50th Anniversary of First National Bank

July 3, 1937, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

An interesting recitation of events, regarding the 50th anniversary of the First National Bank.  And sons of the original founders of the institution were still "keeping it in the family," so to speak. In that more personal era, such news would surely reassure patrons and the other officers of the bank alike, that here was a solid institution, continually striving to help maintain the economic wellbeing of the town.  It wasn't going anywhere and one could always rely upon it.  Today, with all the bank mergers that have led to nationwide chain banks, having such a lineage linking to the past is a near impossibility.

Heat Wave

June 8, 1970, Appleton Post-Crescent

Nothing like the first heat wave of the summer to send kids in droves to the local swimming pools.  Of course, it didn't take the heat to attract the kids there anyway.  It was just a rite of summer to most of us. 

Bang Up 4th of July Specials

June 28, 1967, Appleton Post-Crescent

Discount prices on all legal fireworks AND specials on home-made wieners and brats.  All the fixin's for a 4th of July picnic.  What could be finer for an upcoming Independence Day celebration?  Add those Graf's canned sodas and you have yourself a party! 

The Birds

June 7, 1964, Appleton Post-Crescent

Fans of Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Birds, will appreciate this story.  Seems nature was at its most menacing during a several week period in 1964 on Doty Island.  Life imitates art sometimes, and this case certainly brought that old adage to life. 

Hardware

September 29, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

This hardware store might not have looked exactly as described in the above article, but this is what it evolved to in the late '70s/early '80s.  I remember many the day, going in that back door that fronted Broad Street to have the lawn mower repaired or to enter the store proper for some part.  Thinking back on it, compared to today's big box hardware retailers, the intimacy and compact nature of the store certainly evokes another era, one that seems to be gone forever.

Bank of Menasha Renovation

June 13, 1962, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

We'd seen evidence of this renovation before, but I hadn't seen the photo of the renovation in progress: http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2015/06/new-bank-of-menasha-opens.html  It still amazes me how they turned the building to the left into a one level, modernistic design:

Amusements for a Friday Night

June 17, 1966, Appleton Post-Crescent

Ways to spend a Friday night in the valley in 1966.  Interesting to note that the Brin theater, a few years removed from oblivion, has already economized by opting out of the picture advertising the other theaters engaged in. 

Sluice

A pre-1907 postcard featuring the Fox River dam, a common subject for photo studies around this time.  In the right distance you can see what I believe to be St. Mary's on the right and the bell tower of the fire department to the left. 

A Belated Happy Father's Day

June 17, 1976, Appleton Post-Crescent

Even though the special day has passed, I'd be remiss in not mentioning Father's Day in the context of the ol' home town.  Valley Fair is always a great source of information and amusement with their gift suggestions.  Nowadays, the free cigar given to all fathers at the Golden Griddle would be extremely politically incorrect today, but then, times change.  For all we know, at the turn of the 20th century, merchants might have been giving away complimentary buggy whips and plugs of chewing tobacco, that is, if Father's Day had been a thing at that time.   

Summer Punch

June 17, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

An example of Gibson Company advertising.  The Corvair was featured in the book, Unsafe at Any Speed, by Ralph Nader.  His book led to significant legislation in 1966, mandating the installation of seat belts as a required feature of new automobiles as well as other safety features.  By the time this model came out, the unsafe Corvair written about in the book had been rectified but by 1969, it was discontinued by Chevy.  It was the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car to feature a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. 

The Menasha Celebration

June 19, 1919, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

Roughly 97 years ago this weekend, the city welcomed back its soldiers from World War I service.  It was known as The Great War then.  Earlier in this blog, we'd featured a photo of the parade: http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2013/10/orpheum-theatre.html and another photo was featured in the book:  

The article above is hard to read in places, so a transcription is provided below for ease in viewing:

Menasha’s two days of celebration for her returned heroes ended in a blaze of glory last evening.  The big street parade, an aeroplane flight, review of the returned men by Major Martin, day and night fireworks, concerts by two bands and a drum and bugle corps and public dancing on the court of honor kept the crowd of several thousand people in a happy frame of mind and even a heavy shower at 8 o’clock last evening failed to dampen the spirit of rejoicing.  There was nothing too good for the men who served their country and the citizens of Menasha provided every possible form of entertainment for the men and their friends.  The celebration easily outdid anything of the kind ever attempted here before.  It is estimated that 10,000 people were gathered about the main section of the city last evening.

Emil Fenske, who served under Captain Hill with the Menasha company in France, narrowly escaped death by drowning in the Fox River here yesterday afternoon when a canoe in which he was riding capsized.  Then returned soldier was wearing his uniform at the time, in preparation for the parade, and the clothing became heavy when water soaked and interfered seriously with his fight for life.  He managed to cling to the overturned canoe until the craft drifted to low water above the dam.  The accident was witnessed by a large number of people who were powerless to go to Mr. Fenske’s assistance because of the absence of boats.  

Capt. Walter VanderHyden has left for the east to resume his military duties after a furlough spent with his parents.  Mr. and Mrs. Henry VanderHyden.  Fred Walter is here from Milwaukee.  Rev. L.A. Dobbelsteen, who has been engaged as director of the choir at St. Patrick’s church for several years, will spend the summer at New York City, serving as relief pastor.  A special meeting of the Menasha lodge of Elks will be held tonight to make arrangements for a special train to carry local and Fox river valley Elks to the state convention at Manitowoc on Saturday.  Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Appleton Elks will be invited to join with the Menasha delegation.  Matt Stilp is enjoying his annual vacation from duties at the post office.  Mr. and Mrs. Stilp will leave Sunday for a visit with relatives in Minnesota.  Mrs. Raymond H. Wise and daughter, Raynita, have left for their home at Billings, Mont., after a visit of a week in Menasha.

Lab

Students working in one of the first computer labs on the Fox Valley extension campus around 1984.  No great shakes here; I was just amused at the primitive looking computers, as I sat at my own flat screen this morning, putting this post together.  No evidence of a mouse, so I'd bet they were working in DOS.  Our smart phones today have more computing power than those machines.  Heck, for that matter, I could have updated this post on my phone.  I lived through those times, but it's always a bit jarring to see those clunky machines again that we thought were so fast and modern at the time.  If we only knew what lay in store for us....
picture courtesy, Menasha Public Library

Downtown Evolution

1880s-1890s

1910s-1920s

1940s

1958

1970s

2010

2010

Today

The dates may be off a little bit and exact placement for every photo is lacking, but one can still infer the evolution of Main Street from this display.  Despite the changes, those iconic buildings on the north side of Main Street appear destined to stay for the long haul.  I know that we cherish them and nurturing their longevity will be a future challenge that cannot be ignored.

Centennial Memories

June 30, 1976, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Back in 1976 when the bicentennial celebration was in the offing for America, the Twin Cities looked back at the 100th anniversary of the nation's independence in 1876 and how that was commemorated in Menasha and Neenah.  It is interesting to note that Doty Island was the scene of the celebration; perhaps it was a compromise to involve both cities at the same time.

Star Auto

1928 Neenah-Menasha City Directory

1938 Neenah-Menasha Telephone Directory

So much in these ads that I didn't know.  I thought I was intelligent enough to explain what "rebabbitted" rods were, but you might have to research it yourself.  "Babbitt" is some sort of brand name alloy used in automotive parts such as bearings and rods. 
"Star" and "Velie" were automobile brands.  The Star was an automobile by the Durant Motors Company between 1922 and 1928. Also known as the Star Car, Star was envisioned as a competitor against Ford's Model T. Velie was produced by the Velie Motors Corporation from 1908 to 1928. The company was founded by and named for Willard Velie, a maternal grandson of John Deere. 

Dr. Joseph Bach, D.O.

There was little to be found about this fellow, outside of a name in the 1910 city directory that said he "boarded" at 1 Main Street.  At the time, that was the Landgraf Hotel, on the curve where the Brin building now sits. In that directory, there wasn't even a mention of where his business was located.  I've held onto his picture for a few years now, having found it at the public library sometime during one of my research forays, either for the book or the blog. I always thought I'd find more information on him, but even searching for his obituary proved futile as well. 

But today, I'll feature him anyway, if only to honor all of the ordinary, unsung citizens of our little town, those who weren't scions of wealthy families or captains of industry.  Dr. Bach was important enough to have this photo taken in his business environment; think of the untold thousands who never were commemorated in a photo.  They still were a part of Menasha's history.

Save! Save! Save! Cash & Carry

May 15, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

Even back in 1959, Gear's Dairy offered an option that would eventually usurp milk deliveries to homes throughout the valley.  By 1967 Gear's was finalizing its merger with Morning Glory, after having been its own independent entity since 1883. 

New Biz

February 21, 1964, Appleton Post-Crescent

1963 was the start of several businesses I remember well...Doering's Super Valu and Robby's.  Can't say I remember Chicken De-Light though.  

The Future is Now

May 29, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

While such predictions were only once the scope of Popular Mechanics and science fiction journals, it is interesting to note how many of this man's predictions have come true.  While he didn't foresee the rise of the personal computer and the internet, he somehow predicted the smartphone (sort of) when he talked about the communications device "about the size of a pack of cigarettes."  That was right on.  But then the focus for the time was on transistors and miniaturizing everything, so in his mind, it probably was a radio of some sort.

The media might have varied from his predictions, but we all take for granted now that we can remotely operate our security systems for our homes from our smartphones or watch television on a flat screen.  The satellite post offices idea was a bit awkward, but then he didn't anticipate the rise of email.  And the supersonic travel, well, that's Jetsons stuff, to this day.  I wonder what the Twin City leaders thought of his speech.

Now! 4 % Interest

May 24, 1968, Appleton Post-Crescent

I read recently that from 1971 until 2013, the US interest rate averaged 6.17 percent, reaching an all time high of 20 percent in March,1980 and a record low of 0.25 percent in December, 2008. Makes one a bit nostalgic for the old days, doesn't it?! 

Gold Bond

October 29, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

Who remembers trading stamps?  Though the S & H Green Stamps were the most popular ones in the country, many competitors served businesses far and wide.  My personal experience was with these Gold Bond stamps, which seemed predominant in the Midwest.  Doering's Super Valu gave them out and one of my chores was to fill the stamp books after the weekly grocery shopping.  I have no memory of whatever "prizes" those stamps bought for us, but if they gave cash credit towards more purchases, that's most likely where it went.  Nowadays, if such programs exist, it's more likely points connected to a store-branded plastic card or key tag which can be redeemed at a later date.  These programs are nice, but there was something special about the whole physicality of it all back then.  Sort of like the thrill you had when you'd empty your piggy bank and roll all those pennies into the red sleeves to take to the bank for some "big" money! 

Warm Beer

November 17, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

In reviewing these business ads, the story about Bert and Bens' woes with warm beer caught my eye.  A seemingly frivolous story to some, but not so much when you consider it jeopardized the tavern's livelihood.  In America, when it comes to beer, warm is a dirty word.