The Left Guard

Founded by Fuzzy Thurston and Max McGee of the Green Bay Packers and entrepreneur Bill Martine, the Left Guard restaurant was a mainstay in Menasha from the early 1960s to the mid 1970s.  It was a home away from home for many Packer players and was host to the annual 1000 Yarder banquet, back when gaining 1000 rushing yards in the NFL was a tougher feat in a then-14 game season. The partners had many Left Guard locations throughout Wisconsin, from Milwaukee to Green Bay and even a steakhouse in Minneapolis.  Max also had his own branded restaurant known as the Left End in Manitowoc.  In 1976, the partners divested themselves of many of the restaurants and the Menasha location was sold.  Max McGee took over the Minneapolis location and changed the menu to Mexican.  It became the first restaurant of the Chi Chi's restaurant chain. 

The Paper City

This was the official logo used during the July 2-5, 1953 Menasha centennial celebration.  1953 marked Menasha's 100 year anniversary of its inception as a village.  In later years, in 1973/74, a combined Twin Cities centennial celebration occurred which marked 100 years as cities- Neenah in 1873 and Menasha in 1874.

"The Avenue"

Separating Neenah from Menasha on Doty Island, Nicolet Boulevard was, until 1906, known as "The Avenue."   The Women's Clubs of Menasha erected a monument that same year in Smith Park to commemorate the explorer Jean Nicolet's coming ashore near Smith Park in 1634 after travelling down the Fox River from Green Bay.

Popcorn Man

This advertisement from the Menasha Record, a local newspaper of the day, from March 29, 1913 is reflective of leisure at the turn of the century. With prosperity came disposable income and what better way to spend this money by spending it on the wholesome amusements of the day- ice cream parlors, moving picture shows, and popcorn vendors. The widespread planting of popcorn in America didn't occur until the mid-1800s, but within half a century, popcorn became a favorite to young and old. When the first mobile popcorn machine was introduced at the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, popcorn became prevalent everywhere.

City Bus

This photo dates from July 1969. America had, or was, just about to land a man on the moon; such an exciting time. I came across this too late to include in the book; ideally it would have gone in the chapter on transportation. The bus is listed as route 8, headed for Appleton. In later years this became route 30 and is to this day, I believe. In the background, you can see the Left Guard restaurant and Gibson Chevrolet. The Bank of Menasha reminds us of the temperature, a nice comfortable 66 degrees.

Dendo Island

This 1862 map shows Dendo Island near the Tayco Street bridge just above Block C on Doty Island. In 1730, the French fought the Fox Indians in a battle near Dendo Island. The Fox buried their dead in a communal mound known as the Hill of the Dead, which translates to Butte des Morts. By the time the 1878 map was published, Dendo Island had been filled in and became what is now known as Garfield Avenue.

Welcome

June 25th is the release date of my book, Menasha, written with the Menasha Historical Society and its wealth of vintage photographs. I've tried to present the story of Menasha from its earliest days when it was carved out of the Wisconsin wilderness to the present. The book will feature 200+ black and white vintage photographs of paper companies, leisure life, transportation, retailers, and the city fathers who made their mark in a town once known as "the industrial city." In this blog, I will present other photographs and items that didn't make it into the book, but which also supplement and enhance the experience. All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Menasha Historical Society.