Sign of the Times

November 19, 1915, Menasha Record

We discussed one kind of sign yesterday, and today, another sign (this one more directional than inspirational) is the subject of our post. And it further underscores the oft-heard animosity between the two cities. 

I recall commuting to college in Oshkosh and returning to Menasha via what was then US 41.  Every day I encountered a sign at one point that read "Menasha 9, Neenah 8" which, of course, was the mileage to the two separate communities.  Now, the friction between the Twin Cities was known far and wide.  In fact, one of my marketing professors made a joke in one of our classes one day mentioning this exact thing.  He cited seeing that exact sign and then quipped that it was a rare occasion where Menasha one-upped Neenah...in anything.  (Big laughter.)

So, despite the "slight" of coming second most of the time, it only makes sense to anyone (and to this lady who complained) that when giving directions, it is only logical to cite the first city one comes to (Menasha),in spite of the naming convention that puts it as second usually. It made sense in the late 1970s and I'm sure it made sense in 1915.