Over the years, we've featured many, many views and posts about Smith Park. Well, count today's as yet another notch on the old blog's belt. This postcard view of the original pavilion is no older than 1907 yet likely taken between that year and the 1920's if only because of the reference to it as "City Park." I'm not sure when it formally ceased being referred to as "City Park" or "the City Park" though I've seen references as early as 1931 referring to it as the "Elisha D. Smith Park" and the "E.D. Smith Park" in 1935.
August 9, 1919, Menasha Record
For the low price of $1.50, one could tour the entire Lake Winnebago area on a summer Sunday. For the uninitiated "Clifton" is essentially High Cliff: its name was changed to avoid confusion with another Clifton in the state of Wisconsin. Was "Auto Buss" the pet name for the conveyance that took you on the tour? Or just a typo? To me, "buss" means a kiss.
September 25, 1899, Oshkosh Northwestern
What a different game this must have been, compared to the games we watch today. Minimal padding to be sure and only some players wore leather helmets which consisted of three straps which barely covered the tops of the players' heads. Ear flaps weren't even considered yet.
It's hard to believe now but helmets were not even mandatory for college play until 1939 and for the pros until 1943.
August 31, 1979, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
"Local Woman Finds Thrifty Alternative to Driving" might be the alternative headline to this story. It sounds like it was a fit and fun way to get to work vs. just driving. I'm not sure about being in the roads though.
August 31, 1981, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
The Menasha Lock remains closed for another boating season. It has been eight years since the lock was open to pleasure boats after a discovery of the invasive round goby in the upper Fox River.
The DNR is using the lock as a barrier to keep the fish from reaching Lake Winnebago, where it would pose a threat to native gamefish. The Fox River Navigational System Authority is working on designs for an electric barrier system, but reportedly, that will not be done this year.
In the meantime, here's a picture of a happier time from 1981 when the lock was in full operation.
August 4, 1951, Twin City News-Record
I know it's hard to believe there was a time when two movie theaters graced downtown Menasha, but it's true. Obviously, as shown by the offerings here, Westerns were a big draw, even on television in the fifties. This was the era of the big Davy Crockett craze, with kids of every ilk wearing the iconic coonskin caps.
August 6, 1979, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
An 1858 article in the local newspaper of the time talks about "Mackinnon Avenue" bisecting Doty Island from Lake Winnebago all the way to Peepeek Lake, later to be known as Little Lake Butte des Morts. In due time, this street will be referred to as just "The Avenue," and eventually be rededicated as Nicolet Boulevard in 1906. The Women's Clubs of Menasha erected a monument that same year in Smith Park to commemorate the explorer Jean Nicolet's coming ashore near Smith Park in 1634 after travelling down the Fox River from Green Bay.
August 26, 1875, Saturday Evening Press
This account of the unintended consequences of encountering electricity made my own hair stand on end. If the risks were discounted before, the victims in this case will surely have a newfound respect for Mother Nature after this. (I had to look up what a "cant-hook" is...it's a traditional logging tool consisting of a wooden lever handle with a movable metal hook called a dog at one end, used for handling and turning logs, especially in sawmills.)
August 25, 1938, Menasha Record
Back in this era, a trip to Chicago or some of the other upper Midwest cities was affordable. Today, we'd likely just drive, even if train service was still available. Times change and so do our attitudes about travel. But this ad reminds us that Labor Day weekend will soon be upon us, the last hurrah of summer, so to speak. Get ready for fun times!
August 19, 1966, Twin City News-Record
Thank goodness for the game warden coming to the rescue. It sounded like the script for a madcap comedy chase, what with all the "help" to roust the intruders. Menasha at its finest, lol.
October 9, 1879, Saturday Evening Press
In a time when gathering around the piano in the parlor was a mainstay of entertainment, is it any wonder that schools like this would spring up to provide training to accentuate the voice?
August 1, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Well, Menasha comes in second in this situation, but our neighbor to the south has the distinction of having had the first telephone exchange in the state. This article gives a nice summary of phone service since its inception in the Twin Cities. And though it is 1969, the phone industry was already trying to find new and unique ways to utilize the recently introduced touch tone service, by interfacing with computers to do credit checks for retailers and home listings for realtors. This all seems so primitive now, but progress is often measured in baby steps. The internet would have blown their minds!
August 16, 1932, Menasha Record
I must admit, I had never heard of J.C.'s Tea Room near the Brin Theatre before finding this ad. One hopes that it wasn't a victim of the Depression as many businesses were. Below is a sample menu I found from a few months before.
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August 7, 1879, Saturday Evening Press
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August 14, 1879, Saturday Evening Press
This snippet from an 1879 newspaper showcases some of the industries resident in Menasha, to include the Syme Flour Mill. You can read more about the mill, which lasted until the mid-1880's at this link: http://menashabook.blogspot.com/2012/09/symes-flour-mill.html. Also included, a wonderful synopsis of Menasha for any newcomer or visitor who might pick up the newspaper.
August 21, 1967, Twin City News-Record
We continue our week with a look at Menasha's Moonlight Madness from 1967. In an era when nighttime openings weren't as commonplace for retailers as they are now, shopkeepers ensured they had a reason for their customers to come out with sales, special prices, and big discounts.
August 13, 1903, The Neenah Daily Times
Why it's better than patent medicine or any tonic a peddler can sell to the old man! You just have to love the enthusiasm of the old time advertisements, though I'm not sure the missus coming over the horizon is too pleased with his newfound sprightliness, finding him dancing with the beer fairy, or whomever she is supposed to be.
August 7, 1969, Twin City News-Record
Menasha mothers and daughters get together for some wholesome fun at Jefferson Park. We've met ladies like this before in the blog: https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2021/08/modern-moms.html.
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August 7, 1969, Twin City News-Record
The class of 1959 probably hadn't see teamwork like that since the late fifties when they were working on their homecoming floats. It just goes to show that banding together for a common goal can make the most exacting of work go by quickly.
August 26, 1880, Saturday Evening Press
The dangers of demon alcohol have transcended all periods and epochs, or so it seems, as described here. The disgust of the Press editor about the carousing young people and having it happen, on a Sunday, of all days, makes the social transgression ever more profane. The social contract (skill?) of adequately holding one's liquor while presenting an outward civic countenance is lost on many. In the face of personal drunkenness, it is difficult to gauge one's own capacity for reverie and often one loses his (or her) way. So, it is not to necessarily forgive these transgressors but, knowing one's limitations goes a long way.
August 3, 1969, Appleton Post-Crescent
Here at the blog, we've always been fanw of the public library as an institution but even more so for the original building on Mill Street. The above article hearkens back to the library's inception and tells how dedicated Menasha citizens were towards getting this prestigious institution for their hometown. Why, it meant that the city had truly "arrived." And so much a source of civic pride to show off to neighboring towns.