Midway Plant

In 1943, a 27 acre parcel of land one mile north of the Menasha city limits was purchased to expand operations of the Banta company.  The plant was eventually named "Midway" by George Banta, Jr. as it was considered halfway between Appleton and Menasha.  (In reality though, he may have finally tired of it being referred to as "Bantaville" by his employees!)  This view looks northeast from the Milwaukee Road tracks. 

Looking south in late 1945/early 1946, this aerial shot shows the progress of the building effort.  Featured prominently is the warehouse area, known as Unit A.  The printing presses were to be installed in the Unit B floor space adjacent to Unit A.  The walls are not yet constructed.  This plant added 42,000 square feet of work space.

Artist's 1964 rendering of Midway plant to showcase the latest improvements to the facility. 

What to Do About New Year's

Appleton Post-Crescent December 30, 1966

 

Gearing up for New Year's Eve, a review of the local paper from 47 years ago provides a number of entertainment choices across the Fox Valley to bring in the New Year.  And who couldn't resist the sonic stylings of Speedy and the Alka Seltzers?! 

Merry Christmas!

I'm taking this blog on hiatus for the next week but I'll be back on 30 December to help bring in the New Year. Until then, I thank you for your support and interest in my little endeavor.  I wish you the Merriest of Christmases. (I wonder what ever happened to this kid?!)   

Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas from several Neenah-Menasha businesses in 1973.  Many of these merchants are lojng gone now, but ads like this were mainstays in the local papers' business sections for many years.  

Charles R. Smith

 

 

Charles R. Smith was Elisha Smith's son and greatly improved the Menasha Wooden Ware's fortunes. A Princeton University graduate of 1876, he took a broom handle and barrel factory he had formed by himself in Menasha and merged it with his father's existing Wooden Ware business. This made Menasha Wooden Ware the world's largest manufacturer of turned woodenware. Additionally, he became president of the First National Bank and remained in that position until his death in 1916. He was also superintendent of the Menasha school system.

 

When he died, Charles Smith was eulogized in the local papers as it said, "All Menasha has taken personal pride in his ascent to a position in the business world where he has come to be known as a man among men."

 

A bit of trivia- the village of Warner, Wisconsin was renamed as Ladysmith in 1900 in honor of his wife when the Menasha Wooden Ware bought up the power site in the Flambeau River, about a mile east of the village, and all the land between it and the village north of the railroad. When the company's plans to dam the river and build a stave mill became known, the information got into the newspapers and people began to flock into the village. Within a year, the population rose from 100 to 1,000. However, Mrs. Smith never honored her namesake with a visit.

First Butte des Morts Bridge?

This hand-drawn map reflects some interesting facts about our fair city.  It not only shows the location of the first house as described a few weeks back in our look at former school board members, but it also shows the first bridge over Little Lake Butte des Morts.  “In 1853, the first bridge across Lake Butte des Morts was built, giving direct communication with the farming country to the west. This bridge was replaced by a float bridge with a draw, in 1856, and in 1861, a pile bridge was constructed, which is still standing but for the past two or three years has been impassable." -Harney's History of Winnebago County p. 219.

 

This bridge was the impetus for initial retail development at Main and Tayco Streets.  Its demise helped quell development in that area and it never really recovered the way the city's founders had hoped.  A national municipal engineering journal in 1911 gave hope to a new bridge.  It reported that "Plans are being made for reconstruction of a foot bridge across Little lake Butte des Morts, connecting Menasha with farming country.  It is planned to procure state and county aid in construction of the bridge."  But to my knowledge, this never went beyond the planning stage as reported, and no new bridge was in the offing until the 441 span was completed in 1975. 

 

map courtesy of Prairie, Pines, and People: Winnebago County in a New Perspective, edited by James I. Metz, 1976, Oshkosh Northwestern press.

Solved!

 

December 16, 1958 Appleton Post-Crescent

 

From our coverage last week of that bomb scare at St. Mary's. No word on what the boys' punishment was and I wonder if they even did graduate with their other classmates in the class of 1960. 

Gem Bock Beer

 

The style of beer known as bock was a dark, malty, lightly hopped ale first brewed in the 14th century by German brewers in the town of Einbeck. The style from Einbeck was later adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century and adapted to the new lager style of brewing. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" ("a billy goat"), and thus the beer became known as "bock.' To this day, as a visual pun, a goat often appears on bock labels.

School Happenings

December 12, 1959 Appleton Post-Crescent

 

Continuing our journey through the local papers, we find these two photos from a couple of our parochial schools dated 54 years ago today.  Unfortunately, I don't remember my own science classes as being as inspiring as what's reflected here! 

Bomb Threat

December 11, 1958 N-M Northwestern

 

My hope is that this had nothing to do with the upcoming Christmas Pageant as highlighted in yesterday's blog entry.

Christmas Pageant

A look back to the newspaper 55 years ago reveals this photo, featuring two women who became my own teachers in the 1960s- my first grade teacher, Sister Marietta, and my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Larsen.  (I'm sure Gary made a very nice angel.) 

Valley Fair Coupon Days

November 16, 1959 Appleton Post-Crescent

 

 Just in time for your pre-holiday shopping; let's visit Valley Fair. 

Early School Board Members

In older blog posts, we've spoken individually of many of these city fathers.  Many politicians, yes, but also some captains of industry, merchants, and businessmen who, at various times, all contributed towards Menasha's quest for educational excellence as members of the School Board.  

This 1925 Nicolet photo montage of past school board members is a who's who of Menasha's history:  P.V. Lawson, mayor, author, attorney, orator; Silas Bullard,  mayor, city attorney, county judge, and vice-president of the First National Bank; John Schreibeis, policeman, grocer, alderman, postmaster; William Bublitz, real estate agent; John Marx, clothing merchant, alderman, president of John Strange Paper Company; Corydon P. Northrup,  insurance agent, city clerk, and the builder of the first house in Menasha in 1848 in what is now the middle of the intersection of Sixth and Milwaukee Streets; and John Rosch (sp), mayor and pharmacist, who introduced the first soda fountain to Menasha. 

Time Tables

An example of published railroad timetables in the local newspapers.  As we all know, Menasha was served by three major railroads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Late Thanksgiving Addition

Discovered too late to be our Thanksgiving Day offering, this ad from around 1950 is typical seasonal fare to spin up a product's involvement in the latest holiday.  By tying in the beer's relevance to Thanksgiving in this case, Gem may increase their sales volume.   Reminding the public that holidays are a great time for imbibing their product is one way to increase sales and perhaps generate interest that will carry into the Christmas season and beyond.  Infrequent buyers of their beer might be persuaded to buy a case or two to keep on hand. 

Menasha Carton

 

Pictured at the left is the Menasha Carton Company.  It later merged with the Menasha Printing Company at the right, and became, logically, the Menasha Printing and Carton Company.  This was the forerunner for the Menasha Products Company, which became Marathon Corporation, then American Can, and then James River Corporation.  Before the plant closed in July of 1998, it had become Fort James Corporation, formed through the merger of Fort Howard Corporation, Green Bay, and James River Corporation, Richmond, Va. This photo dates from about 1905. 

Tranquil Scene

 

After the hubbub of the Thanksgiving holiday, let's start the week on a quiet note.  This 1908 postcard reveals the peacefulness of the canal as viewed from the Washington Street Bridge.