Mentor Township History
Clark County, Wisconsin
Fishing
on Lake Emerson with rolling farmland in the background
1856
Early Mentor History
(1856 - 1906)
1881
History of Humbird, WI
(1881)
1890
"Clark
County Illustrated"
History of Mentor Township (1890)
1915
"Early
Humbird Photos"
Photo #1
1927
Mentor Township Boundary
Changes.
1941
Taxation
Report (by Wayland Waters)
Financial Report
of School District, No. 1, Mentor Twp., Clark Co., Wis.
~~Changes~~
Neil Hein
giving his sister, Beth, a ride in their motorized three
wheeler.
Main Street Scenes
Mentor Buildings & Landscapes
~~Memories~~
1921--Neil Hein of Humbird, Wis. sent
this
postcard of himself to Mr. Clair Robelia
of Ladysmith, Wis. and wrote, Dear Clair:
Am sending you a photo of my rig.
You can see my key, coil and spark gap to
the right. I wish you could take a
picture of yours if room is light enough.
Write soon. Wishing you a merry Christmas
and Happy New Year.
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HUMBIRD, WISCONSIN--SKETCH
BOOK
ROSANA HOREL thus relates her
experiences: "I was born at Belfast, Maine, in 1839,
and lived there until 15 years old. In 1854, with my
parents, I left the place of my birth for Wisconsin.
We traveled by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes
to Milwaukee, and. by railroad from Milwaukee to Madison.
In October of that year we went to Black Earth, Dane
County. The next spring we moved to Richland County,
where we lived for four years. In 1859 my mother died
and I came with my father to Osseo, Trempealeau County.
I was married there and lived there for six years, then
came to Clark County with my husband and settled on
a farm three miles west of Humbird, where I lived thirty-seven
years, moving to the hamlet of Humbird in 1902. When
I came to Clark County in 1865 there was no town of
Humbird or Fairchild. The whole country was covered
with tamarack and oak timber. The land where Humbird
now stands was owned by Almond Alderman. The place was
once called Rocky Mound City. Jake Humbird built the
railroad through here in 1869, and the village was named
for him. The town experienced quite a boom when they
talked of building a railroad from here to Neillsville,
but when the plans were changed to Merrillan it subsided.
G. W. King had five sawmills and D. D. Travis owned
and operated a mill two miles from this town. We used
to haul all our grain from the farm to Sparta and bring
back our supplies from there, taking about three days
to make the trip. The stage coaches used to run through
the Garden Valley from Sparta to Hudson, and the settlers
used to take turns going to Garden Valley once a week
for the mail. There were lots of Indians here but they
gave us no trouble only by their everlasting begging.
When we first came to Clark County we used oxen, which
at night were turned out. One night our dogs made such
a noise and fuss that the men got up to see what was
the matter. When they went out there was a whole pack
of wolves surrounding the open. We used to have plenty
of wild game, and used bear grease for cooking. It was
nothing to see a drove of deer pass by the door. One
day a bear went by acting as though he was wounded and
we thought we would get him, but when we got close to
him, Mr. Bear leaped over a five-rail fence and was
gone. All our furniture in those days was of the homemade
variety, including beds, chairs and tables. Everyone
was sociable and all acted together, and while we had
many hardships, we had some pleasant times. John Branstedter,
Peter Beaver, A. Webster Joseph Emer, Orin Wilson and
Mr. Colgrove were some of the early settlers." Source:
1918 History of Clark Co., WI
RUNDLE FAMILY--Photo
Album Memories.
~~Tragedies~~
Early Train
Wreck, date unknown
Contributed by the family of William
Hein
1875
Outlaws and Desperadoes
1878
Fatal Accident--Nicholas
Tice, aged eighty-four years, who living about two miles
west of Humbird, was killed by the evening passenger
train on the West Wisconsin Railway, in mid February,
1878. At the time of the accident. he, in company
with his wife, was walking on the track, toward the
village of Humbird, when, seeing the approaching train,
they stepped from the track taking opposite sides, to
allow it to pass. Mr. Tice being partially blind, did
not get out of reach and was struck by the steam chest
of the engine, the contact breaking his back and inflicting
other injuries, causing instant death. The body was
taken aboard the train and conveyed to Humbird, where
an inquest was held, resulting in a verdict of death
by accident, in accordance with the circumstances and
facts in the case. No blame can attach to the train
men, but by order of the Superintendent of the road,
the body was taken charge of by the employees of the
company, with instructions to defray all necessary expenses.
1885
Drowning--Leroy,
son of Medbury & Abigail (Flemming) McFarland, drowned
in Humbird, Wis., Sept. 15, 1885. He was twelve yrs.
and twenty-four days old.
1907
1907 Tornado
1963
Car-train Accident--Dick
Matti, Humbird milk hauler who was critically injured
in a car-train accident Saturday, was expected to be
moved Wednesday to the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minn.,
from the Krohn Clinic at Black River Falls, where he
has been treated since the accident. Matti suffered
severe head injuries when he was thrown from the cab
of his milk truck as it was struck by a Green Bay and
Western Railroad freight train near the west edge of
Merrillan. Matti’s truck was demolished. His physician
said that he had not fully regained consciousness up
to Tuesday night, and called his condition “very serious.”
The accident took place at the crossing near the Gilbertson
home, where Matti was about to pick up milk.
2005
2 killed, 1 injured in Clark Co.
crash
Luedtke, Kurt Bryan
(1964-2005)
Luedtke, Kurt Bryan
(1964-2005) #2
Colwell, Marilyn
E. (1968-2005)
Mentor Township
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