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December 23, 1939, Menasha Record
Today is the first day of an annual custom- Merry Christmas and holiday greetings from the fine, past merchants of the Twin Cities. It's a blog tradition to offer these little snippets of greetings and holiday cheer on behalf of the advertisers within the local newspapers. Most of them are gone now, but we at the blog hope some of these businesses strike a chord with you and give you a nostalgic glow, be it fond memories of the fellowship you shared at a local tavern or perhaps the thought of a special gift from a local store.
December 23, 1901, Appleton Post-Crescent
This is an indication of the importance of Menasha early in its infancy, helping to tie the valley together via passable roads and infrastructure. Yes, Menasha's founders would have been astounded at the progress in just fifty years, likely terming it science fiction. (By the way, that term was first used in the same year, 1851, but didn't really enter the public lexicon until the 1920's.)
December 30, 1893, Saturday Evening Press
One of the prices of industrialization was the inconvenience of coal-fired smokestacks that belched soot and befouled the neighboring areas of Menasha. Needless to say, Menasha was not alone in having this problem. Weighing this "inconvenience" versus the benefits of commerce meant that the soot was a necessary evil for the healthy progression of the city. Pollution would eventually be dealt with, but it would take awhile.
December 18, 1929, Menasha Record
A few weeks ago in the blog, we had a 1969 ad from The Clothes Shop that is very reminiscent of this one. Of course, that version just screamed 1960's. But forty years before, it was enough to have a sedate Christmas candle and a somber litany of gift ideas that greeted the shopper's eye to get the point across.
December 21, 1915, Menasha Record
The new-fangled "talking machine" threatens the old tradition of gathering in the parlor with sheet music on the stand and Mother on the piano. Within a few years, radio will appear as a commercial entity and records will become even more popular as the century rolls on.
December 26, 1901, Oshkosh Northwestern
Menasha certainly was a hotbed of marital scandal and intrigue back in the day, as this article attests. I can only assume bigamy laws were not as strict as they eventually became in certain jurisdictions. A one dollar fine and then being allowed to leave seems pretty lax for the time, though it might have been just enough for it to be a part of the public record. It sounds as if Mr. Bublitz was more than forgiving, as long as he had his boy back.