The Finest That Money Can Buy

This advertisement is somewhat reminiscent of the old Gerber ads.  By associating the baby with the product, the marketer convinces us of their product's quality. Equating its texture and qualities with acceptability for baby's skin, they appeal to our softer side and thereby convey wholesomeness, safety, and confidence in what should ordinarily be just a utilitarian product.  But after all, if it's safe enough for our little ones, it's got to be great for the rest of the family, and ourselves.  Smart marketing.

 

This ad was found in the back of the 1935 Nicolet, Menasha High's yearbook, where sponsors and patrons put their ads. Yearbooks have traditionally been a medium that ordinarily just featured simple names and addresses.  But Wisconsin Tissue Mills was evidently proud enough of its product line to tout it in an unusual place, and give us a unique perspective of 1930's advertising.

View From Upstairs at St. Mary's High

A familiar scene on the St. Mary campus, as featured in the 1970 Renard, St. Mary's yearbook.  That's the '62 building on the left and the '52 building on the right.

Doorway to Knowledge

Menasha High School, 1935

 

As detailed here in previous posts, the next year, in March of 1936, Menasha High School burned and the need for a new school was paramount. The fire’s exact origin is unknown, but it was thought to have started in the machine shop. To keep the school year going, classes were distributed among the remaining schools and other public buildings until the new high school could be completed in 1938.

"...to Take the Place of Wheel Casters"

1911 envelope from the Onward Manufacturing Company, Menasha, Wisconsin

 

We first visited Onward back in late February when we talked of O.C. Little and his little (no pun intended!) factory on Main Street   http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2015/02/orton-c-little.html and http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2015/02/onward-manufacturing.html .  Bentley & Gerwig was a manufacturer of office furniture in Parkersburg, so presumably, Onward's furniture shoes might have been a good fit for this firm's desks. 

Happy Anniversary

Today marks three years since the advent of this blog, originally designed to augment the photos and stories in the Menasha book that was published in June, 2012.  In those three years, we have not only seen the publication of the Menasha book but also, through no efforts (or fault?!) of my own, companion volumes published about the surrounding communities of Appleton, Kaukauna, and a little place to our south called Neenah. Did the book or maybe even my blog inspire those writers to do what they did?  I'm not that vain to think it did!  But I am proud that Menasha's book was the first of its kind in the Fox Valley, for whatever that's worth.

For what was designed initially as a simple means to generate interest in the book and to last for just a "little while,"...well, I guess I've just quite never figured out how little of a while it should be.  To be honest, some topics are definitely more detailed than others; some subjects get re-opened and embellished from time to time, while many others bear the stamp of "history lite."  Some would say how "historical" is it to obsess on an old matchbook or postcard?  And I'd reply that my intention has always been that history needn't be boring to be meaningful.  Facts and figures are fine as they go, but more importantly, if I can generate a feeling inside the reader and something clicks- nostalgia, a memory, an anecdote...then I've done my job.  So what if it takes an old grocery store ad or other cultural detritus to do that.  As I state in the Facebook summaries each day, it's an eclectic mix. 

I have you all to thank for keeping up with me these past three years.  Without your input and support, I doubt I'd have kept this going this long...not that I'm ready to stop any time soon.  But, to paraphrase the popular children's book's title, I like to think that it's "the little blog that could."   Thanks again.  See you Monday as we embark on a fourth year. 

3rd and DePere

The house I grew up was built by my grandfather in 1903 and my Mom lived there until 1986, so my family had many, many photos of my aunts and uncles and cousins taken over some 80+ years.   

Going through some of them the other day, I found this snapshot of my Aunt Esther and her son, my cousin Dick, visiting from Milwaukee and posing in my back yard.  I lived at the corner of 2nd and DePere Streets, so all too often, that 3rd Street intersection would appear in our family photos' background. 

This one was taken in the late 1930s/early 1940s, well before my time, but as I've said, I've gotten used to seeing time go by at that corner.  As a result, I've seen the evolution of the old Coonen's gas station in all its iterations over the years.  Gotta love those old cars. 

The Old Depot

It's been a while since we've featured a photo of the old C&NW depot.  This one's from 1980, nine years after passenger service to Neenah-Menasha was suspended.  Below is a view of the repurposed building from more recent times.  Aside from the enlarged windows, it's largely kept its character from the outside.

Google image date, October 2013