Hard to Top the Aroma....

March 17, 1982, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

Recent comments in one of the Menasha Facebook groups led me to seek out an article like this with an inside photo.  One of the group wanted to see the inside of the bakery; I took that to mean the retail area and not the literal baking area with the ovens and giant mixing bowls. 

Southerly Excursion

March 14, 1905, Appleton Post-Crescent

March 18, 1905, Appleton Post-Crescent

The S. Heymann Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin thought so highly of its spring fashion line that it offered Menasha residents a 10 cent round trip to Oshkosh via the inter-urban line to go see it.  And the Oshkosh Northwestern, via the Post-Crescent, proffered that it was a complete success, with over one thousand patrons using the line, more than half of them from Neenah and Menasha.  Twin City ladies were obviously fashion conscious.

Cram 'Em In

I apologize for the fuzzy quality of this item.  I saw this gem of a photo in the sponsor pages in the back of the 1960 Menasha High yearbook, The Nicolet.  Can you guess where this telephone booth is?  Do you even remember them?! I am not absolutely sure, but if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say it's the phone booth that used to grace the front of the Hotel Menasha.  Yes, once upon a time, cramming phone booths with students WAS a thing.  

Klan Gathering

February 12, 1923, Menasha Record

If the writer's intention was for the reader to raise a critical eyebrow at what he or she was reading, he certainly succeeded.  In retrospect, one thinks this item might have been better suited for April 1st, as the writer was obviously having fun at the reader's expense.  

Wintry Walk

February 24, 1990, Oshkosh Northwestern

Here's a little seasonal slice-of-life photo to get your week going.  The late '80s/early '90s were a busy time for the redevelopment of Menasha and this riverwalk contributed to Menasha's new image.  

High School Views on an Unpopular War

February 21, 1967, Twin City News-Record

Local high school students give their views on Vietnam in the "summer of love," 1967.  Granted, the Twin Cities were not the hot bed of political action in the sixties, yet one wonders if these kids' views changed as they neared draft age or entered college.  With the longevity of the war at the forefront, I'd be very surprised if some of these hawkish views weren't changed.

Celebrating Washington

February 21, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Here's a leftover from the President's Day holiday.  Just a few years before Lincoln's and Washington'a birthdays were combined in 1971, schools honored both separately, or if having to choose just one, the father of our country would usually win out.  Here is such a pageant in honor of President Washington to entertain the assembly audience at St. John's.

Riding for a Cause

February 15, 1967, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

February 21, 1967, Twin City News-Record

At least Coach Weede had the right idea...padding the important places and taking no precautions by having a helmet guarding his noggin.  A few years back, we featured the summertime counterpart- donkey baseball:  https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2018/07/donkey-baseball.html.

Patriotic Kids

February 24, 1944, Appleton Post-Crescent

Since the date of this news item, Lincoln has joined Washington in the celebration of birthdays in February, culminating in Presidents' Day.  Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, enacted in 1971 as a means to create more three-day weekends for the nation's workers. The day is sometimes understood as a celebration of the birthdays and lives of all U.S. presidents.

You Gotta Have Heart

February 8, 1989, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Menasha students took Valentine's Day to a different level in 1989 by showing the community what "heart" really is.  Be it taking care of shelter animals to honoring veterans to taking care of their own hearts by learning about fitness and nutrition, these students took the path of caring and sharing with their fellow citizens.  Their good works were not unnoticed.  And in a time when caring and love is too often measured by trinkets, flowers, and cards, these kids at Gegan showed the way.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Sleigh Ride

January 18, 1868, Appleton Crescent

Ah, yes, the perks of the leap year- new-found privileges and customs in the courting arena that turn the world topsy-turvy and put the fairer sex in the driver's seat, so to speak.  Thusly, we have the account of ten of Menasha's fair maidens, taking upon the direction of a leap year adventure the likes of the town had never seen before. Herding their seemingly unsuspecting prey in to an awaiting sleigh, they embarked on a southerly ride to the big city- Oshkosh- to a locally famous establishment for a fine repast.  The menu below can only hint at the finery awaiting them as they disembarked from their ride and were guided into the inn.  

Although this menu predates the event by eleven years, one suspects that a similar bill of fare was presented to the guests.  Purportedly, the cross-outs were of items no longer available, which, in this format, might have disappointed the diner, rather than enthused, for what might have been.  

The Adams House was one of the first hotels in Oshkosh and considered one of the finest in the city until it was destroyed in the Oshkosh Fire of 1875. The building was located on the southeast corner of State and Otter Streets.   One can only surmise that the young ladies were largely successful in keeping their swains from the temptations of "old Joe" and the "side pocket."  Be that as it may, the presence of chaperones Mr. and Mrs. T.D. Phillips might have been enough to keep order, as Mr. Phillips was not only a well-regarded furniture maker, but also, as was the norm in those days, an undertaker as well.  

Home, Sweet Home

February 13, 1942, Menasha Record

Menasha Furniture, from its primo, central location "on the square," gives us the mid-century version of the domestic "American dream"- the doting wife lighting her husband's pipe while he sits in his easy chair, book by his side.  In another panel, she might even bring him a cocktail.  Printed in February, 1942, America had only recently gotten into the war and the sober reality of subsequent months and years would be too many easy chairs filled with family dogs awaiting the return of their masters.  Mrs. American Dream might be at work in a factory, longing for the day when she could resume a scene like this.  Meanwhile, "Home, Sweet Home" would come to symbolize a world worth fighting for, for every man and woman who accepted the call to help fight for our freedom.  

Tux, Jr.

Here's an interesting postcard, a 1962-ish Ford Van that was used to travel to meat packers and other food plants to demonstrate Marathon's new packing machine for meats.  Evidently, this postcard would announce a visit to a plant.  Not surprisingly, one would think the postcard photo might be better used to showcase the machine instead of this mobile delivery system, and perhaps other postcards in the inventory might do just that.  But I'm guessing Marathon was quite proud of their sales rep on the move.  For all I know, illustrated literature might have already been sent in advance of the visits, so this reminder card was just that, a gentle reminder of the impending visit.  

Broad vs. Main

Our anonymous contributor from last Friday mentioned that even old Menasha maps had named Broad Street as Main Street.  This 1878 map is proof of his allegation.  I've seen earlier maps, to include one from 1872 which has the designations correct, but at least for a short time, there was this idea...or at worst, a big mistake on the mapmaker's part.

In this version, Main Street was destined to be known as Kaukauna Street.  

What Might Have Been

 February 18, 1962, Appleton Post-Crescent

We've touched upon this before- how it is widely believed that the founders of Menasha never intended Broad Street to be a totally residential neighborhood.  Instead, some had intended that it would become the center of retail activity in the city.  The buildings as shown above in this 1962 photograph are remnants of that hope and remain standing today.  The government land office was even located at this very intersection, until relocated to Wausau in 1893. In fact, there had been talk over the years that the chief problem with retail development over the years was a result of sticking to the Main Street plan, instead of allowing more businesses to spring up on Broad Street.  Why that should be when the main artery through town to Neenah is WI 114 (via Main Street) and which automatically lends itself to retail expansion remains to be seen.  Personally I believe it to be a convenient excuse.  But Menasha could have looked very differently.  I've read that St. Mary's was located at Second and Appleton Streets instead of more downtown because of this very view that Broad Street was going to be big and the parish would be more adjacent to this retail mecca.  So this theory could have had some validity.  How different our city might have been.

What's This?

February 24, 1989, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Not your everyday sight, to find this front-end loader in the river, but a necessary evil to keep up maintenance near the dam.  And history in the guise of St. Mary's Church and the old Loescher Hardware building rising beyond the bridge, completes the tableau.  

Sunny Days in Menasha Sports History

February 18, 1989, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

As described above, a special time in 1953 when both Menasha high schools took state championships within weeks of each other.  The whole thing is reminiscent of the fictional Hickory High School in the movie Hoosiers, but twice as sweet.  Doubt we'll see the likes of this again.

What's in a Name?

February 4, 1968, Appleton Post-Crescent

I chanced upon this article in the editorial page and considered it so much filler.  But then I got to thinking, this applied to Appleton streets but there is much similarity to Menasha's roster of great street names.  I had the pleasure to grow up on the winner- Second Street, albeit quite a vanilla name.  Compared to some of the wonders available on the island- Ahnaip, Naymut, my street name was positively mundane.  Even those closer to my residence-Tayco, Konemac held their individuality.  When I think of the street names we used to have and gave up in the name of industrial progress or cultural change- Osko, Keshaynee, Waubacoon, Penaysee- the R.L. Polk Company could have had a field day with that roster.  They were Indian-based names, but so distinctive.  As the article says, they can be quite the conversation piece.  

Season's Last Hurrah

January 26, 1995, Appleton Post-Crescent

As it was twenty-five years ago, so it is today.  The teams might change, but the reality is that the NFL's biggest game of the season simply brings people together, be it in small groups or large, private homes or sports bars.  This article gives a sampling of the offerings available around the valley in that pre-internet era.