A Fresh Coat of Paint

July 28, 1962, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Though a bit grainy due to the storage media, the spirit of the photograph comes through in the end.  (I always wondered how they did this job.  Guess this explains a lot.)  As a boy, I would have been one of the "fascinated passersby."

Smith Park History

July 31, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

This article is chock full of period details about the origins of Smith Park and a time capsule of what it was like to travel the area around the park in the late 1890's.  It would have been neat to see! 
I apologize for the resolution in the bottom left corner of the newspaper article.  To help, here's the text of those two paragraphs, as best as I can decipher: 

"As the two Menashans create a word picture tour of the Smith Park area in the 1890s, they begin at the corner of Naymut Street and Nicolet Blvd, then known as “The Avenue.”  Opposite this corner, on the Neenah side, the permanent rings for the annual summer circus could be seen.

The tourist probably would either ride in a buggy or walk down a path that was made through the brush, growing wildly on each side of the mud road toward Lake Winnebago. Immediately, he would pass John Schubert’s hay fields extending from Naymut to Cleveland Streets.  The hay was sold to the neighbors for their horses and cows.  Across the Avenue were the Clovis neighborhood pastures and the farm lands of William Strocee(sp?) which included the area from Ninth Street beyond the present Park Drive to the mouth of the Fox River.

At this time, it would be difficult to see the Cleveland Street area since it was overgrown with weeds.  However, the north end of the street contained the homes of Mike Groce, a carpenter and John Schreiner, an employee of the Menasha Wooden Ware."

Everything for the Lads and Their Dads

June 20, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

No great revelations or insights here; just a nice representation of some local ads from summer,1958.  

The Best Always Pleases Everyone

July 22, 1938, Appleton Post-Crescent

Even though the newspaper says the year is 1938, the ad copy here hearkens back to the turn of the century.  The stilted language, the complete sentences, the lack of graphics all remind me of the 1890s/1900s era when testimonial-style proclamations were all the rage.

Civil Defense

July 24, 1962, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Back in the Cold War days, when fears were rampant that the Soviet Union could annihilate us with the push of a button, Civil Defense planning was all the rage.  Cities had active bomb shelter programs and Civil Defense coordinators.  Remember the duck and cover drills?   And who out there remembers "CONELRAD?"

CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) was a former method of emergency broadcasting to the public in the event of enemy attack. It was intended to allow continuous broadcast of civil defense information to the public using radio or TV stations. Eventually, CONELRAD was replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System. 

You may remember the AM radios of the time had little red or white triangles at these frequency markers, to make it easier to tune in to CONELRAD broadcasts, should the need arise.

Mighty Important

July 22, 1937, Appleton Post-Crescent

In completing our summer theme, what's more summer-oriented than a driving trip somewhere.  And that equates with getting your car ready for such an excursion.  Luckily, Gibson was ready and willing to help out.

Park Fun

July 17, 1965, Twin City News-Record

Fun in the sun a bit over fifty years ago.  I know Menasha still has an active parks department and summer schedule, but at the risk of sounding like an old codger, I'd bet it's skewed to the structured side, that is, more sports and less "goofy" events, if only in keeping with current societal norms and liability issues.  With all the emphasis on food allergies and safety considerations in today's litigious world, could a peanut hunt or a licorice eating contest even be held today if it involved kids? 

Granted, times change and things evolve and it can be argued that you don't miss what you don't know about.  So, I'm sure today's kids are well-taken care of in the summer fun department.  It's just us old guys, looking back through the mists of time, comparing our lives fifty years ago with the present. Our parents did it too.  As a kid, I remember finding my father's old leather football helmet from the thirties and being regaled with his anecdotes about how today's game didn't match up to his.  I probably rolled my eyes at hearing all that!  But all these years later...look out, I've become my father!

Old Prospector

July 20, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

In keeping with our summer theme this week, comes the story of this man, a real character who headed the Prospector Days parade in 1965.  Stories like his were at the heart of the city's earliest residents and we'd be hard pressed today to find someone with such a history to speak of.  Seems like in the past, the town was rife with stories like his, of hardscrabble individuals who excelled in life as they overcame overwhelming obstacles in their way.

Dog Repellent

November 18, 1964, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

This item is a bit out of kilter with the summer themes lately, but I was taken with the concept of the postman out on an average hot summer day and what more aggravation does he need than a pesky dog who won't leave him alone.  Not sure when the concept of pepper spray was put into practice (World War I brought chemical warfare to the forefront, but that was a lot more serious than this), but the article writer here makes it sound as if we've never heard of it before. 

3 Exciting Days

July 17, 1962, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

It's that time of the summer when Prospector Days made its mark in the Twin Cities.  Not sure why the sidewalk sale was held on "Maxwell Trail Day," but it merited a name all right.  The newspapers of the time are rife with mentions of this special day.  Dear readers, any ideas what that was all about?  

Early Menasha Indian Life

July 22, 1966, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

Much has been written about Indian life on Doty Island, perhaps to the detriment of valid descriptions of Indian life across the river.  Regardless, Doty Island bears a strong, rich tradition of Indian heritage and gives credence to Bachmann's description of the island as being "a land of milk and honey."  Note: This schematic was originally featured on page 16 of the Menasha book, showcasing the Indian mounds in Smith Park. 

Hi-Fi Components at Mail Order Prices

When this ad appeared in 1958, the space race was all the rage and Sputnik had just been put in orbit in 1957 by the Soviet Union.  The tube with the electrons around it is reminiscent of a satellite and is just perfect for the tenor of the times. As related in earlier posts,Tip-Top would later move to the corner of Third and Racine Streets.

Bowling

Once upon a time, one didn't need to venture far from downtown or the city proper to find relaxation on the alleys.  Of course, in later years, newer venues opened up on Plank Road and off Hwy 47 between Menasha and Appleton.  But in the years before automatic pin setting was routine and before the family recreation center concept was in vogue, small intimate establishments were the norm. 

Love of Printing

July 24, 1963, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

This edition of the Northwestern provides a wonderful synopsis of the origins of the Banta Company, as described by Mr. George Banta, Jr. in his address to a museum.   As a special bonus were all the references to Prospector Days that year. The printing press cited by Mr. Banta was originally featured in this blog post: http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2013/05/banta-press.html.

Pizza

from the 1958 Neenah-Menasha Telephone Directory Yellow Pages

In an era when pizza was still considered novel, pizza reached downtown Menasha in the Tuchscherer's block in the 1950's.  It is said that before the 1940s, pizza consumption was limited mostly to Italian immigrants and their descendants. The big breakthrough came after World War II. Allied troops occupying Italy, discovered the pizzeria and brought the idea back to America.  You can see the Pizza Place's sign in the photo below if you squint really hard:

 

Yesterday's Skyrockets!

July 4, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

This Sunday news magazine article provides a detailed and quite entertaining accounting of how Neenah and Menasha showed up Appleton in their 4th of July events way back in 1865.  At least the good citizens of Appleton had alternatives to just sitting home on their porches. 

 

I'm taking the next week off from the blog, so let me wish you a happy and extended holiday weekend! See you back here on July 11th!