Slippery Seal Revisited

Last month we got a look at the Slippery Seal at Valley Fair, the so-called "sensation of the nation."  This photo spread from the June 30, 1969 Appleton Post-Crescent shows the faces of true joy of the three story ride to the bottom. 

John Marx House

1898

1986

John Marx, president of the John Strange Paper Company, had been a clothing merchant in Menasha since 1872.  He was born in Germany, November 25, 1839, son of Nicholas and Anna M. Marx, and after attending school until the age of twelve, he was then apprenticed to the tailor trade.  After learning his trade and serving time in the army, he emigrated with his parents to America in 1867, locating at Clifton, in Calumet County, and soon after he located in Menasha.  He married in September, 1872, Gertrude M. Baum, daughter of Henry Baum, born in German, and engaged for a time in the clothing trade in Menasha.  What led him to such business success beyond tailoring clothes is unclear, but Marx also eventually became president of the Neenah and Menasha Gas and Electric Light Company and sat on the board of directors of the Island Paper Company and the First National Bank of Menasha.  He was also an alderman for three terms.

His house at 108 Main Street was constructed in 1882 and was occupied by his family until after the turn of the century.   Architecturally, it was of the "High Victorian Italianate" period of construction with some elements of the Queen Anne style also.  After this, it became a rental property and by 1931, the house had been converted to the dental and medical offices of Drs. L.D. Costello and George E. Forkin. 

The Marx house was located to the west of the old fire station on Main Street and as such, was in the way of the three-story office building to be constructed overlooking the Menasha Marina in the late 1980s.  Development of the marina by the City of Menasha required a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to breach the canal retaining wall. The Corps granted the permit upon completion of the compliance process under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. One requirement of this process was that the city actively offer the Marx house for sale and relocation for a period of six months prior to demolition, with the proviso that the house could be temporarily relocated to permit construction of the office building. The temporary move took place but it is unknown if the house was ever purchased and relocated beyond its temporary location.

Gem Beer

Years before Lite beer from Miller, this ad from 1952 highlights Gem's quality as a sugar free beer, one that might appeal to dieters and those watching their caloric intake.  In the best sense of the word, advertisers, as always, tout whatever qualities they can conceive of to hype their product.   In an era where doctors could be spokesmen for cigarette companies, the claims of this ad are rather innocent.

August 27, 1964

What's in the news from 48 years ago?  This page from the August 27, 1964 Neenah-Menasha Northwestern reflects a thriving community about to dedicate Calder Stadium.  And how about that "all you can eat" $1.35 seafood smorgasbord at the Hotel Menasha?  Gotta love the 1964 Chevys on display in the Gibson ad. 

Whiting Paper

The George A. Whiting Paper Company mill was built on the site of an abandoned dry dock located on the west end of the Government Canal in 1882 by George A. Whiting I and the Gilbert Brothers- Theodore and William. The company was known as Gilbert and Whiting until 1886, when Mr. Whiting bought the Gilbert interest. It was equipped with one small 76" trim, Fourdrinier paper machine and other machinery necessary for the manufacture of rag-content paper.

On August 24, 1888, a serious fire ravaged the mill and, when the firemen turned a stream of cold water on a hot steel bleaching drum, a disastrous explosion occurred, killing 16 spectators and firemen. The mill was rebuilt by Mr. Whiting, and the same paper machine, with some improvements, is still in operation.  About 1910 the mill discontinued the manufacture of rag-content paper and switched to the making of high grade chemical pulp specialty papers.   The business was conducted under the name of "George A. Whiting Paper Mills" from 1886 until April, 1911, when Mr. Frank B. Whiting became associated in the business with his foster father. It was incorporated at that time, and it has been known as the George A. Whiting Paper Co. ever since.  George A. Whiting I died in June, 1930, when Mr. Frank B. Whiting succeeded to the presidency. Soon after Mr. Frank Whiting's death in March, 1952, his only son, George A. Whiting II, took over the reins as president.

Today, Whiting Paper Company is owned and operated by 4th generation Frank B. Whiting II and 5th generation siblings George A. Whiting III and Tina Whiting-Pfeffer.   The mill now specializes in scrapbooking and fine art papers.

Fizz-Nik Party with Colonel Caboose

The fad of Summer, 1961 was the Fizz-Nik (not to be confused with Fizzies, the soda flavored Alka-Seltzer type thingys that made your water taste and look like soda).  And coupled with my local TV hero, Colonel Caboose, from WBAY-TV, Channel 2, besides.  What could be cooler than that for this 5 year old?  Every day he'd entertain me with Popeye cartoons in the afternoon while Mom was fixing dinner.   And if the Colonel endorsed it...well, it just HAD to be good.  Right?  Plus, 7-Up promoted this thing and I liked 7-Up.  I liked ice cream, too.  And space.  Space was a big deal at the time and Fizz-Nik was a cool name.  Heck, it was probably even named after Sputnik, the satellite. 

But much like Ralphie, who, in the movie, A Christmas Story, learns firsthand the bittersweet truth between advertising and reality with his Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, I had my eyes opened too.  As I learned later, the Fizz-Nik had no discernible seal between the two halves of the sphere, so naturally it had a tendency to leak at precisely this critical point.  Of course, this didn't become apparent until the initial test flight, so to speak.  Always good at following directions, I tipped it back the way the kid does on the package and voila!  A foamy eruption of soda and ice cream cascaded down my arm to the elbow.  Needless to say, that contraption was soon relegated to the kitchen junk drawer and it sat there for years, being pulled out periodically for another go-round and then, just as quickly washed and dried and put back again as soon as its failures again became apparent.  Why it was never just thrown out is beyond me.  

Coke had a similar device at the time known as the Astro-Float.  Now I never knew about that one until I chanced to peruse eBay one day many, many years later looking for a Fizz-Nik (I wanted to prove to my kids that this thing existed).   I could have had one for the Buy It Now price of $9.99...a bit steep from the 1961 price of 49 cents, but hey, price is no object for a real collectible!   I ended up not buying it, but still, it brought to mind Albert Einstein's definition of insanity which was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And who of us as kids, hadn't done some of that? 

Local Grocers

This page from the April 14, 1965 Daily Northwestern reminds us of two of Menasha's long-time local grocers- Stani's on Appleton Street and Herb's Food Town on Third, touting that holiday staple, the Easter ham. 

Of special note, is the article about Catholic education at the top of the page.  This article reads as if it was first presented as a Sunday sermon, but if only to gain support for what was an effort at the time to create a new centrally located Catholic high school to replace St. Mary's.  The effort eventually stalled and we didn't see a new Catholic high until the new St. Mary's came along in 1996.   More to follow on that in the coming weeks. 

Golden Griddle

A few weeks back, we got a view of the Slippery Seal, the "Sensation of the Nation" at Valley Fair.  If we didn't already know that it was the big promotion at that shopping center, then this ad for the Golden Griddle confirms it.  And look at those 1969 prices.  You gotta love those silver dollar-sized pancakes for the kiddies!  Yum!!

Mission Billiards

Located at 167 Main Street, where Morton Drugs later made its home for many years.  No juicy stories...just what passed for "recreation" back in the day.  (I'm sure the more "upright" of the citizenry had harsher words for this activity!) 

Max Schoetz

Max M. Schoetz was born in Milwaukee, September 12th, 1856, the son of Michael and Theresa Schoetz, natives of Bavaria, Germany, who came to Milwaukee about 1848. The family lived for a time in the city and finally took up their residence in Boltonville in Washington County, where his father followed the trade of wagon maker.

Max's early life was mostly spent in Boltonville, where he received his education, including both primary and academic. During a considerable portion of his youth, when not in school, he was employed as clerk in a store. After leaving school he taught two terms; but in the meantime began the study of law with the late L. F. Frisby of West Bend, who was at one time attorney general of the state.  Mr. Schoetz was afterward a student in office of Collins & Pierce of Appleton. He was admitted to the bar November 12th, 1877; in March, 1883, he was admitted to practice in the state supreme court, and five years later, in the United States district and circuit courts.

He began the practice of his profession in Menasha with the late Hon. John Petter. After Petter's death in 1879, Mr Schoetz practiced alone for three years. He then formed a partnership with Elbridge Smith, which continued until Smith died in May, 1894. In July, Mr. Schoetz entered into a partnership with Silas Bullard, and, after eighteen months Charles Gaffney came into the firm, which is now styled Bullard, Schoetz & Gaffney.  Mr. Schoetz became city attorney of Menasha, and in 1894 was the Democratic nominee for member of the assembly, and his Republican opponent was Silas Bullard, his own law partner; but that was not a year favorable to Democratic candidates, although he had the satisfaction of running ahead of his ticket. He was been consistently elected supervisor for the city of Menasha, until he became the oldest member of the Winnebago county board of supervisors.  He was also a justice of the peace, and served three terms as superintendent of the Menasha public schools. In 1887 he organized the Menasha Building and Loan association and was one of the organizers and a stockholder in the First National bank of Menasha, and in the Winnebago Anzeiger Publishing company. 

Mr. Schoetz was married June 2nd, 1880, to Barbara Landgraf.  Her father was Andrew Landgraf, who founded the Landgraf Hotel on the site of the present Brin Theater building.. They had four children of which his son Max, Jr. grew into an attorney in his own right, and became the Milwaukee City Attorney and later dean of the Marquette University School of Law. 

Mr. Schoetz was mayor of Menasha twice, in 1898 and 1899.  He died in 1932 at the age of 76.

Time For a Break

During the week of 13-17 August, this blog will not be updated.  But please make a note to return for further blog items beginning on 20 August. 

41 Outdoor

On April 30, 1949, that stalwart of our growing up years, the 41 Outdoor Drive-In celebrated its grand opening.  And who of us can forget the thrills of going to the drive-in?  As small fry, we often dressed in our pj's, our parents knowing full well that we'd never make it through the double feature.   Perhaps Mom fixed some snacks to keep us busy, or else Dad would have to make that trudge to the concession stand for popcorn.  As teenagers, we had car dates on the weekend, or sometimes, just the regular gang of friends would load into the station wagon and make a night of it.  Maybe we'd see that cute girl or boy from school we were just too shy to talk to in class.  The nights at the drive-in held such magic.  Even I'm not immune to mooning over such memories. 

Razing the Walter Brothers Brewery

             

February and March of 1960 saw the demise of the Walter Brothers brewery next to St. Patrick's.  It had ceased operations in 1956, though it's sister breweries continued their operations in Eau Claire, Appleton, and West Bend as well as in Pueblo and Trinidad, Colorado. Unable to match the marketing and sales budgets of the big national breweries, the Walter breweries closed one after another in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The last one to survive was Walter Brewing in Eau Claire which lasted until 1989.

Elbridge Smith House

from the June1898 souvenir Menasha Press:

The first frame building in Menasha was erected in October of 1848 by Elbridge Smith, then a young and energetic attorney from the East, and it is worthy of note that this house is still standing on its original site on Water Street between Mill and Clay. It was the first frame house built within the present limits of the city, and is still in a good state of  preservation.

But like the Joni Mitchell song,  a news item in the June 17, 1960 Post-Crescent stated the house was to be removed to make way for a parking lot.  See below:

more info about Mr. Smith, from his obituary:

Elbridge Smith, son of John Howard and Martha (Mitchell) Smith, was born October 22, 1818, in Old Town, Maine. He was prepared for college at the academies at St. Albans and Skowhegan, and took the early part of his collegiate course at Colby University, entering the class of 1845 at Bowdoin in April, 1843. After graduation in 1845, he studied law and was admitted to the bar at Bangor, Maine in 1849. The same year he moved to Menasha, Wisconsin, and took up the practice of his profession, maintaining it with marked success till his death. He held many offices of trust, among which were those of district attorney, supervisor and clerk of the village. He died suddenly, May 11, 1894, at Menasha, Wis., from la grippe (influenza).  Mr. Smith married, January 22, 1854, at Old Town, Caroline J. Hoskins, who survives with two children, Mrs. Helen Marion Story of Minneapolis, and Julius E. Smith, Esq., of Menasha, Wis.

St. Mary's High School Gym Dedication

 

Feb 23, 1931  - Appleton Post-Crescent

PLAY CAGE TILT AS GYMNASIUM IS DEDICATED

St. Mary High School Quintet is Defeated by St. Norbert’s 19-13

MENASHA – The St. Mary High School basket ball team dropped a hard game, 19 to 13, to St. Norberts of De Pere in St. Mary gymnasium Sunday afternoon.  The game was the feature attraction at the formal dedication of the new St. Mary gymnasium.

The Menasha All-Stars, led by Edward Godhardt, center, swamped the United Cigar company cagers of Appleton, 42 to 23 in the preliminary attraction.  Godhardt scored 11 field goals for Menasha.

“The dedication of the gymnasium marks a definite event in the life of the Fox River Valley high school conference by providing the last school in need of a gymnasium with suitable physical education facilities,” the Rev. Anselm Keofe, rector of St. Norberts and president of the league said in the dedicatory address prior to the high school cage tilt. 

“The organization of the Catholic high school league has provided the missing factor in Catholic school activities.  Although the league has been in existence little more than a year, much of the unevenness already has been eliminated and with cooperation from all the schools in the Green Bay diocese, it should become a marked success.”

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And a note to those of us thinking, St. Norbert's is a college, not a high school....

From its humble beginnings of tutoring students in the rectory kitchen of St. Joseph Parish in De Pere, the Norbertine religious order eventually developed a formal classical high school curriculum with both day and boarding students. St. Norbert High School was founded in 1898 as the first educational program established by the Norbertines in the US.  The school began with just four registered students and their teacher, Abbot Bernard Pennings.  St. Norbert High School and St. Norbert College coexisted on the same campus until 1959, in what is today Boyle Hall.  

In 1959, the location and name of the school changed. St. Norbert High School, whose enrollment had grown to 180 students, moved to a larger facility and was renamed Abbot Pennings High School.

Dismantling of Mill Street Bridge/Dedicating Racine Street Bridge

from James M. Auer's 1953 book, Centennial Memories: A Brief History of Menasha, Wisconsin:

In 1856 a float bridge was built across the channel of the Fox, connecting the Island and the mainland.  Unfortunately, citizens who crossed the span were often sprayed with water on account of its peculiar construction. As a consequence it became necessary to replace the pontoon affair with a wooden drawbridge in 1860. The latter soon settled into the water,
however, and in 1886 the city bought a swing bridge from a Milwaukee company for the enormous sum of $7,000. When the rest of the span partially collapsed a few years later, Menasha purchased a riveted iron bridge that cost $14,500, thus completing the Mill Street bridge which endured until 1951, a remarkable length of time considering that it had been planned with light, horse-drawn vehicles in mind. On Saturday, August 25, 1951, the new Racine Street lift bridge was dedicated in memory of Curtis Reed, and the old Mill Street swing bridge was demolished shortly afterward. Built at a cost of $585,000, the modern structure with its automatic warning lights and power driven lifts is a far cry from the first crude bridge that the early settlers threw across the treacherous stream.

Pankratz Coal

In its earlier days, the Pankratz Fuel and Ice Company on Kaukauna Street furnished the horses for the fire department and took care of sprinkling the streets.   In the 1880s, Mr. W.W. Pankratz was listed in the city directory as the city teamster.

Menasha Ball Park and Koslo Park

December 5, 1974

April 29, 1976

These two pieces from the early 70's in the Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern detail some of the transition from the old Menasha Ball Park to the new Koslo Field.  Lots of history in the old ball park; it is still missed by me, and I'm sure countless others.

Jack Rabbit

May 3, 1924, Appleton Post-Crescent

June 7, 1924, Appleton Post-Crescent

Keeping with the theme of summer, what could be more exciting than a ride on a thrilling roller coaster?  And to have one just minutes from your home in Menasha!   As if Waverly Beach didn't already have enough amusements- roller rink, dance hall, fine dining, etc., now this.