Strange

February 21, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

From the same edition as yesterday's entry, comes this industrial looking close-up of the John Strange plant.  Smoke rising in the wintertime from a factory or mill seems to be a well-used trope of the local newspapers to denote strength and vitality in industry.  And, of course, they sometimes produce cool looking photographs.

Banking on Architecture

February 21, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

An abstract view of the then-new First National Bank on Main Street.  This was excerpted from a Sunday edition touting the Fox Valley's business and industrial additions throughout the past year.  Until I saw this photo, I had forgotten that the bank had an escalator and certainly wasn't aware that it was the valley's only bank to feature one.

Hide-and-Seek

February 22, 1978, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

I remember being dressed in snowsuits like that when I was kid.  It was sort of reminiscent of Ralphie's little brother in A Christmas Story.  One false move, and you're helplessly laying there in the snow like a slug.

Lost Arts

February 8, 1987, Oshkosh Northwestern

When this article was written, the writer made sure to cite the "micro-chip" age and how this type of activity might be strange to today's students.  If he only knew what would come about in the years hence.  Flash forward thirty-one years and this kind of stuff could seem positively prehistoric to today's kids.  Still, I like the idea of showcasing old-time skills to today's youth.  It might even inspire someone to follow up and learn something new.  And who knows?  In my retired future, I might be able to teach students about the old internet arts of using Gopher, Archie, and Usenet.  (Don't worry...only true nerds remember these!)

A Better Day is Coming

February 28, 1975, Appleton Post-Crescent

Your Thursday, slice-of-life mood piece, as the caption writer anthropomorphizes the boats as if they are thinking a better day is coming.  But fans of the cold or not, eventually it's what we all want in the midst of the harsh winter, right?  (Plus, I just wanted to use a big word.)

Trip of a Lifetime

February 14, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

If for no other reason than to see the inside of the train station for once, I publish the above photo of the newspaper carriers' trip to Chicago.  For what sounds, from the attached article, as a pretty good time in the Windy City, you'd think somebody might have cracked a smile for the occasion.  But so as to not sound like a snarky blogger, I shall conclude this recitation and just assume the boys had a rollicking good time.

Smile!

February 20, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

With an assignment looking like an early Halloween art project, Menasha students display their understanding of good (and bad) dental hygiene.  Looks like the kids had fun, or else the news photographer was good at getting kids to smile.

Presidents Day

February 21, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Just in time for Presidents Day comes this patriotic assembly at St. John's. Presidents Day, originally observed in honor of George Washington's birthday, over time has became a means to celebrate the entire institution of the Presidency. 

Hat's Off to Dorn

February 11, 1962, Appleton Post-Crescent

Only the oldest readers of this blog would remember this hat shop on Main Street.  But that doesn't negate the great stories told by Miss Dorn in this article.  From one who was there all those years, such dialogue is invaluable to historians to get a personal glimpse of how life was back then.  Back in the days when hats were required attire for ladies (and men), such a store could flourish. 

Winter Scenes

February 10, 1978, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

From forty years ago, comes a pair of scenes to tempt the reader with thoughts of spring. But as usual, a lesson to be learned -the Menasha River, despite the enthusiastic writer's imagination in detailing the ducks' activity, still eludes me to this day.

1000 Yarders

February 21, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

I remember only too well when this was a thing in our hometown.  For 14 years, this banquet honored the NFL's leading rushers until the season was lengthened and 1000 yard rushers became too commonplace.  Furthermore, it was deemed too expensive to pay for getting everyone together.  Despite the Packers connection, I can only wonder what players from big urban locales like Chicago and Philly thought of coming to lil' ol' Menasha.

New Banta Building

February 14, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

We dropped my father off for work at this building for my entire childhood.  He spent 24 years in it and the one story building behind it that stretched between this and the main offices on Curtis Reed Plaza at the entrance to the Racine Street bridge. 

Cleaning Fleet

February 11, 1961, Appleton Post-Crescent

I recall these trucks tooling around town, particularly the one in the foreground.  And who can forget Gunderson's huge painted advertisement on the side of that south side Main Street building near the bridge for all those years.  Wasn't that a shoe repair store for a long time? That bright yellow sun was like a welcome to downtown.

Bridge Closes

February 19, 1990, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

If for no other reason than to feature a bridge that got little respect, I give you a view of the Washington Street bridge before its demise and replacement.  As we all know, this little bridge crosses over the north channel of the Fox River and, in going north, leads to the better known (and noticed) Tayco Street bridge.

No Spacemen, These

February 18, 1961, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

Menasha shows off its best 1961 fire fighting apparatus in this Northwestern feature.  And naturally, in the midst of the "space race," any opportunity to mention astronauts or space could not be ignored. 

Redevelopment

February 20, 1990, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

View of the Southside of Main Street, replaced by the now-familiar multi-story office building.  I'm sure there are readers of this blog who've never seen this part of town before, something we old timers just took for granted.

Consider Menasha Carefully

February 27,1983, Appleton Post-Crescent

I had seen this type of advertisement many times in my research, but never this recently.  Perhaps I can see its use in a trade journal or some other medium promoting infrastructure or manufacturing, but to see it in a regular consumer newspaper seems limiting. 

Lucy Pleasants and the Library

January 13, 1980, Appleton Post-Crescent

I did a little editing work here to ensure you could read the text about Menasha's first librarian.  Over the years, we've featured Ms. Pleasants several times in this blog.  But this article revealed some facts I hadn't known before and, if nothing else, surely makes a convincing argument for her dedication and devotion to the library and the citizens of Menasha.

Embrace the Library

January 29, 1986, Twin City News-Record

This is a nice featurette on what the two libraries in the Twin Cities could do for the 1986 patron.  Of course, this was pre-internet and before the two engaged in much-anticipated expansion programs.  Heck, at this point, the Neenah Library only had two computers, as shown here.  Still, I know the founders of the respective libraries from less than a hundred years before this article, could not have envisioned such a progression of knowledge resources available to the average citizen.  And thirty years hence, it's as if another information revolution has exponentially occurred.  Such times we live in, indeed.

American Can

December 18, 1978, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

From time to time, I'll pull one of these from the ol' slush pile.  This is one in a series the Northwestern did in 1978, showcasing then-Neenah and Menasha workplaces under the byline, "Neenah-Menasha at Work."  This plant later morphed into a concern named Graphic Packaging International which then closed at the end of 2016.  An unpalatable evolution.