Museum II

January 9, 1899, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

January 17, 1899, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

January 20, 1899, Neenah Daily Times

July 14, 1899, Neenah Daily Times

July 18, 1900, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

Following the sequence of events, it is obvious that there was some confusion, at least by the fourth estate, over the exact name of the benefactor who gave the Menasha museum its initial collection.  Was it Olin, Oten, or Oleson?  Be that as it may, the end result was just disheartening as it amounted to the equivalent of a petulant child ending the game by taking his bat and ball and going home.  No small matter that the Oshkoshes of the world were salivating at the news of Menasha's misfortune.

Saved By the Florist

September 20, 1954, Appleton Post-Crescent

Typical 1950's slice of life cartoon appropriated to service a florist's advertising budget.  Looking like so many Saturday Evening Post (remember that?) cartoons, the reader is drawn into the cartoon before realizing the payoff at the end is an advertisement.  A great marketing ploy for its time.  I was only too familiar with Lindsdau's as it was the preeminent florist in Menasha for many decades.

Doty Confusion

June 29, 1960, Appleton Post-Crescent

My friend Steve Krueger poses an interesting question on the Menasha, WI Forum group on Facebook.  Although it is generally accepted that Governor Doty lived in Neenah, Steve has compiled several incidences which indicate otherwise, that his residence was Menasha.  In attempts to help, it seems I've only muddied the water even more by the addition of the above 1960 news article which states, again, that Doty lived in Menasha.  I even searched the Post-Crescent for the months after the publication of this article, thinking there might be an irate letter to the editor refuting this fact, but none was ever found. 

Museum Idea

September 13, 1898, Neenah Daily Times

September 14, 1898, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

Mayor Schoetz came to the conclusion that a municipal museum for Menasha would be a good thing.  But then, the critics came out, as evidenced above. 

November 10, 1898, Neenah Daily Times

November 16, 1898, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

A few months later, the whole thing came together, in the basement of the Smith Library.  But as we will see in a future posting, the future was not so bright for this endeavor.

Menasha Drills

September 27, 1934, Appleton Post-Crescent

September 29, 1934, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Evidently all that hard work by the Menasha squad paid off as they went on to defeat Shawano that Friday night some 84 years ago.  The lineups and substitution lists only reflect offensive positions but I have no doubt that many, if not all, of these hardy guys, played both ways, as was the norm for that era.

Rebels Without a Cause

September 8, 1954, Appleton Post-Crescent

Like so many James Dean wannabes from those 1950s "troubled youth" movies, comes our own panic of a sorts when kids started acting out in our own home town.  I can only imagine the reactions of the local populace to these interlopers desecrating our downtown's decorum.  On the lighter side...owning a typewriter for as little as $1.00 per week?!   Please refresh my memory...what's a typewriter, again? 

The End of an Era

September 17, 1948, Appleton Post-Crescent

Nice reminiscences of the Menasha. plying its trade along the Fox River.  One major takeaway from reading these anecdotes is how the Menasha had its own personality, you might say, judging from Captain Velte's telling of the story.  His tales of the interesting characters along the river resemble those feisty ship captains we've seen in countless movies and TV shows.