recreational camps and resorts." But the section of definitions gives this meaning to that classification:  "Areas of land with buildings or tents and sanitary facilities used for occupancy during a part of the year only."

The emphasis upon the tavern business in the Rock  Dam area has occasioned considerable discussion, which resulted in the appointment at the fall session of the county board of a committee for the "clarification" of the zoning ordinance. That committee, appointed by Chairman Stadler, consists of Supervisors Parkinson and Warren, together with the members of the forestry and zoning committee. The members of that committee are Wm. C. Ambelang, Arthur Baures and George Beeckler.

Many inquiries have been sent into the Clark County Clerk's office in regard to leasing a lot on the lake to be created in -the Town of Mead on the Eau Claire River If you wish to lease a lot on the lake, send your a ten- year lease. If you wish to lease it for a period of 20 years make your check for $300. These applications will be numbered -in the order received and leases issued accordingly. In other words, if your application is number one you--, would have first choice in selecting a lot.

We would suggest to anyone who may be interested in leasing a lot on this lake that they do so immediately. Only 200 such leases will be executed at this time and at the rate these applications have been coming in, they will soon be taken up.

Deer hunters' dances will be held at the Lake Side Inn at Rock Dam this coming week. Saturday, Nov. 22, Harold Karlstadt's Orchestra will play on Wednesday, Nov. 26, Johnny Gertz will provide the music.

Murphy's Tavern, in Neillsville will have food and lodging for hunters During hunting seas, they will serve meals fro 4 a.m. to 12 Midnight.

What inflation can to property in Neillsville has been vividly illustrated by the sale of the cabins,  house, and restaurant property on Division Street.  This place has just be taken over by Michael, Burckhard of, South Milwaukee. It consists of residence, an adjacent tavern and restaurant, eleven, cabins and a washhouse, the intersection of South Hewett. The land is a little less than two acres. T price paid is quite definitely reported at $26,000. 

The sale of the property was made by Charles Scheuerrnann, who had taken the real estate, over from Paul Volkmann in May.  Scheuermann, was then paid $18,500 for and that was considered quite a sale at that time.  The deal did not hurt Volkmann any, for he had bought six or seven cabins, with their contents from Joe Zilk for $1,800.  Nor had that deal hurt Zilk any, for he figured back to the time when he built the cabins and equipped them for $120 apiece. When could get $300 apiece for them, it sounded too good to be true and he closed quickly. When he heard about the heights to which, his cabins had climbed, was trying to wash down the concrete driveway outside his filling station.  The shocking news made Zilk so dizzy, he had to reach for something upon which to lean.

Burckhard knows something about this dizzy business himself. He sold a house in South Milwaukee just before he came up here and he sold at inflation prices. He is a mechanic and has also do carpenter work. He figures that the property could not now be reproduced at the price he paid. So up to the hill at the comer of South Hewett and Division, everybody is happy and the Burckhard family is squaring away and getting ready for the business, which they are anticipating. (The above property was that of the old White horse restaurant and be At that time, there were cabins on the south side, behind the restaurant. *Note by Dee Zimmerman)