Major Bowes

Daily News-Times, January 31, 1936

I'll bet Menasha and the surrounding area was all agog by Major Bowes' Amateurs at the Brin Theater in 1936.  Comparing it to today, it was somewhat akin to the winners from "America's Got Talent" or "American Idol" appearing in your hometown.  Of course, back then, this was radio and except for, perhaps, a few photos in entertainment magazines or maybe a news reel, this was the only means to physically see the people one heard on that particular radio show.

His "Amateur Hour" had been a very popular radio program since its inception in 1934.  Even a later luminary like Frank Sinatra gained a level of early fame with his appearances with his vocal group, the Hoboken Four.  

I love how the local businesses tailored their sponsorship of this full page ad in conjunction with the Brin. 

John Roberts and His Resort

Pictured above is John Roberts in 1871, who at the time of this photo was proprietor of R.M. Scott's National Hotel in Menasha.  Later, he gained much notoriety and fortune as the owner and keeper of Robert's Resort in Neenah, built on the grounds of Governor Doty's former farm in 1877.  That business did very well in attracting customers, so well in fact that three guest cottages were built on the grounds in 1881. Mr. Roberts died in July of 1895 after a nasty fall.  

The Roberts Resort property was sold in 1905 to John Strange who remodeled the hotel as his home. He donated Doty Cabin to the city of Neenah in 1923 and had it moved to the park just west of his property.  The property remain with the Strange family until 1965 when it was sold, subdivided and the old resort was razed.

see also:  http://williamwatersoshkosharchitect.blogspot.com/2013/11/roberts-resort.html
for more details on Roberts Resort

from Memories of Doty Island : a link between two cities (1999)

Gilbert Bond Bats 1.000

 

American Bar Association Journal, August 1967

 

This ad featuring the Baltimore Orioles is one of a series of ads in the 1960's that Gilbert used to feature major corporations and business entities touting their use of Gilbert Bond paper. Others in the series included Braniff Airlines and Green Giant vegetables.

A Huge Boulder of Basalt Rock

Popular Mechanics, October 1909

 

From our oddities department- how the Nicolet Monument in Smith Park was included in a magazine story entitled American Freak Monuments, I'll never know.  It would take up too much space to show the whole story but a feature about monuments to dead pets, real estate agents, and blacksmiths among others, must have required a lot of filler in order to include our monument.  Really?  By the way, this is the first time I've seen the monument referenced as being made of "Winnebago Stone" or "Spirit Rock." 

You can read it and judge for yourself at: 
https://books.google.com/books?id=qCbZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq=%22american+freak+monuments%22&source=bl&ots=qIRhz7DtsX&sig=wxiPMB8wh54VZp0QN66br8SLHBo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAGoVChMIyOWJpdLGxwIVBdOACh1O1Q2I#v=onepage&q=%22american%20freak%20monuments%22&f=false

Grand Reopening of Mihm's

April 21, 1961 N-M Northwestern

 

Originally located in the shadow of the Bank of Menasha, Mihm’s Charcoal Grill has been a mainstay downtown since 1958.  The above photo shows the original grill.  Now located right across the street, Mihm’s continues to satisfy Menasha’s discriminating palate for fried cheese curds and ground steak sandwiches.

All Points in the Fox River Valley

from 1882 Wisconsin State Gazeteer and Business Directory

The Green Bay and Western Railroad was formed in 1896 from the bankruptcy proceedings of the Green Bay, Winona & St Paul and the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western.  In turn, the GB & W was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993.  This poster is a bit misleading; while the Green Bay, Winona & St. Paul didn't actually route itself through the Fox Cities, feeder lines like the C&NW helped connect Neenah-Menasha to Green Bay. 

Valley Fair Leads the Way!

February 17, 1961 Appleton Post-Crescent

It's been a while since we've featured an ad or photo from Valley Fair.  Seems as good a time as any to close out the week with this gem from 1961. 

"...and Witness the Prosperity of the Locality..."

Blog reader Don Nussbaum was so kind recently as to forward to me this map and accompanyng articles from the Menasha and Neenah Conservator from November 18, 1858.

He wrote to me, "I never realized that there were schemes afoot for six different railroads through Menasha before a single rail was laid. Amazing. Most didn't make it. That's all in addition to a plank road, a wagon bridge across Little Butte des Morts, a dry dock, a steamboat transfer station and the Fox/Wisconsin Improvement. Quite a transportation hub." 
 

And as I told Don, it never ceases to amaze me to think of the hopes and dreams of our forefathers for Menasha in the early days; they had such high aspirations that our fair city would out-eclipse Milwaukee as a commercial center for Wisconsin. This railroad scheme falls right in line with that sort of thinking. 

 

Notice in the railroad map how Little Lake Butte des Morts is, again, referred to as Peepeek Lake and how the article talks about Mackinnon Avenue bisecting Doty Island.  In due time, this street will be referred to as just "The Avenue," and eventually be rededicated as Nicolet Boulevard. 

 

Thanks again, Don.

Lake View House

from the 1882 Wisconsin Gazeteer and Business Directory

The Lake View House was at the east end of Main Street and later was renamed as the Fox River House, when it took on new ownership by the Maurer family.  It was a farmers' hotel, with a large stable and yard in back for the horses and wagons.  We first encountered this establishment in a 2012 blog post: http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2012/05/fox-river-house.html where there is a nice photo of it.

 1884 Sanborn Insurance Map showing the location of the Lake View House on Main Street

Joseph Jarvis, the proprietor listed in this advertisement, spent seven years doing that job until he ran for city treasurer and was elected in 1888.

Trilling's Interior

The interior of Trilling's Hardware at 208 Main Street, circa 1910.  Notice the hammers and hand held drills in the case behind the counter.  I presume what I perceive to be a grammophone on the counter is for sale, rather than for the entertainment of the customers and staff.  Music to shop by would have been a totally alien concept in this era.

  

photo courtesy, Menasha Public Library

New Pavilion

June 21, 1961 Appleton Post-Crescent

Fifty-four years ago this summer, we gained a new pavilion for Smith Park as evidenced in the above article.  The old pavilion had dated back to the park's origins, some 65 years earlier.

As described in an earlier blog post (http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2012/07/smith-park.html), in the 1890's, Menasha Wooden Ware founder and city benefactor Elisha D. Smith had attempted to attract Downer College, then located at Fox Lake, to move to Menasha. He was disappointed when the authorities decided to merge with Milwaukee Women's College and move to Milwaukee. So Smith decided that the rejected 40 acres he had offered Downer should be offered instead to the City of Menasha to become a park. This donation was made in 1896 at about the same time as his offer to build the city a public library.

 

News Depot Fire

Firefighters fight a blaze at the News Depot at 210 Main Street in 1900. 

photo courtesy, Menasha Public Library

Looking East

Likely taken the same day as our westerly view of downtown from yesterday, we now present a view to the east, circa 1927.  Two years removed from the Great Crash of '29 and the depression that will follow, the topics of note later that year, and the rest of the world, will be Lindbergh's solo crossing of the Atlantic and the advent of talking motion pictures. 

From History of the Fox River Valley, Lake Winnebago & the Green Bay Region, Hon. Wm. A. Titus, Editor, Volume I-III, Chicago, S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1930

Looking West

A view to the west on Main Street on a stormy day, circa 1927.  The streetcar tracks are still evident but service had been discontinued in 1925.  As reported in the book, popular belief had traditionally been that the streetcar service ended because of the rise of the automobile as a means of transportation. But for Neenah and Menasha, at least, the official reason cited in a news article of the time was simply that the streetcar company (Wisconsin Traction, Light, Heat, and Power Company) didn’t want the responsibility of paying for new bridges. The same news item argued that there was sufficient “motor bus” service to take up the slack. Streetcar service lasted in Appleton and Oshkosh until 1930.

From History of the Fox River Valley, Lake Winnebago & the Green Bay Region, Hon. Wm. A. Titus, Editor, Volume I-III, Chicago, S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1930

Front Porch Parade

Living a block from St. Mary's on Second Street, I can't tell you how many times, as a small boy, I'd run to the window or go sit on the front porch when I heard the band coming.  For all the annoyance it might have brought to the neighbors, it was pure excitement for me.  To have a personal parade come down my street at almost anytime, especially in the summer months, was too good to be true.   Pictured from circa 1964 is flutist Joann Sonnleitner and drummer Harvey Draheim.

Joseph Keyes

Captain Joseph Keyes was born at Putney, Vermont, Nov. 20, 1795, and followed his father's trade, that of a mill-wright. He first came to Wisconsin on a prospecting tour, in June, 1836, he was impressed with the site now called Lake Mills. During the autumn of 1836, he spent some time at Menomonee, north of Green Bay; at this place he dressed the lumber for a house, which he took to Milwaukee on a vessel, in December, and erected a dwelling there which was standing in 1874. In the fall of 1837, he became the founder of Lake Mills, where he built and operated a saw-mill. He subsequently erected a gristmill at Lake Mills and other mills at Cambridge, Dane county. The first school-house in Lake Mills was erected in 1841 by Captain Keyes, who himself employed and paid Miss Rosa Catlin to teach in it. A son of the captain, Simon S. Keyes, was elected the first school clerk, Oct. 7, 1843, upon the organization of the Lake Mills school district. Abel Keyes, the father of Joseph, died in 1843, his being, it is reported, the first white death in the village. Abel was born at Putney, Vt., Sept. 11, 1773, and was largely instrumental in the early advancement of Northfield and neighboring villages. In 1850, Joseph Keyes removed to Menasha, and erected one of the first saw-mills there. Additionally, he was one of the three partners who sold their pail factory to Elisha B. Smith for $1200 in 1852; that, of course, was the genesis of the Menasha Wooden Ware.  He afterwards resided in Madison, until about 1859, when he returned to Menasha, where he was appointed register of the United States land office. The closing years of his life were spent in retirement. He died in Menasha, Sept. 17, 1874, aged 79 years, having been among the most honored and useful of the pioneers of Wisconsin.  His kindly heart and manly bearing in all the walks of life will long be remembered by the old settlers of both Jefferson and Winnebago counties. 

Keyes Street on Doty Island keeps his name alive to this day.

information courtesy Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society Inc. (http://www.orgsites.com/wi/aztalan/)

Downtown, Looking West in 1908

Our correspondent Helen, in writing to her friend in Mississippi, provides a nice festive view of Main Street, shown here in 1908.  In the postcard illustration here, Menasha still has dirt streets, the effects of which could be somewhat negated by a wagon periodically "sprinkling" the streets with water to keep down the dust.  In actuality, Main Street was paved with cedar blocks; a thin layer of dirt on top provided an extra cushion, but made the road muddy when it rained.  Two years later, in June of 1910, Main Street would be paved to help welcome a statewide Elks Convention being held in the city.  

Before Redevelopment

This aerial photo shows downtown Menasha in the 1980's before redevelopment led to the marina and condos between Main and the old Water Streets.  Use the flag pole circle in front of the old Bank of Menasha in the top center of the photo to orient yourself.  Most everything to the right of that circle is now gone.

Landlocked

Undated photo view from behind Trilling Hardware on Main Street, looking towards Broad Street.  Gentlemen inspect a boat in stages of completion.  It's been a long time since there were dwellings on Broad on that side of the street.
photo courtesy, Menasha Public Library

Puppies

Undated photo of children with puppies at 537 Broad Street.  L-R Bottom:  Helen Lenz, Ted Kraus, Josephine Shoetz, Isabel Shultz.  L-R Top: David Lenz, Robert Shultz, Conrad Tuchscherer, Charles Shultz, Robert Smith.
photo courtesy, Menasha Public Library

A Sunny Day at Menasha High

 

A 1958 postcard view of Menasha High School.  At this point, the school is about twenty years old, having replaced the old high school which had burned in 1936 on land that now holds the present public library.  If we could zoom in enough, we'd see that the flag held only 48 stars, as this was before Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the union.