Happy New Year's Eve!

December 30, 1970, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

A tradition in Menasha for oh so many years- the New Year's Eve smorgasbord at the Hotel Menasha.  As expected, they covered all the bases- beef, chicken, ham, turkey, seafood, shrimp and then dancing in the Red Bird Room to work off all those calories! 

I hope your New Year's Eve is as festive as this promised to be. 

Christmas Is....

December 24, 1960, Appleton Post-Crescent

Without judgement, without caring what your religious preferences are, here it is.  Christmas has come again.  Despite all the turmoil in the world, all the injustice, all the atrocities man can bear upon one another, Christmas is here again.  Putting aside one another's animosities for a lingering season of brotherhood and fellowship is a tough act to ask for in this day and age, but we can always hope.  So here's an editorial from the Post-Crescent that sums it all up, in a timeless message from 58 years ago.  Take what you can from it; I hope it gives you solace.
Merry Christmas to all.  I'll be taking a break until next week, so I'll see you New Year's Eve.  The best of the holidays to you and yours.

An Editor Looks Back....

December 24, 1960, Appleton Post-Crescent

I tend to get nostalgic at times in doing this blog, but probably more so during the holidays.  And so it was too for a newspaper editor from 1860, marveling at the rise of Christmas traditions in his present compared to twenty years before.  

What ever could he think of Christmas one hundred years hence, if he could have seen this article resurrected for the season?  What would he marvel at in this year of 2018?  Computers?  The internet?  Cell phones?  It is the stuff of science fiction movies perhaps to him, of having indoor plumbing, of motorized moving conveyances without horses, or of having a marvelous device in everyone's pocket that not only can communicate with folks afar, but also have more information than all the libraries of 1860.  Why, it might have even given this editor cause for alarm that his own livelihood could be jeopardized by such a device, and he wouldn't have been necessarily wrong.

Despite my ramblings, one thing stands out about this editor's description of his Christmas so long ago- the anticipation and excitement.  Regardless of how simple the offerings might have been, the sentiments remain the same.  We all, no matter our age or the calendar year, tend to await eagerly the tidings of the season.  And I take solace that that never changes. 

Bridge on the Way Out

December 14, 1974, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Remembering this bridge from way back, I look at the current state of the river and it always looks to me like something is missing.  Maybe I've been delving into the past so much, I can't recognize the present? 

Candy Land

.

December 21, 1974, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

While a bit different from the enchanted house that Santa inhabited amongst the downtown merchants, the idea is largely the same- giving the young folk a special treat during the most magical of seasons.  And if you can involve reading, so much the better.

Double Features, Twenty-Five Cents

October 29, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

All I knew about the Great Depression was what my parents told me and what I'd read in history books.  That is why I love article series such as these that help put things in perspective for the every man, at least through the eyes of an editor gleaning information from back copies of the Northwestern.  Comparing what that night of entertainment at the Brin would buy grocery-wise for example, is fascinating, in that, as with anything, there are always trade-offs.  As the writer concludes, there was a lot more to life than the constant worry about market crashes and soup lines.  As we've seen, the Twin Cities were more than fortunate in their economic situation compared to other parts of the country.

Pause for Party

December 13, 1938, Appleton Post-Crescent

Aside from the usual routine of school activity, this club, as well as the rest of the student body and faculty, had been through a lot the past few years.  This marked the first Christmas since the new Menasha High School was built, after the devastating fire that took the old school on Racine Street in March of 1936.  Since then, students had been farmed all over town to complete their education, until the new campus on Seventh Street opened in 1938.   Also, just a side note about outmoded professions, a "printers club" is rather anachronistic for this day and time, considering our reliance upon computerized this and that.  Setting type has, more than likely, gone the way of buggy whips and hand cranks on automobiles.  And no doubt, some lucky reader may find a relative within these holiday revelers.

Mr. Menasha

 

December 16, 1970, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Mr. Banta seemed to live his life for Menasha and the Fox Valley.  Besides his leadership at the Banta Publishing Company, he was instrumental in the effort to build Calder Stadium as well as the Lawrence Bowl in Appleton.  As a dedicated railroad buff, he facilitated the caboose installation in Smith Park and contributed heavily to the railway museum in Green Bay.  He served as a director and officer of the First National Bank of Menasha and was a member and president of the board of trustees at Lawrence University.  He served as director and president of the Valley Council of the Boy Scouts and was a president of the Wisconsin Historical Society.  Mr. Banta lived until 1977, a lifelong resident of Menasha for 82 years.

New Lights

November 3, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Growing up at Second and DePere Streets, it seemed like these lights had always been in my consciousness, even though I now know I was 13 before they appeared.  With changes in ownership, the name changed and the lights came down.  Heck, there's even three tanks there now instead of the lonely one that held the sign.  Progress.  We first visited Central Paper earlier this year:  http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2018/07/central-paper.html.

Bank Holiday

October 28, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

This is the second of that series of articles I promised which detail Neenah-Menasha's response to the stock market crash of 1929 and the resultant Great Depression.  I found it humorous that in the midst of all this with Prohibition ending, Wisconsin outlawed the word "saloon" in favor of "tavern."  Without looking it up, I can only imagine it was designed to rid the memory of the anti-saloon sentiments conjured up which created Prohibition in the first place.  The word "tavern" is associated with food, so this may have been a more agreeable compromise to get the industry back on its feet.

Where is Santa?

December 9, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

A long standing tradition for downtown Menasha was the magical Gingerbread House which housed Santa's visit to the area during the Christmas season.  During this year of 1965, the house was next to the Menasha Sweet Shop.  For several years, it was found near the old public library or elsewhere on Main Street. 

Pearl Harbor Aftermath

December 8, 1941, Menasha Record

Today is Pearl Harbor Day, so let us look to the day after the event 77 years ago.  Menasha, of course, like the rest of the country, was on edge, as its finest men were serving in harm's way. Robert Gazecki, mentioned in the article, lost his life at Pearl Harbor and became the second namesake for the local American Legion Post as evidenced in the 1944 news item below.  He was on board the USS Arizona.  I have left a link at the bottom of this page to take you to the official USS Arizona record.  The other Navy men mentioned in the article were more fortunate.

June 2, 1944, Appleton Post-Crescent

http://www.ussarizona.org/index.php/features/lists/uss-arizona-casualty-list/748-gazecki-philip-robert

Free Ride to Appleton

July 17,1884, Saturday Evening Press

With our dependence upon automobile travel for so many years now, it's easy to forget how big a role railroads once played in the lives of Menasha residents, even for an Appleton retailer to entice customers from the lower Fox Valley by offering rail transportation to and from his place of business.

A Victorian Toyland

December 17, 1887, Saturday Evening Press

A Neenah retailer advertises in the neighboring Menasha newspaper.  This ad shows the nature of play in 1887 America and what was offered for children in what Mark Twain termed "the Gilded Age."  Tin toys, wooden toys, sleds and soldiers undoubtedly filled Christmas stockings everywhere and though these offerings appear modest, you just know they inspired the imaginations of countless youngsters regardless of their simplicity. 

Great Depression Looms

October 27, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

This is the first of a series of articles to be offered in the coming weeks which detail Neenah-Menasha's response to the stock market crash of 1929 and the resultant Great Depression.  As you will see, the Twin Cities did not suffer the way other municipalities did, being blessed with what proved to be recession-proof industries. 

Humorous Take

November 30, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Sometimes you just have to laugh, as evidenced by this account of humorous news items from days gone by.  It seems the whimsical editors of our local newspapers put a little extra grit and forthrightness in their news accounts, hesitating to pull any punches.  Se for yourself.

Come to Shop and Enjoy the Courtesy of Our Friendly City....

December 2, 1952, Appleton Post-Crescent

All of these retailers pledged to help you out for Christmas, 1952 with extended hours and service.  As businesses go, some were lifelong affairs, others came and went with measured frequency.  I can recall fifteen or so of these stores and I was born four years after this ad.  How many do you remember?

Bock II

December 5, 1952, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

It's been several years since we featured Gem's own Bock Beer for the holidays.  Nice to see that the beer made its way to other parts of the state and wasn't just confined to the Twin Cities.

Paper Drive

December 15, 1941, Appleton Post-Crescent

In the first of what proved to be many more opportunities, local Boy Scouts do their part for National Defense.  In years to come, these drives would escalate to include aluminum, silk, cooking fat, rubber tires, scrap metal, and others, to provide raw materials to be fashioned into whatever the military needed- be it bullets, rifles, airplanes, etc.  Americans really pitched in as it was a national effort, and the Twin Cities were no strangers to taking part.

How Much Time is Left?

December 14, 1956, Twin City News-Record

A rather mundane feature but a valuable one if you tend to shop during Christmas like I do.   If nothing else, it allowed the local shopper to know the differences between the two cities, in order to maximize one's time.  I guess I had thought both towns had the same late evening hours but this calendar proves me wrong. Interesting side note...2018 is one of those years when the 1956 calendar can be used for the present day.  So recycle those old calendars if you have them!

Find Me Something Good

 

December 3, 1979, Twin City News-Record

Ah, a sight to warm the heart of any book lover, the annual library sale.  Such a great idea- making money for library programs while giving second life to books in a new home library, as it were. 

Spelling It Out

November 28, 1957, Appleton Post-Crescent

Before I take a week's hiatus to coincide with Thanksgiving, please let me wish you the best of holidays with your families.  I'll be back to the blog on Monday, November 26th.  See you then!

It's That Time of year

November 27, 1957, Twin City News-Record

It's that time of year when we squeeze in the joys of Thanksgiving and Christmas in such a short period of time that the advertising world is agog with seasonal overlap.  This is one such example from the News-Record.  And recall that this is 1957, long before the frenzied Black Friday countdowns and crazy deals meant to lure customers into their stores at ungodly hours.  I'd like to believe it was a simpler time.

Train Excursion

November 1, 1939, Appleton Post-Crescent

I ran across this in the sports pages and, recalling the bus trips I took to Milwaukee's County Stadium in the 1970's to see Brewers games, I wonder what sort of decorum there was on the train going and coming from the game.  All I know from this era is what I remember from movies and newsreels and it was views of men in suits and ties and fedora hats and the whole thing looking quite dignified.  There were no guys in jerseys or t-shirts or any of the other team apparel that fuels what must be a multi-million dollar industry.  I DO wonder what the "refreshments" were on the train.  The "refreshments" I remember on those bus trips included copious amounts of beer and I can only imagine that those train trips from that era were not the bacchanalia my bus trips were.  And that price! Yes, yes, I know there's no comparison to today.  But still...the game ticket WAS included. 

New Fad

November 25, 1939, Appleton Post-Crescent

Though the first badminton club was formed in 1878 in New York and became a weekend meeting place for its society leaders, badminton’s popularity boomed in the 1930s as educational institutions, YMCAs, and hundreds of newly formed clubs offered badminton instruction. As shown here, the craze even reached Menasha.  The popularity of badminton was also accented by its adoption by many movie stars, to include the likes of James Cagney, Bette Davis, Ginger Rogers, Joan Crawford, and Douglas Fairbanks.  By 1992, the sport had even achieved Olympic status.

Veterans Day

November 12, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

Yesterday was Veterans Day, or at least, the traditional one.  Today is the recognized one by the government, so no mail, but some parades today in places.  If you didn't before, please take a moment to honor the brave men and women who have served to keep us all safe and free.

Drucks for All Your Christmas Needs

November 17, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

Layaway was a reality at Drucks that fine Christmas season.  What better way to get the latest TV set or other appliance for the family.  And in that time period, everybody didn't have TV yet, so imagine the excitement some families experienced that year. 

Looking West Down Main Street

November 26, 1988, Appleton Post-Crescent

From the same article in 1988 regarding downtown revitalization comes this photograph.  As mentioned yesterday, as you can see at the left, that side of Main Street was largely taverns, and, for a time, some unseemly businesses further down the block. You can sure tell Christmas is coming and how fitting to have the iconic Menasha Corporation truck in the foreground.

South Side (of Main Street)

November 26, 1988, Appleton Post-Crescent

This was the back end of several Main Street southside businesses, since supplanted by a three story office building.  This photo was featured in an article about a potential redevelopment proposal.  While the lot of businesses towards the end of this block's tenure were a number of bars and other questionable "amusements," it was also the block that housed the public library, Tuchscherer's, Marguerite's, a shoe repair, and other assorted enterprises off and on.  For a time, there was a successful waterfront restaurant under various names.  So while the landscape has largely changed in thirty years, memories remain.  Tomorrow, I will feature a more traditional Main Street view from the same time period.

Eclectic Ads

November 29, 1920, Menasha Record

Everything from shoes and hardware to insurance services and groceries and even industrial products bought ad time in the local newspaper in 1920.  Most of the styles were rather plain and the proofreading was suspect, but the paper got the messages across regardless.  And for a vehicle that represented the interests of Menashans for so many years, it was paramount to enlist the support of local merchants. 

Relics Collection

November 2, 1957, Appleton Post-Crescent

Going to St. Mary's growing up, I was well aware of the relics the altar held and the occasional visit of new relics from time to time.  I never ever thought that individuals like myself could own such treasures, believing they had to be church property or at least held by the clergy or religious scholars.  The idea they could be bought and sold freely was totally alien to me.  But in my adult life, I've since learned that if there is a market for anything of value, people will eventually find it and exploit it as much as is humanly possible.

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

October 16, 1968, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

It's not too late to get your registration in, if you are not already registered to vote.  Owing to the lateness of the calendar, it might entail a visit to the city clerk's office, but hey, we're all good citizens here, right?   Let this notice from 1968 be your reminder.   And what about those $1.95 chicken dinners?!  Winner winner, chicken dinner, as they say.  You won't get away with THAT price anymore, but treat yourself kindly nonetheless for doing your civic duty.

Getting Ready

October 29, 1985, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Before we end our coverage of Halloween this week, I offer the above photo which gives us a glimpse of a part of downtown that's not there anymore.   I hope your Halloween this year was filled with many treats and not so many tricks.  

Frog Legs and Greyhound Buses

November 20, 1934, Menasha Record

Due to the news that Greyhound bus service suddenly ceased operations to the Fox Valley yesterday, I offer a happier time for the bus line when such travel was more acceptable.  Greyhound was founded in 1914 and quickly became the largest provider of intercity bus transportation in the country.  The bus line had a long presence in northeast Wisconsin. It once had multiple routes a day coming through Appleton and Green Bay, but that has been scaled back considerably in recent years.  When the C&NW ceased operations in 1971, my aunt who lived in Milwaukee and had previously used the train to visit exclusively, then had to rely upon the Greyhound to come up to Menasha.  I always had thought, as a kid, that the train was so much more glamorous than the bus.

Hey Kiddies!

October 29, 1943, Menasha Record

In the midst of World War II, the Brin ensured the kids of Menasha had a good time for Halloween.  You can't go wrong with the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers.  Or, for the older set, the midnight show could be fun with spine tingling tales of horror to be shown.  It sounds like it was a blast for all ages! 

Halloween Visitor

October 17, 1966, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Adding a bit of whimsy and frivolity to the fall holiday, these ladies decorated their front yard in fun fashion.  And judging from the residents' names, I suspect this Halloween visitor, if he had an identity at all, was simply known as "John Smith." 

Souvenir Postal Cards

November 1, 1904, Menasha Record

At the height of the post card craze, pre-World War I, and when the best postcards came from Europe (mainly Germany), Menasha's local druggist John Rosch was on it.  For all I know, some of the cards in my collection might have come from his store.  We've spoken a little bit about Mr. Rosch before.  He was a one-term mayor of Menasha (1894) and was said to have been the first druggist to have a soda fountain in the city.  A Democrat, he was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention several times and even entertained William Jennings Bryan at his home during a speaking engagement in the city. He served on the Menasha school board and was even nominated as the Democratic candidate for the governorship, which he declined.  In 2014, we spoke about his distinctive residence in the blog:  http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2014/06/george-stein-house.html 

January 15, 1887, Saturday Evening Press

Monotype Machine

October 13, 1920, Menasha Record

From its earliest days on Main Street, the Banta Company was devoted to quality printing.  With its then-new location on Ahnaip Street, the company finally had the space to expand its operations and extend its production line, using the most modern equipment available.  Banta, in this ad, showcases some of that technology it was so proud of.

Alien Permits

October 24, 1918, Neenah Daily Times

June 8, 1917, Menasha Record

A while back, I lamented that I hadn't kept us up to date with what Menasha was experiencing during our involvement in World War I as we commemorate 100 years since the war ended.  I first touched upon this particular issue in 2013 after I had located an article about renaming Berlin Street as Paris Street in the midst of World War I.  Evidently, anti-German sentiment had run high enough at the time, despite Menasha's extensive German heritage, to cause this change to be passed by the city council: https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2013/07/95-years-ago.html  In that blog post, I detailed and showed the identity papers my grandfather had to carry around for the rest of the war, despite having gained his own American citizenship in 1906.  

In researching the war year of 1918, I came across an evolution of the alien registration act, now requiring women to be registered, as evidenced by the first news article.  Of course, one can argue that special times dictate special circumstances and we were at war.  America took its xenophobia to a higher level when it imprisoned Japanese-Americans and their families during World War II.  I'll get off my soapbox now, but I shudder when I see the anti-foreigner biases in this country today and the potential for that.  History often repeats itself. 

New Fire Truck

October 22, 1946, Appleton Post-Crescent

What could be better on a fine Fall afternoon...gathering with friends down by the river, watching the new fire truck in action.  At least for the time being, it beat raking leaves.  

Father Hummel

October 20, 1953, Appleton Post-Crescent

Growing up, I was regaled with stories of this man by my mother.  Even though he had passed on before I was born, Father Hummel had baptized my mother, performed her marriage, and had baptized several of my siblings before I came along.  In that "that was the way it was back then" voice, she told me of how strict he was.  Of course, it was a different era- the Latin Mass was the norm, he expected his students to tow the line, and he did not suffer fools gladly.  But at a time when the parish needed leadership, Father Hummel led St. Mary's through two world wars and the Great Depression.  His life was that of service, and he freely gave his all, as attested to in this article. 

Doty Island Love Letter

November 18, 1979, Appleton Post-Crescent

This is a nice snapshot in time of almost forty years ago when the writer expressed, what I feel were the feelings of many residents, about how they felt about living on Doty Island.  While my own time in Menasha did not include residing on the island, I was, of course, quite familiar with its residents and haunts.  My father worked there, my best friend lived there, I played there.  Crossing the bridges was a no-brainer and one didn't even think of the distinction from "mainland" Menasha.  Yet, as the author says, the island was and is a melting pot of socio-economic classes, of homes, of businesses, of industries.  There is no one typical resident of Doty Island, yet the use of the word "community" seems to sum up its existence; at least it did in 1979.  I suspect it is still true today.  Common ground, indeed.

Playerphones

October 16, 1918, Menasha Record

December 14, 1918, Menasha Record

I was intrigued by these "talking machines" and then I realized it was just a term for record players or phonographs and Playerphone was just a brand name.  Evidently, most phonograph companies used the "phone" or "play" in their names- Gramophone, Qualitiphone, Playonola .  My research even found a trade journal for the industry titled The Talking Machine World, so that phrase was a thing.  Like "horseless carriage" for automobiles, it didn't withstand the sands of time, but just serves as sort of a benchmark for an innovative time when recorded music was all the rage.  In a few short years, network radio would develop and having "wireless sets" (as they were first known) would be the new rage.  Remember when "world wide web" was synonymous for the internet?  Nobody says that anymore either. 

FYI, Mr. Swenson was a jeweler in Menasha at 209 Main Street for about thirty years until his death in 1939.  During this time period, his advertising often suggested watches and other gifts to be sent to the "boys over there," serving in The Great War.  Here's a trade ad for the Playerphone I was able to find.  Sorry it isn't larger and more readable.