Merge Counties?

September 21, 1967, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern

 

A trip back in the ol' time machine to 48 years ago today brings us to this editorial on the front page of the Northwestern, decrying the then-recent idea to merge Outagamie, Winnebago, and Calumet Counties into one.  It was an idea thought up by the editor of the Appleton Post-Crescent and then run with by Appleton Assemblyman Harold Froehlich.  The proposal even included moving the county seat to the Town of Menasha, more or less in the center of the area. 

 

But within a month or so, the idea fell by the wayside and little more of it was heard again.  For the time, it brought some heated discussions within the valley and between the main competing newspapers, especially when Oshkosh was left off the map for this idea, hence the caption above.  (It references Winneconne having been left off the state map earlier that year; remember that?!)

A Photo Study

An ordinary corner.  An ordinary corner we passed by so often that we didn't give it a second thought.  An ordinary corner adorned with a kitschy sign, promising a "wee nippee" at the lounge inside.  To so many of us, it was always there.

A lot can be garnered from studying photographs, good or bad.  And while this color shot from the early seventies isn't the greatest composition in the world, it still holds a lot of data, a lot of memory, and a lot of heart.  Granted, it isn't the best.  I'm no expert, but I'd have suggested the cameraman lower the lens to include the street.  Maybe back up and move to the right a bit so the sign is in clear view.  But that's quibbling.  To this amateur historian, I'd rather see a hundred photos like this than the cliched poses that graced the picture postcards of the era. 

An ordinary corner, yes.  Yet an ordinary corner that held so much history. Heck, it even had an official plaque commemorating a historical event that had happened on the spot. And despite whatever goes up in its place, whatever is designed to invigorate the downtown, to stimulate the economy, to jumpstart development, that will be the new ordinary.  In my mind's eye, this will always be there, an ordinary corner no more.

Civil War Letters

Appleton Post-Crescent, April 21, 1962

 

A bittersweet account of the Civil War as provided by Mr. Ralph Moon's grandfather in his letters, his initial enthusiasm eventually tempered by the horrors of war.  A most interesting presentation to the Menasha Historical Society, I'm sure. 

 

A side note...the "Wigwam" that was mentioned was a convention center and meeting hall that served as the site of the 1860 Republican National Convention. It was located in Chicago at Lake Street and Market (later Wacker Drive) near the Chicago River.

Otto Kloepfel

Many of Menasha's "characters" from its past come to my awareness just by chance.  This calling card, for example, was for sale some weeks ago on eBay.  So of course, being a curious guy, I took it as a challenge to learn more about this Otto Kloepfel.  Yes, he was a piano tuner.  That much was in evidence, as well as on the reverse of his business card where Otto displayed that he had completed a special course in repairing and tuning player pianos.

  

Standard Player Monthly, February 1916

 

Player pianos were more than just a novelty at the turn of the century, so much so that a whole journal was devoted to the industry.  Looking up his piano tuning school resulted in this find. Could Otto be in this photograph?

 

January 22, 1937, Oshkosh Northwestern

 

But then a scan of local newspapers from his lifetime merited this gem.  Otto also had an interest in ice skating, as evidenced by many newspaper articles I came across about his prowess at an advanced age, which must have made him quite the popular topic around town.  In this particular case, the match was eventually cancelled because unseasonably warm weather that winter had made the rink conditions intolerable for the match, but it was obvious that Otto had a reputation as a skater, which by this time, most likely outshone his musical past.

 

September 22, 1939,  Appleton Post-Crescent

 

It was evident that Otto Kloepfel had a varied life- a harpist, conductor, piano tuner, baseball player, and skater in Menasha.  He lived in a period where he saw the dirt streets of horse and buggy Menasha and player pianos in parlors evolve into the paved avenues of sleek automobiles and radio shows.  My maternal grandfather lived in such an era as well; I wonder if he knew Otto Kloepfel?  I would love to know.

ShopKo

September 15, 1970, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

Before the current ShopKo, there had been another, on the grounds of the current Goodwill center on WI 47.  Combining a discount department store with a grocery store, it followed the model of the Treasure Island store in Appleton and offered extended hours.  From 45 years ago...some prices, huh?  But to put it in perspective, minimum wage back then was $1.60, with today's buying power of $9.84, per the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Junior Bowling

September 14, 1972, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

It's that time of year when a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of...bowling?  And so it was 43 years ago today with bowling programs designed for "interested youngsters."  Organized programs or not, many a fine time was spent at that facility in my formative years.

182 Main

Zooming in on interesting architectural details of our legacy buildings, this one at the corner of Main and Milwaukee.  Such work is definitely a throwback to the past.  Sometimes if we just look up, there is a lot to see.