Rationing is Sharing!

Menasha Products Corporation does its part during World War II when rationing was a key factor in winning the war. This Waxtex ad dates to 1943. 

School History

July 25, 1973, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

From the 1973 centennial edition of the daily Northwestern comes this concise history of early schools in Menasha.  What amazed me most was that it took almost twenty years for a commencement to be held after students had graduated.  Finishing the course and staying home seems rather anticlimactic but perhaps there was some tenet involved there where drawing attention to oneself wasn't condoned.

Swimming Fun

June 11, 1957, Appleton Post-Crescent

Here's another view of the Smith Park swimming beach, which we explored a few weeks ago.  Can you imagine the frustration when a strike, two weeks from completion, stops work at the new pool facility?  By the looks of it, these kids don't have a care in the world about it.  Most likely, the city fathers had the most heartburn about the delay.

Nicolet Controversy

October 3, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

The fascinating story of the visit of Jean Nicolet to Menasha has inspired Fox Valley residents for hundreds of years and have given us naming "rights" for schools, parks, boulevards, and even school yearbooks, like Menasha High's Nicolet.  Heck, even the St. Mary yearbook took on the French name "Renard," or Fox as sort of a tribute to the explorer.  But is it true?  Did he really come to our fair city?  The article above gives one pause, in that Green Bay has its own hold on the legend and historians are not convinced he ventured beyond the Green Bay area.  Since it was almost 400 years ago, no one knows for sure.  Even maps of the time were somewhat loaded with guesswork, and documented accounts are left to interpretation.  Controversy such as this is not without precedent, to be sure, but it does not betray Menasha's dedication to the legend.  The only sure thing is that if Menasha's marker were established today, the plaque's language would certainly be tweaked to eradicate the word "savages" and come up with something a bit more politically correct.

Happy Winners

June 28, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Would such a contest garner enthusiasm today, in such complicated times?  This photo is so 1969, with those stingray bikes.  I mean, what kid didn't have one? 

Oak Hill Cemetery

June 14, 1968, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

This 1968 article gives a nice primer on the history of Oak Hill Cemetery.  While many may think of this exclusively as a Neenah cemetery, the story shows that Menasha played a big hand in its management and many notable and many not so notable individuals from our fair city have found their final rest under its welcoming trees.  

Anniversary

June 13, 1999, Oshkosh Northwestern

These 150th anniversary articles for the Menasha Corporation from twenty years ago gives not only the well-known history of the company from its inception as a pail factory but also fills in the subsequent years since.  What I found especially interesting were the company's attempts to keep the company private by courting descendants of the families involved. 

More on Rev. Clinton

December 10, 1967, Appleton Post-Crescent

This article repeats a little bit from Monday's version, but gives a better biography of the Reverend.  The account of his Civil War service is amazing; and carrying such a large amount of money on behalf of his soldiers was truly brave.  A true man of integrity.

Lots of Walking

January 8, 1967, Appleton Post-Crescent

Today's blog post is about an amazing man who tramped the Fox River Valley on foot, delivering mail to neighboring communities in the 1830's before Menasha was even a village.  If for no other reason than to highlight the extreme conditions of the area at that time, we present his story. I cannot imagine the long distances he walked on foot...and then to retrace his Green Bay to Chicago route on foot at age 85; I get winded walking up the stairs!

A New Church for Menasha

May 30, 1965, Appleton Post-Crescent

We've met Reverend Clinton before, notably in my book and in this blog post, among others:   https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2013/06/first-congregationalist-church.html. I find it a bit humorous how, without any church facilities, he would accept whatever he could arrange as a venue to preach, even if it meant using a saloon and keeping the thirsty customers waiting.   It must have been a testament to his dynamic personality, in such a rough and tumble era, to convince saloonkeepers to put aside their liquor sales for even a short time, while allowing their customers to get an unintended sermon.

Smith Park Beach

June 9, 1956, Appleton Post-Crescent

Back before the municipal pool was a reality in Jefferson Park, Smith Park was utilized for swimming.  Seeing the water tower in the background gives one a very good idea of the exact placement of the swimming area.  I was just a toddler when the pool was built a few years after this photo, so I don't know the answer but I wonder-- did the swimming at Smith Park end right away when the pool opened or was it a bit later?  Maybe some of our readers remember.

Lavish Hats

September 19, 1910, Menasha Record

As recorded here, the female citizenry of Menasha were invited to partake of the $3 selection at the Neenah milliners.  Hard to believe what fashion dictated one hundred years ago, but this is proof of what the stylish ladies were wearing.  Though hats would still be in vogue for women (and men) in decades to come, such outlandishness was soon muted as the 1920's approached.  Needless to say, fashion, at least for women, went 180 degrees in the other direction.

A Chevy for $490

June 1, 1934, Menasha Record

There's history in the strange price of $490.  Not $500, mind you, but $490.  Back in 1915, Chevrolet attempted to take market share away from the popular Fords of the time.  So they devised a car, and called it the 490 and offered it for $490.  The strategy worked as they were undercutting the price of Fords.  Model T Fords at this time were selling for $495!  This car model lasted until 1922.  In the midst of the Depression, they brought the old campaign out of mothballs and offered Chevys at this price again. By this time, Chevy had already beaten Ford at their own game and had become the number one best selling car brand in the US.  Many of us will remember the Gibson Company down on Main Street, between the fire department and the Bank of Menasha.

Advertising Time Warp?

July 31, 1905, Menasha Record

I am a fan of old newspapers, as readers of this blog can probably tell.  But this string of ads caught my eye. Can you see why?  Remember, this is 1905 and the prevailing advertising style for print ads was the one represented by the John Strange Company, The First National Bank of Menasha, and The Menasha Paper Company as shown above.  Now look hard at The Menasha Woodenware Company ad.  That ad looks like something out of the 1960's or '70's.  If it was in color, it'd be olive green and day-glo orange!  Check out the stylized curves on the h, m, and n.  All it is lacking is a row of daisies acting as the border!  Now granted, there are still some 19th century touches there, to include the commentary: "Always on Hand."  But I am just amazed at this.  The biggest change was definitely moving the company's name to the extreme left of the ad.  And the excess white space as well.  Forgive me if it seems I've lost my head on this, but I am dumbfounded.  My wife has always said I get excited at the strangest things.  Here's a good example.

Standing Tall and Looking Good

January 15, 2003, Twin City News-Record

With all the recent news coverage of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, it is only fitting to find some military oriented photo representative of the Twin Cities. The Back in Time editors deemed this photograph as undated, but my guess is this is late 1930's, perhaps 1940-41, judging from the uniforms and helmets. 

Ambling Along the Mill Street Bridge

September 4, 2002, Twin City News-Record

You don't find that many photos of the Mill Street Bridge in its heyday, up close and personal.  Most are from a distance, or the bridge acts as a backdrop to something else entirely- fishing in the river or focusing on a paper mill or riverboat, etc.   This "Back in Time" picture, courtesy of the Historical Society shows a dreary day in late fall or early spring, judging from the trees.  Notice the slow speed limit; however, a check of newspapers around this time period leads me to believe the year is not right for this photo, as there are many instances of fines for speeding over this bridge, all mentioning a TEN MPH speed limit.   And for you completists out there, the fine was consistently $10.

Tennis Anyone?

September 7, 2005, Twin City News-Record

I saw an earlier version of this photo one time in the Back in Time column and it didn't have any of the detail listed here.  In fact, it was just thrown out there as a tennis fan in the 1920's.  But judging from the fashion, I knew this was taken much earlier than the '20's and now I'm glad I was hesitant to publish it with the lack of details.  Being that this was John Strange's daughter, it totally brings it into Menasha's orbit.  The News-Record inconveniently cuts off the caption which places the Athearn Hotel in Oshkosh.  There's a good post about the Athearn at this blog site:  https://williamwatersoshkosharchitect.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-athearn-hotel.html

A Noted Romantic

December 31, 2003, Twin City News-Record

From another "Back in Time column: I love the idea that Mr. Smith was so demonstrative with the Missus, despite the social mores of the era.  I'm sure there was enough petty whispers and cluck-clucking and tsk-tsking behind the Smiths' backs.  But as hypocrisy goes, those arbiters of public decency would likely be the first to drop all pretense of morality when it was time to welcome the riches and benefits the Smiths gave to the city- the library, and the park, just to name a few. 

The Tale of Peter Grossman

 April 10, 1894, Neenah Daily Times

April 12, 1894, Appleton Post

April 14, 1894, Saturday Evening Press

April 21, 1894, Saturday Evening Press

May 2, 1894, Oshkosh Northwestern

May 3, 1894, Appleton Post

June 2, 1894, Saturday Evening Press

July 19, 1894, Appleton Post

August 25, 1894, Saturday Evening Press

As detailed here last week in the smallpox scare of 1895 in Menasha, today brings the fuller story of what that article was talking about.  Evidently, Mr. Grossman put his political ambitions far ahead of any public safety, to include the safety of his own family and child as well.  Sadly, his son lost the battle with the disease and Mr. Grossman became as detested as the later pariah,Typhoid Mary, who didn't become a dubious celebrity until the early 1900's. It is not sure what became of the Grossman family once they fled Menasha. 

As for Typhoid Mary, she was originally released from quarantine once she had promised to never cook again for large groups of people.  But she broke that vow and resumed work as a cook within five years of her first release.  As a result, more people were infected, the health authorities traced it back to her, and she was exiled to a New York hospital for the remainder of her life, 23 years.

Bridge Traffic

July 5, 2000, Twin City News-Record

I found this in a "Back in Time" compilation from the News-Record recently.  I hadn't seen it before but it definitely shows the area as a hotbed of activity on a warm day in 1940.   And seeing as how we've featured bridges a lot lately, why not give a shout out to both the Tayco Street and Washington Street Bridges in one photo.