Gas War Ends and Tiny Tots Lost

September 7, 1963, Appleton Post-Crescent

In our "things you'd never see today" department...on the day in 1963 comes news of the end of the local gas war in the Twin Cities, but our attention is also drawn to the story of the lost Kimberly boys locked in the gas station bathroom.  What is so shocking to today's sensibilities is not that such a thing happened but that the kids were three years old and left pretty much on their own to make their way to a day camp at a local junior high school.  Today, the parents would be charged with child abuse and the kids taken away for a very long time.  But this is 1963 and we're a long ways from the present day.  So, it ends with a happy ending- reunited families, a heavy sigh of relief, and many thanks to the neighbors who helped in the search for the kids.  What a change. 

We've Enlarged Our Store!

September 24, 1964, Appleton Post-Crescent

Just in time for your Halloween planning comes the newly remodeled and enlarged Anderson's Coins and Novelties with costume rentals and wigs and masks.  And if that doesn't meet your needs, perhaps a pack of pepper chewing gum or chattering false teeth will make your day brighter.  The dribble glass is always a classic.

A Bit Late for Labor Day

August 28, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

A Labor Day advertisement, albeit a tad late, this fine graphic uses the minimalist 1950's style I've come to love to denote sophistication and a contemporary feel.  I am particularly enamored by the script address at the bottom and the two-tone effect of Mr. Resch's name and the word "liquor."  Whereas today's local liquor retailer is on the east end of Main Street, Resch's held ground on the west end, where Tayco meets Main, across from the old Brin theater.

Charter

June 19, 1953, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

From the era of Menasha's centennial celebration in 1953 comes this interesting translation of the city's name as "horn."  I had not heard that one before.  Usually, Menasha is attributed to mean "island" or "the settlement on the island."   But of late, I've seen many references on the internet claim the name means "thorn."  Or is "horn" a typo here and the writer meant "thorn?" 

Neenah History Lesson

June 17, 1962, Appleton Post-Crescent

Back in July, we published a similar feature on Menasha's history::  https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2017/07/history-lesson.html. Today, I am fulfilling my promise of a similar look at Neenah. The theme of this piece is "water," right down to settling on the city's name due to a miscommunication with the locals.  As the writer describes it, water WAS the life-blood of the town, making it possible for its industries to blossom and evolve. 

Summer's Last Day

August 1, 1980, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

On this, the last official day of summer, let us return back for a moment when it coaxed us out to hit a few balls, swim a few laps, or bask in the glory of the long sunny days.  Autumn is upon us, and though that season, too has its joys, it is only a transitory state, as we hasten towards the long winter months ahead. 

Exciting Days

November 11, 1966, Appleton Post-Crescent

Though this talk was largely oriented towards Oshkosh's history with its many saw mills, one can easily see the connection between the activities described here and the end products required by Menasha's factories.  For many years, logs were floated down stream on the Fox for eventual use by the Menasha Wooden Ware and other businesses along the river.

$1 Per Container

May 16, 1940, Appleton Post-Crescent

Seeing the employees above holding the old metal trash cans leads me to one question- why did it take so many years to put wheels on trash containers?!  And for that matter, the same goes for suitcases.  I remember only too well hauling those heavy metal cans to the curb with just the two handles to carry it by.  I'm not so sure that it would have been any better if I'd grown up with the smaller pails with the loop handles as shown above.  Nice photo of the truck, which seem to have gotten bigger load capacity over the subsequent years

A Fish Story

April 27, 1888, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

This old story brings up the subject of Dendo Island which we have discussed in previous posts, one of which was the original from 2012 when this blog was shiny and new:  https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2012/04/dendo-island.html.   I'm sure the bounty of fish described in this news story quickly dissipated after the news got out. The writer's fanciful wish that Menasha become a site for a fish cannery or some such held less water than the filled-in Garfield Avenue that used to be the separating stream from the mainland.

Menasha Notes its Rail History

July 20, 1971, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern 

This gathering featured some items of note, specific to Menasha's rich railroad history.  George Banta, Jr.'s address provided historical perspective on the founding of the Wisconsin Central while other local notables joined in with their own take on the significance of the railroad to Menasha's industry and economic progress through the years. 

Historical Walk-about

May 13, 1972, Appleton Post-Crescent

If you have the right company on your stroll, every site in town has a historical significance.  And this was showed thoroughly in 1972 to the eponymous columnist who went by the name of Jingo for the Post-Crescent.  While it could be argued that the square surrounding Smith Park is naturally awash in historical anecdotes and was, therefore a slam dunk, the same could be said about other parts of town.  As a sign of the times, I found the Keyes Street resident's quip about protests to be rather amusing, considering the time frame of this article.

Who Doesn't?

May 30, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

With the last traces of warm weather quickly dwindling, we take one last attempt at remembering summer, this time with a whimsical ad about picnic spills.  As usual, for the era, "Mother" is at her station, serving the family, even outside at the picnic.
We first encountered Grade's in 2015: https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2015/05/grades-pantorium.html.

Child's Delight

August 29, 1966, Appleton Post-Crescent

Bowlby's must have shot their entire ad budget for the year on this page in August 1966.  My time at UW-Oshkosh in pursuing that marketing degree gave me as much of an appreciation for advertising as the next business fellow.  So, with no appreciable candy-oriented holiday in sight, I know this was just the periodic cost of doing business, though to expend this much effort on the approaching Labor Day weekend seems a bit suspect.  Still, I liked the smiles on the kids' faces.

Island World

August 23, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

If you've read this blog for a while, you know I love maps, and this one is quite distinctive.  I first mentioned it a couple of years ago when I chanced upon a news article about it from 1935.  But this article really whetted my appetite so I was able to track it down once and for all.  The map described above plays into the "What If" game and it almost borders on alternative history.  It describes a Doty Island-centric community where the island was the main attraction for the area, complete with a courthouse and a college and a train station on the OTHER side of the island. 

You can see a very nice copy of this map at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Web Site:  http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/maps/id/14273/rv/singleitem  Please take a few minutes to look it up because the photo above is a travesty compared to the map at this link.

Notice the old names for the city streets on mainland Menasha- how Broad Street is labeled as Main Street and Paris Street is Berlin Street.  Notice the old Indian names for the Neenah streets on the south side of "The Avenue," later Nicolet Boulevard.  Later they became just numbered streets. 

If this map proves anything, it just shows that as life goes on, things evolve.  Some plans succeed and others fail miserably.  As the writer says, the early developers would not now recognize the community and residents a century from now would find it unrecognizable as well.  And this was said in 1969.  As Menasha has changed radically in the past few decades, we'd be wise to remember this.  There is much truth to be found in the saying that you can't go home again.

Third Grade Visitors

September 24, 1966, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Nothing like a field trip to raise excitement levels early in the school year.  These Neenah school kids were fortunate enough to leave the confines of the classroom while the weather was still nice. 

Gift Givers

September 21, 1988, Twin City News-Record

Keeping with our vague back-to-school theme of late, comes this offering from 1988.  What a nice gesture, especially if the kids thought it up themselves.

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Note to my readers:  As I live in South Carolina, I'm in the potential path of Hurricane Irma for early next week, so blogging with any regularity might be haphazard, at best.  I'll do my best to keep dry.

Flooding

September 15, 1938, Appleton Post-Crescent

With all the hurricane activity lately, today I provide a weather story of note, if only because of its referral to "Libertyville: as a part of Menasha.  Regular readers of this blog may recall the city's efforts to rename (today we'd say "rebrand") the Dogtown neighborhood as "Libertyville," due to World War I patriotic fervor and the location of a memorial flag pole to honor all those who served in the Great War.  Well, as evidenced here, at least some 20 years later, it appeared in print, just the way that Mayor Remmel had wanted in 1918. https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2017/08/dogtown-flag.html.  Perhaps the term had been used in print in the interim years as well, but that is a research project for another day.

Remodeling Work Completed

November 20, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

This remodeling work was done almost 60 years ago and though several more updates have taken place since, this photo still reflects the classic look of the church. 

 

This year marks the 150th anniversary of St. Mary's and accordingly, there is a celebration taking place on September 9th.  The following link contains the whole schedule:  http://www.stmarymenasha.org/st-marys/st-mary-150th-anniversary/: 

Mass at 4 pm, dinner in the gym at 6 pm, followed by entertainment.  Please support this great event.

 

Hazardous Travel

July 18, 1974, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

I found the interesting article above while searching for something called the "Plank Road Store" which was advertised in early area newspapers.  With no other references, I can only assume the store was on Menasha's east side, favorable for travelers from Manitowoc and parts in-between on our own plank road.

September 1853, Oshkosh Democrat

Oral History Final

September 28, 1979, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Sadly, this is the last of Dr. Michael O'Brien's oral histories of the Twin Cities.  So many great stories of the past.  Today we feature some memories of Main Street businesses of by-gone days. 

 

Have a great and safe Labor Day Weekend.   I'll be back on Tuesday, September 5th. See you then!