Another Lost Chance

October 16, 1985, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Over the years, Menasha has had many ideas to reinvigorate the city center, from plans for a downtown "mall," to relocating the business district to Broad Street, to even this idea.  And that's not to say these ideas were bad.  it's just that, sometimes in the planning stages, one learns that there are insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of the idea being realized, be it something like hazardous asbestos that must be removed or learning that the property is just too far gone to renovate it in a cost effective manner.  Sadly, for the fire station, that restaurant never did come to pass and the whole building met the wrecking ball in 1988.  In subsequent years, Menasha would face the demise of more and more historical buildings being razed, to include the Hotel Menasha, a couple of banks, the Brin Theater, and an entire lock of Main Street in the heart of the retail area.  This blog will not pass judgment on these actions, but rather just make the reader aware of them, as if he or she isn't already cognizant of these changes.   But as was said before, things aren't as simple as they appear to the layperson.

School Spirit

October 21, 1972, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

While the visiting lion from yesterday was holding court at Bowlby's downtown, my very own Sophomore class was raising the roof at the St, Mary's gym for homecoming.  I can name every face in that crowd and probably make good educated guesses at even the obscured faces.  That was the beauty of a small class...everybody knew everybody else.  It's rather difficult to maintain anonymity when there's only 100 or so kids.  

Our rescheduled 45th reunion was a few months ago and some of these same faces reappeared then, albeit aged with time, a little heavier, a little grayer, a little balder.  But our enthusiasm ran high, nonetheless, just as the caption says.  Just look at the practice we had.

Attention Seeker

October 21, 1972, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

As if the spectacle of using this big cat to tout one's sale at a local candy store wasn't enough, well then, leave it one of Menasha's own to want to walk this huge feline around town. Why, it'd be the ultimate one-upmanship.  Imagine this guy walking into his favorite watering hole with this critter at the end of a leash. His friends would absolutely roar with delight. And I ain't lion.

Parents Pay

                                                        

October 31, 1932, Menasha Record

Stern warnings were issued from the Menasha Police Department regarding any anticipated bad behavior during Halloween. In my mind, it was a common sense interpretation of the law regarding what kids are liable for, or, in these cases, what the parents will take responsibility for because of their kids' bad behavior. 

Collectibles

 November 16, 1961, Appleton Post-Crescent

My family was a big proponent of the grocery premiums of the 1950's and 60's, where one would amass a set of encyclopedias one volume at a time, or, in this case, these dishes on a weekly basis.  I always envied the kids who had the first-rate World Book encyclopedias in their homes while I had to make do with the green bound Funk and Wagnalls in our bookcase.  Of course, the World Book had cool color photos and my childish brain likely couldn't get around the fact that this shouldn't have been the deciding factor on an encyclopedia.  Anyway, my Mom collected so many of these Currier and Ives dishes from the A&P just across the tracks in Neenah near the old train station, that I believe she could have served a state dinner on behalf of a grateful nation.  I'm sure many of the blog's readers can identify with these promotions from a time when groceries as well as gas stations gave away dishware, glasses, etc. to entice shoppers to their businesses. 

 January 18, 1961, Appleton Post-Crescent

Jug

                                                              

August 4, 1960, Oshkosh Northwestern

We've seen Mr. Bachelder's pottery before, back in 2017:  https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2017/07/pottery.html  In 1960, there was an influx of interest in the pottery and the historical society ensured people knew about it by having displays of his wares.  This article is a good descriptive piece and provides a bit of history about the firm.  In retrospect, the editors should have included a photo of her piece, but I will provide a representative photo below.

photo courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society

Blown the Town

 

October 19, 1903, Oshkosh Northwestern

The notorious Welch gang, introduced in yesterday's blog post, merit another mention in the newspaper some eight years later.  By this time, some notable members of the gang had already been tried, convicted, and sentenced, among them gang leader, Jack Welch who was serving his time in Michigan.  Of special note is the location of their hideout, in the vicinity of Brighton Beach and the use of the slang expression signifying that the gang had "blown" the town.   

Chicken Thieves

 

 November 30, 1895, Oshkosh Northwestern

Menasha was a hot bed of criminal activity in its early years.  This article mentions Officer Schrebeis, from yesterday's robbery attempt story as one of the officers helping to apprehend the Welch brothers.  As we shall see in later installments, this gang was no one term number...indeed, in a span of almost twenty years, the brothers' gang was still doing damage to the area.

Long Hard Fight

October 15, 1903, Oshkosh Northwestern

Menasha has been known for some criminal activity but this harrowing account of the attempted robber of the grocery gives one pause at how it could have easily become tragic.  Mr. Schreibeis' training as a policeman from years before obviously kicked in and helped him to seize the day and quell the robbers.  We at the blog are grateful he survived, as he became a valued alderman of the fourth ward in later years and contributed mightily to the civic well-being of the city, sitting on the school board and serving as postmaster.

We first encountered Mr. Schreibeis in 2013:  http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2013/10/schreibeis-groceries.html

That Seven Yard Rule

October 7, 1898, Oshkosh Northwestern

Everybody knows that the game of football is based on the team with the ball getting four downs in which to make ten yards before another four downs are granted.  But back when the game was new, downs were originally limited to three and five yards was the required yardage to gain before a new set of downs was given.  For their 1898 season, the Oshkosh team decided seven downs was a better distance, but obviously Menasha did not agree and the game did not occur.  

A few days later, the following article appeared and it becomes apparent that Oshkosh felt Menasha had a "ringer' on its team and objected to that issue, even more than the five yard rule. It would be a while before football rules resembled what we know today and the idea of negotiation between teams as to what rules were permissible is a rather foreign concept to the current fan.  In fact, it wasn't until 1912 that the point value of a touchdown was standardized at 6 points and a field goal at 3 points.  Before that, touchdowns ranged from 2 to 5 points and field goals were, in varying years, either 5 or 4 points.  As with everything, football evolved over time.  Likely, the football fan of today would be hard pressed to recognize the game of 1898 when it looked more like rugby and forward passes were nonexistent.

October 10, 1898, Oshkosh Northwestern

Special Dinner

January 5, 1912, Menasha Record

Nothing like repeating the actions of a world leader.  After all, isn't that how the 7th inning stretch started, because President Taft stood up at that time in the baseball game he attended and everyone in attendance thought they needed to follow out of respect?  Anyway, I was unable to find any follow-up articles on the great possum dinner, so who knows how well that turned out?

Special Party

October 23, 1964, Appleton Post-Crescent

Contests, prizes, and fun.  Movie theatres sure don't do this much anymore, do they?  But back in the heyday of entertaining the kids at the movies, this type of thing happened all the time.  Movie theaters were, in many cases, de facto babysitters, allowing busy Moms and Dads to have a few hours available to themselves to do other things.  And the Brin, our local movie palace, was just the ticket. I wonder how many actually showed up in costume to get that free ticket....

When Things Go Wrong, They Go Wrong

October 24, 1959, Oshkosh Northwestern

Not to make fun of misfortunate, but when things go wrong, they rapidly go wrong.  This poor woman's insurance agent must have had his day made when this report came in.  It almost sounds like a humorous scene from a movie comedy.  The only thing missing is the funny music they'd play when the car was performing all these acrobatics.  Thankfully, Mrs. Schultz was uninjured, playing human pinball.  Just another unusual day in Menasha.

"...Rife with 'Discoveries'..."

October 11, 1929, Menasha Record

The recently formed St. Mary High School (1928) performed a dedication to Christopher Columbus on the occasion of the holiday named after him.  While I'm sure the program fell into line with what the Governor had declared, I found it humorous that the headline simply said the program was "appropriate."  I'm not sure what the orchestra and the students could have done to have been "inappropriate" to the occasion, but better adjectives like "stirring," "patriotic," or "memorable" would have made for a more appreciative entry in one's scrapbook.  

Essay Winner

October 3, 1939, Menasha Record

October 24, 1939, Menasha Record

At this juncture, America had yet to enter World War II and would steer free of the conflict for another two+ years.  But the possibility loomed big in the minds of the Knights of Columbus, who reflected that concern in the essay topic it assigned to those entering its contest.  In spite of the sensitive subject matter, Mr. Williams, the winner, manages to keep the idea of joining the war at arms length while condemning those who have instigated the war in Europe.  I disagree with his stance that America's "duty" was to declare its neutrality, but that is an easy observation for me today, looking back some 80+ years in hindsight.  I know it was a popular sentiment at that time for the US to stay out of the war.  But I contend that America's involvement helped immeasurably to shorten the war and might have ended it even sooner if we had committed earlier.

I'll be back at work on the blog on Tuesday of next week, so no Monday entry.  See you then! 

Quite the Story

 

November 10, 1888, The Saturday Evening Press

I'm confident most readers of this passage already knew the real story about the naming of the two communities.  But in today's world, even the tallest of tales resonate in the American psyche.  One can just lie about things often enough and they begin to resemble truth.  So why should things be any different in 1888?  The more clever in-the-know people saw the humor in this but one just knows that some readers took this as the God-given gospel truth.  An interesting take on things, to be sure.

Mayor Scanlon

October 28, 1981, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Here's a nice feature from 1981 on local politician and World War II-era mayor, John Scanlon.  With the demolition of the current Racine Street bridge and the construction of the new one coming within the next year, it is timely to remember this man who played such an instrumental role in the funding of that span.  Sadly, he passed away three months after this article was published, but I hope he took a small bit of pleasure in knowing that his accomplishments were written about and celebrated during his lifetime.  But knowing what I know about this man, I'm sure his modesty outpaced any pride he felt.

Trekking Home

October 7, 1981, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Regular readers know we, at the blog, are big fans of slice-of-life photos which evoke some emotion in us and usually make us feel good.  And we like trains, and single figures involved in solitary pursuits, be it a lone fisherman on a pier, a solitary hiker on a trail, or, in this case, taking those elements and combining it all.  We even have the linear perspective using the train tracks. The only thing better would have been a dramatic sunset.  For lack of a better term, we'll call this lifestyle photography.  And, yes, we like it.  

Fire Trucks and Historical Memories

 

October 22, 1946, Appleton Post-Crescent

Menasha has, in its past, sponsored a whole array of eclectic experiences, from the groundswell of folks who came out to see the new aerial fire truck in action to an evening Chautauqua featuring the more erudite offerings of one Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.  Happily, an interested citizen could have attended both events, the fire truck demo on Saturday afternoon and the lecture two days later on Monday night. 

Furlough

October 13, 1943, Menasha Record

Naturally, the Menasha Record of this era was awash with news of servicemen's comings and goings during World War II so I was pleased to find this little item about my own family during a scan of the October, 1943 doings around town.  His family was fortunate in that my father wasn't sent overseas during the war and as a result, his folks didn't have the worries and consternation that other families faced.  Still, he was justifiably proud of his service, as am I, all these years later.